Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical... – For electronic systems and devices
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-29
2001-06-05
Picard, Leo P. (Department: 2835)
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...
For electronic systems and devices
C361S722000, C361S796000, C174S015200, C257S713000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06243269
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to printed circuit board manufacturing, and in particular, to a centralized cooling interconnect for multiple electronic packages.
2. Description of Related Art
As circuitry in electronics becomes more and more complex, packaging of the circuitry has become more difficult. The use of Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) has made packaging of integrated circuits and other electronic components easier and efficient.
The density of PCBs is limited by many factors. PCB area, or “real estate,” has a high premium during the design process, because the PCB real estate cannot be increased for a given PCB size. PCBs are routinely stacked next to each other in card cages, electronic modules, and in other electronic applications. However, the thermal considerations of the electronics act as a barrier to even denser electronic packaging density.
Thermal considerations are routinely overcome by attaching heat dissipative devices, such as finned heat sinks, etc., to individual chips to dissipate heat. However, these heat sinks take up additional room in card cages and electronic modules, and therefore invade the space that other PCBs can occupy, therefore reducing packaging density in the card cage.
As PCB real estate becomes more valuable, designers have started to find ways to reduce the real estate each component occupies. One method for doing this is to remove the die carrier, e.g., the black plastic or ceramic package that is used to make the handling of semiconductor dies easier, from the design. The die that is located within a die carrier is typically much smaller than the carrier itself, and therefore takes up less PCB real estate than the same die with the die carrier attached.
It can be seen, then, that there is a need in the art for a method for dissipating heat in addition to the use of heat sinks. Further, there is a need for heat dissipative devices that take up less real estate or, alternatively, real estate that is more planar with the PCB.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To overcome the limitations in the prior art described above, and to overcome other limitations that will become apparent upon reading and understanding the present specification, the present invention discloses an apparatus for cooling electronic modules mounted on printed circuit boards. The apparatus comprises a thermal conduction path having one end thermally coupled to a electrical component for conducting heat away from the electronic module. The thermal conduction path comprises a thermally conductive material on the printed circuit board. The other end of the thermal conductive path is coupled to a heat dissipating module such as a heat sink for dissipation of the heat generated by the electrical component into a coolant such as cooling air or cooling liquid.
An object of the present invention is to provide more efficient usage of printed circuit board real estate. Another benefit is higher packaging density without thermal overload of the resultant system.
These and various other advantages and features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and form a part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, its advantages, and the objects obtained by its use, reference should be made to the drawings which form a further part hereof, and to the accompanying detailed description, in which there is illustrated and described specific examples of a method, apparatus, and article of manufacture in accordance with the invention.
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DiBene, II Joseph T.
Muller P. Keith
Wang Gang
Cowart John D.
Datskovsky Michael
Gates & Cooper
NCR Corporation
Picard Leo P.
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