Thermal-sprayed metallic conformal coatings used as heat spreaders
First Claim
1. A method of dissipating heat from an electronic device having an enclosure and at least one heat-generating source received within the enclosure, the enclosure having one or more parts, and at least one of the parts having an exterior surface and an opposing interior surface, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) covering at least a portion of the interior surface of said one of the enclosure parts with a conformal metallic layer by the steps of;
(i) providing a feed material comprising a metal or metal alloy;
(ii) heating said feed material of step (i) into a molten state;
(iii) atomizing said feed material of step (ii) while in said molten state;
(iv) spraying the atomized feed material of step (ii) while in said molten state on said portion of the interior surface of said one of the enclosure part to form a self-adherent coating of said metal thereon; and
(v) solidifying said coating of step (iii) to form said conformal metallic layer; and
(b) disposing the conformal metallic layer covered on said one of the enclosure parts and the source in heat transfer adjacency with each other.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Heat dissipation and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding for an electronic device having an enclosure. An interior surface of the enclosure is covered with a conformal metallic layer which, as disposed in thermal adjacency with one or more heat-generating electronic components or other sources contained within the enclosure, may provide both thermal dissipation and EMI shielding for the device. The layer may be sprayed onto the interior surface in a molten state and solidified to form a self-adherent coating.
113 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A method of dissipating heat from an electronic device having an enclosure and at least one heat-generating source received within the enclosure, the enclosure having one or more parts, and at least one of the parts having an exterior surface and an opposing interior surface, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) covering at least a portion of the interior surface of said one of the enclosure parts with a conformal metallic layer by the steps of;
(i) providing a feed material comprising a metal or metal alloy;
(ii) heating said feed material of step (i) into a molten state;
(iii) atomizing said feed material of step (ii) while in said molten state;
(iv) spraying the atomized feed material of step (ii) while in said molten state on said portion of the interior surface of said one of the enclosure part to form a self-adherent coating of said metal thereon; and
(v) solidifying said coating of step (iii) to form said conformal metallic layer; and
(b) disposing the conformal metallic layer covered on said one of the enclosure parts and the source in heat transfer adjacency with each other. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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6. A method of dissipating heat from an electronic device having an enclosure and at least one heat-generating source received within the enclosure, the enclosure having one or more parts, and at least one of the parts having an exterior surface and an opposing interior surface, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) covering at least a portion of the interior surface of said one of the enclosure parts with a conformal metallic layer; and
(b) disposing the conformal metallic layer covered on said one of the enclosure parts and the source in heat transfer adjacency with each other such that a gap is defined between the conformal metallic layer and the source, wherein before or after step (b), a thermal interface material is interposed between the conformal metallic layer covered on said one the enclosure parts and the source, said thermal interface material at least partially filling said gap. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A thermal management assembly for an electronic device having an enclosure and at least one heat-generating source received within the enclosure, the enclosure having one or more parts, and at least one of the parts having an exterior surface and an opposing interior surface, the assembly comprising:
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a conformal metallic layer covering at least a portion of the interior surface of said one of the enclosure parts, and the layer being disposed in heat transfer adjacency with the source received within the enclosure to define a gap therebetween; and
a thermal interface material interposed between the conformal metallic layer and the source, said thermal interface material at least partially filling said gap. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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Specification