Cold plate arrangement for cooling processor and companion voltage regulator
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Company
InventorsChristian L. Belady, S. Daniel Cromwell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A compact cooling method and apparatus arranged for simultaneously drawing heat from both a processor and from the voltage regulator. The invention provides for advantageous arrangement of the voltage regulator and memory proximate to the processor for high speed operation. The invention includes a processor requiring at least one bias voltage, and further includes a companion voltage regulator for providing the bias voltage. The voltage regulator is arranged sufficiently proximate to the processor, so as to limit inductance of electrical coupling therebetween.
Claims23
An apparatus comprising:
- a processor requiring at least one bias voltage;
- a voltage regulator for providing the bias voltage;
- electrical coupling between the voltage regulator and the processor for conducting the bias voltages thereto;
- and
- at least one cold plate sandwiched between the processor and the voltage regulator and in thermal communication therewith and arranged for simultaneously drawing heat from the processor and from the voltage regulator, wherein a thickness dimension of the cold plate is within a range of approximately two millimeters to approximately seven millimeters.
A method comprising the steps of:
- providing a voltage regulator, a processor and electrical coupling for conducting at least one bias voltage therebetween;
- sandwiching a cold plate between the processor and the voltage regulator and in thermal communication therewith so that a thickness of the cold plate separating the processor and the voltage regulator is within a range of approximately two millimeters to approximately seven millimeters;
- and
- using the cold plate to simultaneously draw heat from the processor and from the voltage regulator.
An apparatus comprising:
- a processor requiring at least one bias voltage;
- a voltage regulator for providing the bias voltage;
- electrical coupling between the voltage regulator and the processor for conducting the bias voltages thereto;
- at least one cold plate sandwiched between the processor and the voltage regulator and in thermal communication therewith and arranged for simultaneously drawing heat from the processor and from the voltage regulator, wherein a thickness dimension of the cold plate is within a range of approximately two millimeters to approximately seven millimeters;
- and
- at least one memory, wherein the sandwiched processor, voltage regulator and cold plate are supported by a printed wiring board along with the memory.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.