Active solid-state devices (e.g. – transistors – solid-state diode – Housing or package – With provision for cooling the housing or its contents
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-25
2002-12-24
Thomas, Tom (Department: 2811)
Active solid-state devices (e.g., transistors, solid-state diode
Housing or package
With provision for cooling the housing or its contents
C257S706000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06498395
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to an apparatus for cooling a semiconductor package.
2. Description of the Related Art
A central processing unit (hereinafter, referred to as “CPU”) currently manufactured operates at speeds of greater than 500 MHz. With this increase in speed, power consumption increases. Meanwhile, increases in temperature at a chip junction part of the CPU may lead to a decrease in operation frequency. Consequently, it is necessary to maintain the junction temperature below a predetermined temperature to ensure reliability of the CPU.
To dissipate heat generated at a chip junction part in a semiconductor package to the air more effectively, a semiconductor package, on which a CPU chip is mounted, uses a ceramic substrate having more excellent heat properties than the existing plastic package. Also, a heat sink and a fan may be attached to more effectively dissipate heat in the semiconductor package outward. When operation frequency increases, electrical power consumption increases proportionally. Consequently, a larger or more efficient heat sink is required in order to use a device operating at high frequencies.
FIG. 1
is a cross-sectional view illustrating a conventional apparatus for cooling a semiconductor package, to which a heat sink and a fan are attached.
Referring to
FIG. 1
, a conventional heat sink
21
, which is mounted over a semiconductor package
15
, has a plurality of equal length, parallel fins
20
. Heat generated from a semiconductor package body
14
is mostly transmitted to the heat sink
21
and a board (not shown) over which the semiconductor package
15
is mounted and particularly, the heat transmitted to the heat sink
21
is emitted outward by a convection current effect created by a fan
26
. However, airflow is stagnant and heat is concentrated at the central part of the heat sink
21
due to a motor
22
at the center of the fan
26
. Consequently, the convection current effect at the central part of the heat sink
21
decreases significantly. Moreover, a plurality of equal length, parallel fins
20
in the heat sink are formed at both a central part and a peripheral part of the heat sink
21
. Therefore, the convention current effect thereof further decreases, and heat is further concentrated at the central part of the heat sink
21
. Namely, the heat generated from the semiconductor package body
14
is ineffectively cooled.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To solve the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for cooling a semiconductor package capable of effectively cooling or dissipating heat generated from a semiconductor package body.
Accordingly, to achieve the above object, there is provided an apparatus for cooling a semiconductor package, including a heat sink mounted over a semiconductor package for dissipating heat and a fan installed over the heat sink, wherein the heat sink includes a base plate, a support bar installed over the base plate for supporting the fan, a plurality of parallel fins, whose lengths are shorter toward the central part of the heat sink, extending from the base plate and air guide plates for guiding the flow of air in the heat sink to the central part thereof.
The air guide plates are formed to be slanted along the fins, whose lengths get shorter from the peripheral part to the central part of the heat sink.
The air guide plates may be parallel and face each other so that air flows in a horizontal direction. Also, the air guide plates may be adjacent to each other crossing in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction so that air flows in a diagonal direction.
It is preferable that the central part of the heat sink comprises fins of the same length.
It is preferable that the fins are formed rectangularly to have a checkerboard form.
A motor is installed at the central part of the fan, and blades serving as a passage for the inflow and outflow of air are at the peripheral part of the fan. The fan may be attached to and detached from the heat sink.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4541004 (1985-09-01), Moore
patent: 5019880 (1991-05-01), Higgins, III
patent: 5724228 (1998-03-01), Lee
patent: 6011216 (2000-01-01), Kitahara et al.
patent: 6125921 (2000-10-01), Kuo
Baek Joong-hyun
Kim Min-ha
Gebremariam Samuel A
Samsung Electronics Co,. Ltd.
Thomas Tom
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