Apparatus for dissipating thermal energy generated by current flow in semiconductor circuits
First Claim
1. A thermal energy dissipating arrangement, comprising:
- a semiconductor device including a semiconductor circuit having a top portion and a bottom portion, the semiconductor circuit defining a semiconductor junction between two dissimilar semiconductor regions, and encapsulating material in physical contact with and completely surrounding the semiconductor circuit, including the top portion and the bottom portion, the semiconductor junction defining a plane, anda thermally conductive medium defining an opening therethrough sized to receive the semiconductor device such that the thermally conductive medium defining the opening is in physical, thermally conductive contact with an exterior surface of the encapsulating material about the semiconductor device with the thermally conductive medium defining the opening intersecting an angle of less than or equal to a predefined angle relative to the plane defining the semiconductor junction about a periphery of the semiconductor circuit, the thermally conductive medium absorbing thermal energy generated within the semiconductor device as a result of current flow through the semiconductor junction and rejecting the absorbed thermal energy to an ambient environment surrounding the thermally conductive medium.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A thermal energy dissipating arrangement includes a semiconductor device and a thermally conductive medium. The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor circuit defining a semiconductor junction and encapsulating material in physical contact with and surrounding the semiconductor circuit. The thermally conductive medium defines an opening sized to receive the semiconductor device such that the thermally conductive medium defining the opening is in physical, thermally conductive contact with an exterior surface of the encapsulating material about the semiconductor device with the thermally conductive medium defining the opening intersecting an angle of less than or equal to a predefined angle relative to a plane defined by the semiconductor junction about a periphery of the semiconductor circuit. The thermally conductive medium absorbs thermal energy generated within the semiconductor device as a result of current flow through the semiconductor junction and rejects the absorbed thermal energy to an ambient environment surrounding the thermally conductive medium.
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Citations
36 Claims
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1. A thermal energy dissipating arrangement, comprising:
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a semiconductor device including a semiconductor circuit having a top portion and a bottom portion, the semiconductor circuit defining a semiconductor junction between two dissimilar semiconductor regions, and encapsulating material in physical contact with and completely surrounding the semiconductor circuit, including the top portion and the bottom portion, the semiconductor junction defining a plane, and a thermally conductive medium defining an opening therethrough sized to receive the semiconductor device such that the thermally conductive medium defining the opening is in physical, thermally conductive contact with an exterior surface of the encapsulating material about the semiconductor device with the thermally conductive medium defining the opening intersecting an angle of less than or equal to a predefined angle relative to the plane defining the semiconductor junction about a periphery of the semiconductor circuit, the thermally conductive medium absorbing thermal energy generated within the semiconductor device as a result of current flow through the semiconductor junction and rejecting the absorbed thermal energy to an ambient environment surrounding the thermally conductive medium. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A thermal energy dissipating arrangement, comprising:
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a light emitting diode (LED) including an LED circuit mounted to a mounting surface and defining a semiconductor junction between two dissimilar semiconductor regions, the semiconductor junction defining a plane that is substantially parallel to the mounting surface, and an encapsulating material in physical contact with and surrounding the LED circuit, a thermal energy dissipating medium having a length and a thickness that is less than the length, the thermal energy dissipating medium defining an opening through the length such that the thickness of the thermal energy dissipating medium defines a wall about a periphery of the opening, the opening sized to receive therethrough the LED such that the wall is in physical, thermally conductive contact with an exterior surface of the encapsulating material about the LED circuit with the wall intersecting an angle of less than or equal to a predefine angle relative to the plane defining the semiconductor junction about a periphery of the LED circuit, the thermally conductive medium absorbing thermal energy generated within the LED as a result of current flow through the semiconductor junction and rejecting the absorbed thermal energy to an ambient environment surrounding the thermally conductive medium, and a thermally conductive medium interposed in an interface defined between the thermal energy dissipating medium and the exterior surface of the encapsulating material, the thermally conductive medium facilitating transfer of the thermal energy from the LED to the thermal energy dissipating medium. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A thermal energy dissipating arrangement, comprising:
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a light emitting diode (LED) including an LED circuit having a top portion and a bottom portion, the bottom portion mounted to a mounting surface and defining a semiconductor junction between two dissimilar semiconductor regions, the semiconductor junction defining a plane that is substantially parallel to the mounting surface, and an encapsulating material in physical contact with at least the top portion of the LED circuit and surrounding both the top portion and bottom portion of the LED circuit, and a thermal energy dissipating medium having a length and a thickness that is less than the length, the thermal energy dissipating medium defining an opening through the length such that the thickness of the thermal energy dissipating medium defines a wall about a periphery of the opening, the opening sized to receive therethrough the LED such that the wall is in physical, thermally conductive contact with an exterior surface of the encapsulating material about the LED with the wall intersecting the plane defining the semiconductor junction about a periphery of the LED circuit, the thermally conductive medium absorbing thermal energy generated within the LED as a result of current flow through the semiconductor junction and rejecting the absorbed thermal energy to an ambient environment surrounding the thermally conductive medium.
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Specification