Mixed thermoelectric cooling apparatus and method

• US 6,338,251 B1
• Filed: 07/22/1999
• Issued: 01/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ghoshal, Uttam Shyamalindu
• Primary Examiner(s): Doerrler, William C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shulman, Mark S.
• Application Number:
  US09/359,608
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• Field of Search: 62/32, 62/34
• US Class Current: 62/3.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00478 Air-conditioning devices using the Peltier effect for air-conditioning in general F24F5/0042; for refrigeration F25B21/02; electric devices exhibiting the Peltier effect H10N10/00
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 3/0081 Thermal properties
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 25/00 Machines, plants or systems, using a combination of modes of operation covered by two or more of the groups F25B1/00 - F25B23/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/0401 Bonding areas specifically adapted for bump connectors, e.g. under bump metallisation [UBM]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73253 Bump and layer connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/38 Cooling arrangements using the Peltier effect
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 10/00 Thermoelectric devices comprising a junction of dissimilar materials, i.e. devices exhibiting Seebeck or Peltier effects integrated devices or assemblies of multiple devices H10N19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 10/852 comprising tellurium, selenium or sulfur

Abstract

Apparatus and method for sub-ambient cooling using thermoelectric cooling in convention with dynamics conventional cooling techniques. In one form, a vapor phase cooling system provides a temperature (T) and is associated with a thermoelectric cooler. The thermoelectric cooler provides a differential temperature ΔT utilizing thermodynamics such as Peltier cooling. The thermoelectric cooler therefore provides a temperature of approximately T−ΔT to an object.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

an object;

an active cooling system; and

a thermoelectric cooler situated to be between the object and the active cooling system and coupled to the object and said active cooling system, wherein the object is thermally insulated from the active cooling system while being thermally coupled to the thermoelectric cooler such that heat transfer between the object and the active cooling system is through the thermoelectric cooler.

2. The apparatus, as recited in claim 1, wherein the thermoelectric cooler includes at least one thermoelectric element.

3. The apparatus, as recited in claim 1, wherein the thermoelectric cooler is a multi-stage thermoelectric cooler.

4. The apparatus, as recited in claim 1, wherein the thermoelectric cooler includes at least one Peltier device.

5. The apparatus, as recited in claim 1, wherein said active cooling system includes a vapor phase cooling system.

6. The apparatus, as recited in claim 1, wherein said active cooling system includes a micro-machined heat pipe cooling system.

7. The apparatus, as recited in claim 1, wherein the object is a thermal sink.

8. The apparatus, as recited in claim 1, wherein said object is thermally associated with a food refrigeration system.

9. The apparatus, as recited in claim 1, wherein said object is thermally associated with a vehicle occupant cooling system.

10. The apparatus, as recited in claim 1, wherein said object is at least one integrated circuit device.

11. The apparatus, as recited in claim 1, further comprises at least one microelectromechanical (MEMS) device.

40. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the object has a first nominal temperature and the cooling system has a second nominal temperature, the second nominal temperature being relatively greater than the first nominal temperature.

12. A cooling apparatus operable in an ambient comprising:

a multi-chip module;

a cooling system for absorbing thermal energy at a temperature T less than the ambient; and

a thermoelectric cooler associated with said cooling system for providing a Δ

T between said cooling system and said multi-chip module so as to provide a temperature of approximately T−

Δ

T to said multi-chip module.

13. The apparatus, as recited in claim 12, wherein said object is thermally coupled to said thermoelectric cooler.

14. The apparatus, as recited in claim 12, wherein said thermoelectric cooler includes at least one thermoelectric element.

15. The apparatus, as recited in claim 12, wherein said thermoelectric cooler is a multi-stage thermoelectric cooler.

16. The apparatus, as recited in claim 12, wherein said thermoelectric cooler includes at least one Peltier device.

17. The apparatus, as recited in claim 12, wherein said cooling system includes a vapor phase cooling system.

18. The apparatus, as recited in claim 12, wherein said cooling system includes a micro-machined heat pipe cooling system.

19. The apparatus, as recited in claim 12, wherein said multi-chip module is a thermal sink.

20. The apparatus, as recited in claim 12, wherein said multi-chip module is thermally associated with a food refrigeration system.

21. The apparatus, as recited in claim 12, wherein said multi-chip module is thermally associated with a vehicle occupant cooling system.

22. The apparatus, as recited in claim 12, wherein said multi-chip module includes at least one integrated circuit device.

23. The apparatus, as recited in claim 12, further comprises at least one microelectromechanical (MEMS) device.

24. A method of operating an apparatus having an object, a cooling system, and a thermoelectric cooler situated to be coupled to the object and the cooling system, comprising the steps of:

maintaining the object at a first nominal temperature;

maintaining the cooling system at a second nominal temperature;

wherein the second nominal temperature is relatively greater than the first temperature; and

enabling the thermoelectric cooler, wherein the object is thermally insulated from the active cooling system while being thermally coupled to the thermoelectric cooler such that heat transfer between the object and the active cooling system is through the thermoelectric cooler.

25. The method, as recited in claim 24, wherein the thermoelectric cooler operates to dissipate thermal energy from the object.

26. The method, as recited in claim 24, wherein the thermoelectric cooler includes at least one thermoelectric element.

27. The method, as recited in claim 24, wherein the thermoelectric cooler is a multi-stage thermoelectric cooler.

28. The method, as recited in claim 24, wherein the thermoelectric cooler includes at least one Peltier device.

29. The method, as recited in claim 24, wherein the cooling system includes a vapor phase cooling system.

30. The method as recited in claim 24, wherein the cooling system includes a micro-machined heat pipe cooling system.

31. The method, as recited in claim 24, wherein the object is a thermal sink.

32. A method of operating a cooling apparatus operable in an ambient having a cooling system, and a thermoelectric cooler associated with the cooling system comprising the steps of:

absorbing thermal energy at a temperature T less than the ambient from the thermoelectric cooler;

providing, by the thermoelectric cooler, a temperature differential of Δ

T; and

providing, to a multi-chip module associated with the thermoelectric cooler, a temperature of approximately T−

Δ

T.

33. The method, as recited in claim 32, wherein said multi-chip module is thermally coupled to the thermoelectric cooler.

34. The method, as recited in claim 32, wherein the thermoelectric cooler includes at least one thermoelectric element.

35. The method, as recited in claim 32, wherein the thermoelectric cooler is a multi-stage thermoelectric cooler.

36. The method, as recited in claim 32, wherein the thermoelectric cooler includes at least one Peltier device.

37. The method, as recited in claim 32, wherein said cooling system includes a vapor phase cooling system.

38. The method, as recited in claim 32, wherein said cooling system includes a micro-machined heat pipe cooling system.

39. The method of claim 32, wherein said multi-chip module is a thermal sink.

41. An apparatus for cooling a microelectronic circuit, comprising:

a cooling system having a cold chuck;

at least one thermoelectric cooler thermally coupled to the cooling system via the cold chuck; and

a base plate for mounting at least one microelectronic circuit device such that the microelectronic circuit device is in thermal contact with the thermoelectric cooler, wherein the cooling system is maintained at a temperature T, the thermoelectric cooler provides a temperature differential Δ

T, and the cold chuck provides a temperature of approximately T−

Δ

T.

42. The apparatus of claim 41, further comprising a cooling hat thermally coupled to the at least one microelectronic circuit device and thermally coupled to the at least one thermoelectric cooler, wherein the microelectronic circuit device is in thermal contact with the at least one thermoelectric cooler via the cooling hat.

43. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the microelectronic circuit device is a multi-chip module on which at a plurality of microelectronic chips are mounted.

44. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the cooling hat includes a dry helium chamber.

45. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the cooling system is a vapor phase cooling system.

46. The apparatus of claim 45, further comprising a defrost system.

47. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein a hot side of the at least one thermoelectric cooler is maintained at the temperature T and a cold side of the at least one thermoelectric cooler is maintained at a temperature of approximately T−

Δ

T.

48. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the at least one thermoelectric cooler includes an array of thermoelectric coolers.

49. The apparatus of claim 48, further comprising an array of microelectromechanical system thermal switches coupled to the array of thermoelectric coolers.