1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a phase change material that couples an integrated circuit package to a thermal element.
2. Background Information
The integrated circuits generate heat that must be removed from the packages. A thermal element 5 may be coupled to the packages to facilitate the removal of the heat. The thermal element 5 may be an aluminum or copper plate that is attached to the substrate 4 and coupled to the top surfaces of the packages 2 and 3. Heat flows through the packages 2 and 3 and into the thermal element 5. The thermal element 5 increases the effective surface area and the resultant heat transfer into the ambient.
The first integrated circuit package 2 may have a height that is greater than the second integrated circuit package 3. The difference in height may create an air gap between the thermal element 5 and the second package 3. Additionally, tolerances in the assembly 1 may also create air gaps between the thermal element 5 and both packages 2 and 3.
Air gaps increase the thermal impedance between the thermal element 5 and the packages 2 and 3. The higher impedance increases the junction temperatures of the integrated circuits. The air gaps may be filled with thermal grease 6 located between the thermal element 5 and the packages 2 and 3. The grease 6 is typically applied to the thermal element 5, or integrated circuit packages 2 and 3, before the element 5 is assembled onto the packages 2 and 3.
The thermal grease 6 has a thermal conductivity that is greater than the thermal conductivity of air. The thermal grease is compliant enough to compensate for variations in the thickness of each air gap. Unfortunately, it has been found that thermal grease may pump or bleed out of the space between the thermal element 5 and packages 2 and 3 and leave an air gap. It would be desirable to provide a compliant thermally conductive material that can couple the thermal element to the packages and will not bleed out of the package/element interface during the life of the assembly.
One embodiment of the present invention is an electronic assembly which may include an integrated circuit package that is mounted to a substrate. The assembly may have a thermally conductive phase change material that couples the integrated circuit package to a thermal element.
Referring to the drawings more particularly by reference numbers,
Referring to
The second integrated circuit package 14 may include a plurality of leads 30 that are connected to the substrate 18 and an integrated circuit 32 within the package 14. The second package 14 may be a quad flat pack (QFP) type package. The second integrated circuit 32 may be a static random access memory (SRAM) device that provides a level 1 cache for the microprocessor.
The third integrated circuit package 16 may include a plurality of solder balls 34 that are connected to the substrate 18 and a package substrate 36. The second package 16 may be an OLGA type package. The package substrate 36 may electrically connect the solder balls 34 to a third integrated circuit 38 within the package 16. By way of example, the first integrated circuit 38 may be a level 2 cache for the microprocessor. The third package 16 may further have a thermally conductive lid 40 that is thermally coupled to the integrated circuit 38.
The assembly 10 may include a thermal element 42 that is attached to the substrate 18 and thermally coupled to the integrated circuit packages 12, 14 and 16. The thermal element 42 may be a plate that is constructed from a thermally conductive material such as aluminum or copper. The integrated circuit packages 12, 14 and 16 may each have different heights that create different spaces between the thermal element 42 and each package 12, 14 and 16. The thermal element 42 may have a first pedestal 44, a second pedestal 46, and a third pedestal 48 that extend toward the packages 12, 14 and 16, respectively, to minimize the gaps between the element 42 and the packages 12, 14 and 16. Each pedestal 44, 46 and 48 may have a height that corresponds to the height of the packages 12, 14 and 16.
The integrated circuit packages 12, 14 and 16 may be coupled to the pedestals 44, 46 and 48 by a first thermally conductive phase change pad 50, a second thermally conductive phase change pad 52 and a third thermally conductive phase change pad 54, respectively. Each phase change pad 50, 52 and 54 provides a compliant thermal element that fills the spaces between the packages 12, 14 and 16, and the thermal element 42. The thickness of each pad 50, 52 and 54 may vary depending upon the height of each package 12, 14 and 16, and pedestal 44, 46 and 48.
The phase change material 56 may have thermally conductive filler material such as carbon to provide a conductive medium between the packages 12, 14 and 16, and the thermal element 42. The phase change material may include by volume, 85-90% thermally conductive filler and 2-3% poly-olefin material. By way of example, the phase change material may be a product sold by Chomerics under the part number T44x series, or by Thermagon under the T-pcm 900 series part number.
To assemble the assembly 10, the packages 12, 14 and 16 can be initially mounted to the substrate 18. The pads 50, 52 and 54 can then be placed on top of the packages 12, 14 and 16. The pads 50, 52 and 54 can be heated so that the phase change material 56 changes to the liquid, or partial liquid, state. The thermal element 42 may then be placed onto the pads 50, 52 and 54. The weight of the thermal element 42 may push the pedestals 44, 46 and 48 into the pads 50, 52 and 54 to insure that no air gaps exist between the element 42 and the packages 12, 14 and 16. The pads 50, 52 and 54 are then allowed to cool so that the phase change material 56 changes back to the solid state and is attached to the thermal element 42 and the packages 12, 14 and 16.
In the solid state the pads 50, 52 and 54 provide a conductive path between the packages 12, 14 and 16 and the thermal element 42. The phase change temperature is typically above the operating temperature of the assembly 10 so that the phase change material does not change to the liquid state and bleed out of the package/thermal element interface when the integrated circuits 26, 32 and 38 are operating. As an alternate method the phase change pads 50, 52 and 54 may be heated to the liquid state after the thermal element 42 is placed onto the pads 50, 52 and 54.
The phase change pads 50, 52 and 54 provide components that can provide a thermally conductive path between the thermal element 42 and packages 12, 14 and 16 without bleeding during operation. Additionally, assembling the pads 50, 52, 54, the thermal element 42 and the packages 12, 14 and 16 when the phase change material 56 is in the liquid state insures that there are no air-gaps between the packages 12, 14 and 15 and element 42 when the phase change material changes back to the solid state.
While certain exemplary embodiments have been described and shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments are merely illustrative of and not restrictive on the broad invention, and that this invention not be limited to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, since various other modifications may occur to those ordinarily skilled in the art.
This is a continuation of U.S. Pat. No. 09/475,103 filed Dec. 30, 1999, which is now abandoned.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20040104467 A1 | Jun 2004 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 09475103 | Dec 1999 | US |
Child | 10723108 | US |