Thermoelectric cooler (TEC) for spot cooling of 2.5D/3D IC packages

An integrated component package comprising:

• a plurality of lower-power components and a high-power component coupled to a surface of a package substrate, wherein the lower-power components are located adjacent to the high-power component, each of the plurality of lower-power components and the high-power component generates heat during normal operation and the high-power component generates a greater amount of heat relative to each of the lower-power components during normal operation;
• a package lid that is coupled to the package substrate and covers the plurality of lower-power components and the high-power component;
• a cold plate physically and thermally coupled to the package lid, the cold plate including a base surface and a top surface, wherein the top surface is opposite the base surface relative to the package lid;
• and
• a plurality of thermoelectric cooling (TEC) elements, each TEC element having a footprint representing an outline of the TEC element in a plane parallel to the surface of the package substrate, wherein the TEC elements are sized and positioned within the integrated component package with at least a substantial portion of the footprints of the respective TEC elements projected in a direction normal to the plane overlapping with at least one of the lower-power components, and substantially no portions of the footprints of the TEC elements projected in the direction normal to the plane substantially overlapping the high-power component,
• wherein the TECs are integrated into the cold plate such that a first side of each TEC is embedded in the base surface of the cold plate and a second side of each TEC is physically and thermally coupled to the package lid.

A method of assembling an integrated component package, the method comprising:

• coupling a plurality of lower-power components and a high-power component to a surface of a package substrate, wherein the lower-power components are located adjacent to the high-power component, each of the plurality of lower-power components and the high-power component generates heat during normal operation and the high-power component generates a greater amount of heat relative to each of the lower-power components during normal operation;
• coupling a package lid to the package substrate, wherein the package lid covers the plurality of lower-power components and the high-power component;
• physically and thermally coupling a cold plate to the package lid, the cold plate including a base surface and a top surface, wherein the top surface is opposite the base surface relative to the package lid;
• sizing and positioning a plurality of thermoelectric cooling (TEC) elements, each TEC element having a footprint representing an outline of the TEC element in a plane parallel to the surface of the package substrate, within the integrated component package with at least a substantial portion of the footprints of the respective TEC elements projected in a direction normal to the plane overlapping with at least one of the lower-power components, and substantially none of the footprints of the TEC elements projected in the direction normal to the plane substantially overlapping the high-power component;
• and
• one of:
• 1) integrating the TECs into the package lid such that a first side of each TEC is embedded in the package lid and a second side of each TEC is physically and thermally coupled to the base surface of the cold plate;
• 2) integrating the TECs into the package lid such that a first side of each TEC is embedded the package lid and a second side of each TEC is physically and thermally coupled to the lower power components;
• 3) integrating the TECs into the package lid such that a first side of each TEC is coupled, and thermally coupled to the base surface of the cold plate and a second side of each TEC is physically and thermally coupled to the lower power components;
• or
• 4) integrating the TECs into the package lid such that a first side of each TEC is embedded in the package substrate and a second side of each TEC is physically and thermally coupled to the low power components.

A method of assembling an integrated component package, the method comprising:

• coupling a plurality of lower-power components and a high-power component to a surface of a package substrate, wherein the lower-power components are located adjacent to the high-power component, each of the plurality of lower-power components and the high-power component generates heat during normal operation and the high-power component generates a greater amount of heat relative to each of the lower-power components during normal operation;
• coupling a package lid to the package substrate, wherein the package lid covers the plurality of lower-power components and the high-power component;
• physically and thermally coupling a cold plate to the package lid, the cold plate including a base surface and a top surface, wherein the top surface is opposite the base surface relative to the package lid;
• sizing and positioning a plurality of thermoelectric cooling (TEC) elements, each TEC element having a footprint representing an outline of the TEC element in a plane parallel to the surface of the package substrate, within the integrated component package with at least a substantial portion of the footprints of the respective TEC elements projected in a direction normal to the plane overlapping with at least one of the lower-power components, and substantially none of the footprints of the TEC elements projected in the direction normal to the plane substantially overlapping the high-power component;
• and
• integrating the TECs into the cold plate such that a first side of each TEC is embedded in the base surface of the cold plate and a second side of each TEC is physically and thermally coupled to the package lid.