Heat sink riveted to memory module with upper slots and open bottom edge for air flow

A thermally-enhanced memory module comprising:

• a substrate having wiring traces formed therein;
• metal contacts along a contactor edge of the substrate,
• the metal contacts for making electrical contact with a memory module socket;
• a first plurality of memory chips mounted on a first surface of the substrate;
• a first heat-transfer plate having an underside surface making thermal contact with the first plurality of memory chips and an exposed surface opposite the underside surface, the exposed surface for dissipating heat;
• a contact-side opening between the first heat-transfer plate and the substrate near the contactor edge of the substrate, the contact-side opening allowing air flow to the first plurality of memory chips;
• an attachment portion of the first heat-transfer plate that contacts the substrate along an opposite edge that is opposite the contactor edge;
• a plurality of fasteners in the attachment portion that fixedly attach the first heat-transfer plate to the substrate;
• and
• a plurality of slots through the first heat-transfer plate between the attachment portion and a chip-contact portion of the first heat-transfer plate that makes contact with the first plurality of memory chips;
• wherein the substrate further comprises fastener holes in the substrate for receiving the plurality of fasteners to fixedly attach the first heat-transfer plate to the substrate,
• whereby heat-transfer is enhanced by air flow through the plurality of slots, past the plurality of memory chips, and through the contact-side opening.

A memory module comprising:

• memory means for storing data;
• substrate means for supporting the memory means;
• fastener holes in the substrate means;
• contactor means, along a contactor edge of the substrate means, for making electrical contact when the memory module is inserted into a socket;
• wiring means, within the substrate means, for electrically connecting the memory means to the contactor means;
• heat-sink means, made of heat-conducting material, for dissipating heat from the memory means;
• depression means, in the heat-sink means, for thermally contacting the memory means;
• top attachment portion means, in the heat-sink means and along an opposite edge of the substrate means, for physically contacting the substrate means along the opposite edge;
• fastener means, attached to the top attachment portion means, for fixedly attaching the heat-sink means to the substrate means through the fastener holes in the substrate means;
• and
• opposite-edge slot means, formed between the top attachment portion means and the depression means, for allowing air flow through the heat-sink means between the memory means and the opposite edge,
• whereby air-flow under the heat-sink means is improved by the opposite-edge slot means.