International Business Machines Corporation

John R Slack

Sanjeev Balwant Sathe

Glenn L Kehley

Anthony P Ingraham

William Louis Brodsky

David Brian Stone

Jeffrey Scott Campbell

James D Herard

Ronald P Nowak

William Ditlef Von Voss

An efficient cooling mechanism for a multi-chip carrier can be provided while conserving board surface area. Flexible circuitized material is used to form multi-chip carriers with air baffle capability. The flex is folded or curved into the desired shape and held in position with a support structure. Bonding sites for chips are located on regions through the carrier. Shapes which provide air baffle capabilities include coils, spring-like coils and serpentines.

Free standing, three dimensional, multi-chip, carrier package with air flow baffle

Electrically conductive lamina are attached by an electrically insulating, thermally conductive adhesive and/or solder to one or more semiconductor devices such as chips and extend beyond the periphery of the chip or chips to form heat sink fins. Electrical connections may be made between such chips through holes (e.g. by a wire or plated through hole) in the electrically conductive lamina lined with an insulating material such as the electrically insulating adhesive to provide a structurally robust assembly. Surface pads and connections may overlie patterns of insulator on the lamina. A further lamina can be wrapped around lateral sides of the assembly to provide further heat sink area and mechanical protection for other heat sink fins. A graphite/carbon fiber composite matrix material is preferred for the lamina and the coefficient of thermal expansion of such materials may be matched to that of the semiconductor material attached thereto. Conductivity of the lamina also provides shielding against electrical noise to improve the noise immunity of short connections between chips made through the lamina as well as that of surface connections which may be formed on the lamina.

Integrated, multi-chip, thermally conductive packaging device and

Free standing, three dimensional, multi-chip, carrier package with air

An electronic package including as part thereof a thermally conductive arrangement for restricting thermal fluid material motion about a heat-generating device, thereby assuring effective heat transference from the heat-generating device (e.g., module) to a cooling member (e.g., spaced heat sink), this arrangement preferably including: (1) a thermal fluid (e.g., thermal grease); and (2) structural elements (e.g., wire mesh, heat sink ridges, etc.). For restricting fluid movement, sealing structures (e.g., external gaskets) may be used to further assure fluid containment to a specified location. Pressure generation means (e.g., a plunger) can be used to increase fluid pressure when pressure droppages occur.

Electronic package with heat transfer means

A multi-chip carrier which uses less lateral mounting space on the surface of a circuit board or card can be formed using flexible circuitized material. Lateral space is compressed by utilizing more vertical space to package chips and components. The problem of cooling multiple chips in a tight space may be accomplished by integrating the heat sink in with the circuit carrier and having the heat sink double as a support structure. A flex material is folded or shaped. Different regions of the flex are used for mounting chips, mounting support mechanisms, or mounting the structure on a carrier or substrate.

Vertically integrated multi-chip circuit package with heat-sink support

A support structure is attached to the front or back side of a flexible circuit by direct mounting to the flexible circuit flat ribbon cable, thereby providing a stress-free region of the cable in which the flexible circuit electrical components can be mounted. The support structure comprises a flat ring that is attached to the cable by adhesive, soldering, or mechanical fastening. The flat ring mounts on one side of the flat ribbon cable and encloses an area of the cable that is sufficiently large for the mounting of the flexible circuit electrical components. The flat ribbon cable within the enclosed area is held flat and free from stress, even as the cable is handled. Thus, any components mounted within the enclosed area are not subjected to bending moments. The invention also can be incorporated into cable connectors, such as multi-pin connectors at the ends of cables, and can include support hooks and air cooling baffles.

Assembly for mounting components to flexible cables

Apparatus for the selective removal of the solder and a connector soldered in the through hole of a circuit panel including means for heating the solder and a pair of aligned tubes placed against opposite surfaces of the panel surrounding the connecting through hole with the tubes being supplied with fluid under pressure so as to produce a pressure differential across the solder column in the through hole and effective to urge the connector and solder from the through hole into the low pressure tube when the solder is melted.

Growing community of inventors

Vestal, NY, United States of America

John R Slack