Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical... – For electronic systems and devices
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-18
2001-07-03
Picard, Leo P. (Department: 2835)
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...
For electronic systems and devices
C361S707000, C361S709000, C361S719000, C257S718000, C257S719000, C174S016300, C165S080200, C165S080300, C439S485000, C439S487000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06256202
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to removing heat from integrated circuit (IC) array packages.
As the densities of integrated circuits (e.g., microprocessors, gate arrays, ASICs) continue to increase, the size of the packages used to house the circuits continue to shrink. These smaller, higher performing integrated circuits generate tremendous amounts of heat which is required to be dissipated. Thus, externally mounted heat sinks with profiles having large surface areas are typically mounted on the IC packages. In some cases, the size of the heat sink mounted to the IC package can dwarf the size of the package itself.
IC packages are either connected directly to circuit boards, or through adapters or sockets. Adapters and sockets are described in Advanced Interconnections Catalog No. 14-A (available from 5 Energy Way, West Warwick, R.I. 02893). In general, they consist of a glass epoxy frame having pins which are used to electrically connect a PC board with an IC or other electrical component.
Adapters are used to permanently convert one type of package to another. For example, a ball grid array (BGA) package having rounded solder ball contacts may be soldered to an adapter array having terminals pins, thereby converting the BGA package to a pin grid array (PGA) package.
Sockets, on the other hand, are used to allow particular IC packages to be interchanged without permanent connection to a circuit board. More recently, sockets for use with PGA, BGA and LGA packages have been developed to allow these packages to be non-permanently connected (e.g., for testing) to a substrate, such as a printed circuit board.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention features an intercoupling component (e.g., socket or adapter) for increasing the dissipation of heat generated within an integrated circuit (IC) array package positioned within the intercoupling component by providing a thermal path for heat dissipation from an IC through a heat sink to a substrate. The increased level of heat dissipation is provided while maintaining a reliable, non-permanent and low-loss electrical interconnection between electrical contacting areas of the IC array package and connection regions of a substrate (e.g., printed circuit board).
The term “integrated circuit array package” is intended to mean those packages, including PGA (pin grid array), PQFP (plastic quad flat pack), BGA (ball grid array) and LGA (land grid array) packages. The term “substrate” is intended to mean any base member having electrical contact areas including printed circuit boards, IC chip substrates or the packages supporting such chip substrates. The term “thermal path” is intended to mean a physical path by which heat is conducted.
In one aspect of the invention, the intercoupling component includes a heat sink, removable and replaceable within a package support member, having a surface in contact with both the substrate and the IC array package which is also disposed within the package support member. The package support member includes contact terminals disposed within associated openings of the package for electrically connecting the contacting areas of the IC array package to the corresponding connection regions of the substrate. The openings extend from an upper surface to an opposite lower surface of the support member and are located in a pattern corresponding to a pattern of the connection contacts.
In one embodiment of the invention, upper and lower surfaces of the heat sink and IC array package contact each other, respectively.
In another aspect of the invention, the intercoupling component includes a heat sink positioned within a package support. The heat sink has a surface for contacting a surface of the integrated circuit package and a surface for contacting a first surface of the substrate. The package support includes two support members spaced apart to allow air communication between the heat sink, the support members, and contact terminals disposed within associated openings of the package. The contact terminals electrically connect the contacting areas of the IC array package to the corresponding connection regions of the substrate. The openings extend from an upper surface to an opposite lower surface of each support member and are located in a pattern corresponding to a pattern of the connection contacts.
In yet another aspect, the intercoupling component includes a heat sink, removable and replaceable within the package support member, configured to provide a thermal path between the integrated circuit package and the substrate. The package support member includes contact terminals disposed within associated openings of the package for electrically connecting the contacting areas of the IC array package to the corresponding connection regions of the substrate. The openings extend from an upper surface to an opposite lower surface of the support member and are located in a pattern corresponding to a pattern of the connection contacts.
An intercoupling component having these arrangements are dual-purposed in that the component serves to reliably interconnect (either temporarily or permanently) the IC package to a printed circuit board while supporting a removable and replaceable heat sink within the component. The ability to remove and replace the heat sink facilitates interchanging heat sinks whose size and shape may differ on the basis of the operating characteristics (e.g., power level) of the integrated circuit placed within the package support member of the intercoupling component. Additionally, the heat sink provides a thermal path by which heat is dissipated from the IC package to the substrate. In certain embodiments in which the IC is mounted on or near the bottom of the array package, the presence of a thermal path from the underside of the package array to the substrate decreases the magnitude of heat dissipation necessary on the top surface of the package. In these embodiments, the size of top mounted heat sinks can be reduced such that the overall profile of the heat sink is reduced.
In still another aspect, the invention features a method of dissipating heat between an integrated circuit and a printed circuit board. The method includes providing an intercoupling component including a heat sink, placing an integrated circuit within the intercoupling component, and contacting a first surface of the heat sink with the underside of an integrated circuit. Additionally, the method also can include contacting a second surface of the heat sink to a printed circuit board.
Embodiments of all aspects of the invention may include one or more of the following features. The package support member includes a central region within which the heat sink is positioned with the openings disposed along an outer periphery of the central region.
The intercoupling component further includes a retaining member positioned to apply a downward force on the integrated circuit package. The retaining member includes a second, upper heat sink having a surface contacting an upper surface of the IC package. This arrangement, provides upper and lower heat sinks which “sandwich” the IC package so that a greater amount of heat can be dissipated from the IC package. A rigid member having peripheral sidewalls is positioned between the retaining member and integrated circuit package. The peripheral sidewalls contact peripheral regions of the integrated circuit package. With this arrangement, stress applied to the body portion of the IC package is relieved by conveying the downward force applied by the retaining member to the peripheral sidewalls contacting the peripheral regions of the IC package.
The intercoupling component may include an electrically insulative locator sheet (e.g., polyimide) including an aperture extending therethrough from an upper surface to an opposite lower surface of the locator sheet. The aperture is positioned and sized to engage an upper peripheral portion of the heat sink. The electrically insulative locator sheet includes openings extending therethrough and located in a pattern corresponding to
Advanced Interconnections Corporation
Chervinsky Boris L.
Fish & Richardson P.C.
Picard Leo P.
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