Cooling apparatus for memory module

Abstract

A cooling apparatus for a circuit module having a substrate extending axially with an IC chip of a first type and IC chips of a second type mounted thereon, comprising: a first heat spreading element disposed to form a heat conduction path with the IC chip of the first type; and a second heat spreading element disposed to form a heat conduction path with the IC chips of the second type, wherein there is at least one IC chip of the second type mounted axially away from opposite sides of the IC chip of the first type, wherein the first type of IC chip is capable of generating a larger amount of heat than the second type of IC chips, and the first heat spreading element has a higher thermal conductivity than the second heat spreading element.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features of the present invention will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by Describing in detail preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which like numbers refer to like elements:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cooling apparatus in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of a cooling apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary embodiment of the present invention employing an active cooling device.

FIG. 4 shows a cross sectional view of the active cooling device of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of the present invention employing a heat radiator.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment according to the present invention employing a heat spreader with fins.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a cooling apparatus for a memory module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a cooling apparatus for a memory module according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a cooling apparatus memory module according to still another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 shows a memory module with a conventional heat spreading device.

FIG. 11 shows a memory module with another conventional heat spreading device.

Claims

1. A cooling apparatus for a circuit module having a substrate extending axially with an IC chip of a first type and IC chips of a second type mounted thereon, comprising: a first heat spreading element disposed to form a heat conduction path with the IC chip of the first type; anda second heat spreading element disposed to form a heat conduction path with the IC chips of the second type,wherein at least one IC chip of the second type is mounted adjacent to the IC chip of the first type, wherein the first type of IC chip is capable of generating a larger amount of heat than the second type of IC chips, and the first heat spreading element has a higher thermal conductivity than the second heat spreading element.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second heat spreading elements have portions that overlap each other but the overlapping portions form substantially no heat conduction path.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first heat spreading element has a planar body which contacts the IC chip of the first type and the second heat spreading element has a planar body which contacts the IC chips of the second type to form respective heat conduction paths.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first heat spreading element includes pins extending vertically from the planar body for contacting the second heat spreading element but spatially separating the planar body of the first heat spreading element from the planar body of the second heat spreading element.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the pins are made of thermally conductive material and the pins have a cross-sectional area of contact with the planar body that is less than 30 mm2.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the pins are made of thermally nonconductive material.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein each of the pins is about 0.2 mm in thickness.

8. The apparatus of claim 3, further including a thermal interface material interposed between the planar body of the first heat spreading element and the IC chip.

9. The apparatus of claim 3, further including a thermal interface material interposed between the planar body of the second heat spreading element and the IC chips.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second heat spreading elements each has a planar body disposed in a separate but parallel plane from the other.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the circuit module is a SIMM.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the IC chip of the first type is an AMB and the IC chips of the second type are memory devices.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, further including a third heat spreading element disposed on a side of the substrate opposite to the side having the first heat spreading element.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the second or third heat spreading element has a planar body and at least two posts extending vertically from the planar body to provide a spatial separation from the other heat spreading element.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, further including a clip to bind the heat spreading elements to the substrate.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the circuit module is a DIMM.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first conducting element is made of copper or copper alloy and the second heat spreading element is made of aluminum or aluminum alloy.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the first heat spreading element is about 1.0 mm to 2.0 mm and the second heat spreading element is about 0.4 to 1.0 mm.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first heat spreading element includes a plurality of fins.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first heat spreading element includes a thermoelectric cooler device.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first heat spreading element includes a heat pipe device.

22. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substrate is a PCB.

23. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first heat spreading element has an axial length of about 25 mm to about 50 mm.

24. A cooling apparatus for a circuit module having a substrate extending axially with IC chips mounted thereon, comprising: a first heat spreading element having a planar body disposed to form a heat conduction path with at least one IC chip of a first type; anda second heat spreading element having a planar body disposed to form a heat conduction path with IC chips of a second type,wherein the substrate, the planar body of the first heat spreading element, and the planar body of the second heat spreading element are disposed one above another and in spatially distant but parallel planes.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the first type of IC chip is capable of generating a larger amount of heat than the second type of IC chips, and the first heat spreading element has a higher thermal conductivity than the second heat spreading element.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the first and second heat spreading elements have portions that overlap each other but the overlapping portions form substantially no heat conduction path.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the planar body of the first heat spreading element contacts the IC chip of the first type and the planar body of the second heat spreading element contacts the IC chips of the second type to form respective heat conduction paths.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, further including a thermal interface material interposed between the planar body of the first heat spreading element and the IC chip of the first type.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, further including a thermal interface material interposed between the planar body of the second heat spreading element and the IC chips of the second type.

30. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the first heat spreading element includes pins extending vertically from the planar body for contacting the second heat spreading element but spatially separating the planar body of the first heat spreading element from the planar body of the second heat spreading element.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the pins are made of thermally nonconductive material.

32. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the IC chip of the first type is an AMB and the IC chips of the second type are memory devices.

33. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the circuit module is a SIMM.

34. The apparatus of claim 24, further including a third heat spreading element disposed on a side of the substrate opposite to the side having the first heat spreading element.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the circuit module is a DIMM.

36. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the first conducting element is made of copper or copper alloy and the second heat spreading element is made of aluminum or aluminum alloy.

37. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the thickness of the first heat spreading element is about 1.0 mm to 2.0 mm and the second heat spreading element is about 0.4 to 1.0 mm.

38. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the first heat spreading element includes a plurality of fins.

39. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the first heat spreading element includes one of a thermo-electric cooler device or a heat pipe device.

40. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substrate is a PCB.

41. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first heat spreading element has an axial length of about 25 mm to about 50 mm.

42. A cooling apparatus for an in-line memory module having an AMB chip and a plurality of memory chips, comprising: a first heat spreading element disposed to form a heat conduction path with the AMB chip; anda second heat spreading element disposed to form a heat conduction path with the plurality of memory chips,wherein the first heat spreading element and the second heat spreading element are disposed above the memory module and the first heat spreading element has a higher thermal conductivity than the second heat spreading element.

43. The cooling apparatus of claim 42, wherein the memory module is one of a SIMM or a DIMM.