Heat pipe cooling for semiconductor device packaging system

Abstract

A system for cooling high density integrated circuits for computer systems comprising a cooling frame having a plurality of the heat pipes spanning the space within the frame to which sub-islands are attached to form an island. Each sub-island comprises a printed circuit board on which are mounted connectors for mounting the integrated circuit package and printed circuit board heat sinks having posts which cooperate with hold down pressure clamps for clamping the integrated circuit packages into the connectors and to clamp the heat sink plates of the integrated circuit packages to the printed circuit board heat sinks. These posts also aid in clamping the sub-islands together by cooperating a heat pipe hold down clamp by which each sub-island is clamped to the frame and to the heat pipes both mechanically and thermally to maximize the heat transfer between the integrated circuit packages and the heat pipes. The condenser end of the heat pipes extends into a plenum chamber through which air is circulated so that the heat generated by the integrated circuit packages ultimately dissipated in the ambient air. Utilization of heat pipes maintains the integrated circuit packages at a uniformly low temperature and in the preferred embodiment, each sub-island is modular and can be connected or disconnected from the frame as a unit for testing, repairing and/or replacement without disconnecting or dismantling any other sub-island or the island can be operated with less than full complement of sub-islands.