Surface mount thermal connections

Details Surface mount thermal connections Surface mount thermal connections

1998-09-22

2001-01-16

Tolin, Gerald (Department: 2835)

Electricity: electrical systems and devices

Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...

For electronic systems and devices

C165S080300

Reexamination Certificate

active

06175500

ABSTRACT:

FILED OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to devices for removing heat from substrates, such as printed wiring boards (PWBs) and, in particular, to an arrangement for removing heat from a component-populated substrate surface by the provision of pick-and-place thermal connectors between the surface and an overlying thermal plane.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As electronic circuits become denser, faster and more complex, it is increasingly important to remove the heat generated by circuit components before the heat deteriorates component or circuit performance. Such heat removal is particularly difficult from a substrate surface populated by circuit components because the components are of varying height, varying heat generation, and varying thermal conductivity.
Conventional methods of removing heat from populated surfaces are less than satisfactory. One approach, commonly used with printed wiring boards, involves filling the space between the surface and an overlying thermal plane (metallic heat sink) with thermally conducting organic material. The material is commonly applied as a soft, conforming “thermal grease” and sometimes as a loaded sponge. Unfortunately organic materials are of limited assistance. Although better than air, the thermal conductivity of even well loaded organics is orders of magnitude less than highly conductive materials such as copper. Organic loading gives rise to fairly high thermal resistance in spite of high contact area.
A second approach is the use of contoured heat sinks or contoured intermediate plates. Aluminum or copper plates are specifically contoured to touch the PWB surface at critical areas. While this approach is thermally superior to organic loading, it is expensive and inflexible in that each different PWB design requires a redesigned contour. It is difficult to apply contoured plates by mechanized assembly. Accordingly there is a need for an improved connection arrangement for removing heat from component-populated substrate surfaces.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the invention, a plurality of metal bodies are bonded to relatively hot spots of a component-populated substrate surface to provide thermal conduction from the surface to an overlying thermal plane. The metal bodies can be configured for pick-and-place application and self-alignment in solder bonding. Receiving solder pads on the substrate facilitate low thermal resistance solder bonding and self-alignment. In a preferred embodiment the bodies are rectangular parallelpipeds with bifurcated bonding surfaces.


REFERENCES:
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patent: 5588848 (1996-12-01), Law
patent: 5842275 (1998-12-01), McMillan, II
patent: 5920461 (1999-07-01), Brune
patent: 5930114 (1999-07-01), Kuzmin
patent: 0 207 012 (1986-12-01), None
patent: 0 449 435 (1991-10-01), None
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