Heatsink apparatus for de-coupling clamping forces on an integrated circuit package
AssigneeFujitsu Limited
InventorsHassan O. Ali, Richard L. Bechtel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A clamping system decouples the clamping forces in an electrical circuit assembly coupled to a heatsink. A heatsink clamping assembly applies controllable and predictable force on the electrical circuit assembly including an integrated circuit device (“chip”). The applied force is controlled to effectively ensure intimate contact between the chip and the heatsink to facilitate efficient chip cooling. The force applied to the chip is decoupled from the much higher force required to clamp the electrical interposer interconnect structure between the electrical circuit assembly and the printed circuit board.
Claims46
A heatsink clamping system for applying a force onto an electrical circuit assembly, comprising:
- an electrical circuit assembly including an electrical circuit, the electrical circuit assembly having edges extending beyond the electrical circuit;
- a printed circuit board electrically coupled to the electrical circuit assembly, the printed circuit board including a first set of apertures;
- a set of studs connected to the printed circuit board and extending perpendicular to the plane of the printed circuit board, the set of studs extending through the first set of apertures in the printed circuit board;
- a clamp plate in contact with the edges of the electrical circuit assembly, the clamp plate including a window larger than the electrical circuit, the clamp plate further including a second set of apertures for the set of studs to pass through the clamp plate;
- and
- a heatsink in contact with the electrical circuit, the heatsink further including a third set of apertures for receiving the set of studs which pass through the heatsink.
A heatsink clamping system for applying a controllable force onto an electrical circuit assembly, comprising:
- an electrical circuit assembly including an electrical circuit, the electrical circuit assembly having edges extending beyond the electrical circuit;
- a printed circuit board electrically coupled to the electrical circuit assembly, the printed circuit board including a first set of apertures extending through the printed circuit board;
- a backing plate in contact with the printed circuit board, the backing plate coupled to a set of studs extending perpendicular to the plane of the backing plate, the set of studs extending through the first set of apertures in the printed circuit board;
- a clamp plate in contact with the edges of the electrical circuit assembly extending beyond the electrical circuit, the clamp plate further including a window extending through the clamp plate and a second set of apertures extending through the clamp plate, the window larger than the electrical circuit, the second set of apertures for allowing the set of studs to pass through the clamp plate;
- a heatsink in contact with the electrical circuit, the heatsink further including a third set of apertures for receiving the set of studs which pass through the heatsink;
- a first set of clamp nut assemblies coupled with the studs for clamping the backing plate to the clamp plate;
- and
- a second set of clamp nut assemblies coupled with the studs for clamping the heatsink to the backing plate.
A clamping mechanism, comprising:
- an electrical circuit assembly including at least one electrical circuit, the electrical circuit assembly having edges extending beyond the electrical circuit;
- a printed circuit board electrically coupled to the electrical circuit assembly;
- a clamping means for applying a first force onto the electrical circuit assembly, the clamping means mechanically coupled to the printed circuit board, and
- a thermally conductive means for applying a second force onto at least one electrical circuit, wherein the thermally conductive means are thermally coupled with at least one electrical circuit, said thermally conductive means further mechanically coupled to the printed circuit board.
A clamping system, comprising:
- an electrical circuit assembly including at least one electrical circuit;
- a printed circuit board electrically coupled to the electrical circuit assembly;
- a clamp plate for applying a first force onto the electrical circuit assembly, the clamp plate in contact with the electrical circuit assembly;
- and
- a heatsink thermally coupled to the at least one electrical circuit, the heatsink further mechanically coupled to the printed circuit board and configured to apply a second force onto the at least one electrical circuit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.