Multi-zone heat sink for printed circuit boards

A heat sink for contacting a large area of a printed circuit board populated with electronic components, the heat sink comprising:

• a first sub-area for absorption of waste heat from a first electronic component arranged on the printed circuit board;
• a second sub-area for absorption of waste heat from a second electronic component arranged on the printed circuit board;
• a thermal isolator to thermally isolate the first sub-area from the second sub-area;
• and
• a rigid mechanical connection formed between the first sub-area and the second sub-area that spans the thermal isolator,
• wherein the first sub-area and the second sub-area each have a lower surface that is connected to the printed circuit board, an upper surface that opposes the lower surface and faces away from the printed circuit board and side surfaces that connect between the upper surface and the lower surface,
• wherein the thermal isolator entirely physically separates the first sub-area from the second sub-area, such that a first one of the side surfaces of the first sub-area opposes a first one of the side surfaces of the second sub-area with the thermal isolator provided therebetween, and
• wherein the rigid mechanical connection is a bridge that extends over the thermal isolator with one end of the bridge being integral with the upper surface of the first sub-area and another end of the bridge being integral with the upper surface of the second sub-area, so that the thermal isolator extends uninterrupted along an entire length of the first one of the side surfaces of the first sub-area and an entire length of the first one of the side surfaces of the second sub-area.