Liquid-cooled electronics apparatus and methods of fabrication

A liquid cooled electronics rack comprising:

• the liquid cooled electronics rack comprising an electronics system;
• a liquid-cooled cold rail associated with the electronics system, the liquid-cooled cold rail comprising a thermally conductive structure with at least one coolant-carrying channel extending therein;
• and
• wherein the electronics system comprises an electronics subassembly, the electronics subassembly being field-replaceable as a single unit and comprising:
• multiple electronics cards, each electronics card of the multiple electronics cards comprising opposite first and second surfaces, and each of the opposite first and second surfaces supporting at least one respective electronic device to be cooled;
• multiple thermal transfer plates coupled to and interleaved with the multiple electronics cards, a thermal transfer plate of the multiple thermal transfer plates being disposed between two adjacent electronics cards of the multiple electronics cards, wherein the first surface of one electronics card of the two adjacent electronics cards is in spaced, opposing relation to the second surface of another electronics card of the two adjacent electronics cards, and the thermal transfer plate disposed between the two adjacent electronics cards comprises opposite first and second conduction surfaces, the first conduction surface being soldered or epoxyed to a surface of the at least one respective electronics device to be cooled supported on the first surface of the one electronics card of the two adjacent electronics cards, and the second conduction surface being soldered or epoxyed to a surface of the at least one respective electronic device to be cooled supported on the second surface of the other electronics card of the two adjacent electronics cards . . . and wherein the thermal transfer plate disposed between the two adjacent electronics cards is thermally conductive and comprises an extension from one end edge of the thermal transfer plate that is configured to couple the electronics subassembly, as a field-replaceable unit, to the liquid-cooled cold rail, the one end edge of the thermal transfer plate being disposed between the first conduction surface and the second conduction surface of the thermal transfer plate, and wherein the liquid-cooled cold rail is disposed within the electronics system and is positioned at the one end of the thermal transfer plate when the electronics subassembly is operatively positioned as the field-replaceable unit within the electronics system.

A method of fabricating a cooled electronics apparatus, the method comprising:

• providing within an electronics system a liquid-cooled cold rail, the liquid-cooled cold rail comprising a thermally conductive structure with at least one coolant-carrying channel extending within the thermally conductive structure;
• providing an electronics subassembly, the electronics subassembly field-replaceable as a single unit, and comprising:
• multiple electronics cards, each electronics card of the multiple electronics cards comprising opposite first and second surfaces, and each of the opposite first and second surfaces supporting at least one respective electronic device to be cooled;
• and
• multiple thermal transfer plates coupled to and interleaved with the multiple electronics cards, a thermal transfer plate of the multiple thermal transfer plates being disposed between two adjacent electronics cards of the multiple electronics cards, wherein the first surface of one electronics card of the two adjacent electronics cards is in spaced, opposing relation to the second surface of another electronics card of the two adjacent electronics cards, and the thermal transfer plate disposed between the two adjacent electronics cards comprises opposite first and second conduction surfaces, the first conduction surface being soldered or epoxyed to a surface of the at least one respective electronics device to be cooled supported on the first surface of the one electronics card of the two adjacent electronics cards, and the second conduction surface being soldered or epoxyed to a surface of the at least one respective electronic device to be cooled supported on the second surface of the other electronics card of the two adjacent electronics cards, and wherein the thermal transfer plate disposed between the two adjacent electronics cards is thermally conductive and comprises an extension from one end edge of the thermal transfer plate that is configured to couple the electronics subassembly, as a field-replaceable unit, to the liquid-cooled cold rail, the one end edge of the thermal transfer plate being disposed between the first conduction surface and the second conduction surface of the thermal transfer plate, and wherein the liquid-cooled cold rail is disposed within the electronics system and is positioned at the one end of the thermal transfer plate when the electronics subassembly is operatively positioned as the field-replaceable unit within the electronics system;
• and
• operatively positioning the electronics subassembly within the electronics system, the operatively positioning comprising coupling the extension of the thermal transfer plate disposed between the two adjacent electronics cards to the liquid-cooled cold rail to thermally interface the electronics subassembly to the liquid-cooled cold rail to facilitate cooling thereof.