Enhanced heat transfer in printed circuit boards

Abstract

A structure for providing an enhanced heat transfer capability in a circuit board having electronic components and which is at least in part cooled by a gas flowing around the board. The enhanced heat transfer structure includes thermally conductive fibers attached at a first end to an exterior surface of the circuit board and jutting out generally perpendicular to the exterior surface. These fibers are used to conduct heat from the circuit board and transfer it to the gas. The fibers are attached the circuit board by electrostatic fiber flocking methods. It is preferred that these thermally conductive fibers are carbon fibers. The fibers can be attached to the exterior surface of the circuit board by a layer of adhesive. The fibers also do not necessarily have to be attached to the entire circuit board. They may be attached to only a portion of it, such as to temperature sensitive electronic board components. The enhanced heat transfer structure can be incorporated during the assembly of the board, or where the circuit board is an existing unit, the thermally conductive fibers can be attached without removing electronic components disposed thereon. Thus existing circuit boards can be retrofitted.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.