Cooling assembly using heatspreader

• US 9,318,410 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2013
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: De Cecco, Stefano F., Cheshire, Gregory W.
• Primary Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, ALEXANDER O
• Application Number:
  US14/037,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20150084182A1
• Time in Patent Office: 936 Days
• Field of Search: 257/720, 257/675, 257/676, 257/704, 257/705, 257/708, 257/712, 257/714, 257/717, 257/692, 361/701, 438/122
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/36 Selection of materials, or shaping, to facilitate cooling or heating, e.g. heatsinks H01L23/28, H01L23/40, H01L23/42, H01L23/44, H01L23/46 take precedence; heating H01L23/345
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/4093 Snap-on arrangements, e.g. clips
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/42 Fillings or auxiliary members in containers or encapsulations selected or arranged to facilitate heating or cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

Various embodiments relate to a microchip die cooling assembly comprising a circuit board; a microchip having an exposed die attached to the circuit board; a heatspreader having a top side and a bottom side; a heat sink having a bottom side and a top side comprising a cooling structure; a first thermal interface material in contact with the exposed die and the bottom side of the heatspreader; and a second thermal interface material in contact with the top side of the heat spreader and the bottom side of the heat sink.

Claims

1. A microchip die cooling assembly comprising:

a circuit board;

a microchip having an exposed die attached to the circuit board;

a heatspreader having a top side and a bottom side, the bottom side being positioned above the microchip;

a heat sink having a bottom side and a top side comprising a cooling structure;

a first thermal interface material in contact with the exposed die and the bottom side of the heatspreader;

a second thermal interface material in contact with the top side of the heatspreader and the bottomside of the heat sink;

a pin connected to the heatspreader and circuit board securing the heatspreader to the circuit board; and

a spring connected to the pin to bias the heatspreader against the microchip.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the assembly further comprises:

two pins having barbs securing the heatspreader to the circuit board; and

a spring attached to each pin that biases the heatspreader against the microchip.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the heat sink is made of copper, zinc, aluminum, or a zamak alloy.

4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the heat sink forms an outer wall of an enclosure which holds the circuit board.

5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the heatspreader is made of copper or aluminum.

6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first thermal interface material is thermal grease or a phase change material.

7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the second thermal interface material is a gap pad or thermal gel.

8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the assembly is a passive cooling system.

9. A heatspreader for use in an assembly for cooling a microchip with an exposed chip die, comprising:

a body that formed from a thermally conductive material;

a planar bottom surface having an area significantly greater than the area of the exposed chip die for thermally connecting to the exposed chip die;

a planar top surface having an area equal to the area of the planar bottom surface; and

two mounting features extending outward from each other in opposition in a plane parallel to the bottom surface for mounting the heatspreader in a resiliently biased thermal connection with the exposed chip die, wherein the resilient biased thermal connection includes a pin extending between the heatspreader and a circuit board to bias the heatspreader.

10. The heatspreader of claim 9, wherein the thermally conductive material is one of copper or aluminum.