System for cooling electronic components
The present invention provides a heat dissipater for use on a circuit board. The invention includes a circuit board having components on at least one side, a rigid plate having thermal conductive properties, and a spring clip that couples said rigid plate to said circuit board and provides a retaining force against the rigid plate. Both the rigid plate and spring clip provide thermal paths to ambient for the circuit board, and in one embodiment, a heat sink or cold plate may be coupled to the rigid plate. Thermal interface material may be filled in between the rigid plate, circuit board and spring clip to provide an efficient thermal path to ambient. The rigid plate, spring clip, and thermal interface material may be electrically insulated.
1. A heat dissipater for use on a circuit board, comprising:
(a) the circuit board having power components on at least one side;
(b) a rigid plate having pedestals on one side facing the circuit board, wherein said pedestals provide flush contact with power components of varying height on the top surface of the circuit board, and wherein the rigid plate has thermally conductive properties; and
(c) a spring clip having thermally conductive properties that couples said rigid plate to said circuit board, wherein the spring clip spans across the bottom surface of the circuit board and the ends of the clip engage recessed notches on the top of the rigid plate such that the ends of the clip do not exceed the height of the top surface of the rigid plate, wherein the spring clip has at least one notch along its side to accommodate high profile components on the bottom surface of the circuit board.
2. The heat dissipater according to claim 1 , wherein the rigid plate provides a thermal path to ambient for the circuit board.
3. The heat dissipater according to claim 1 , wherein the spring clip provides a thermal path to ambient for the circuit board.
4. The heat dissipater according to claim 1 , further comprising a thermal interface material between the circuit board and the rigid plate.
5. The heat dissipater according to claim 4 , wherein the thermal interface material is electrically insulating.
6. The heat dissipater according to claim 1 , further comprising a thermal interface material between the rigid plate and spring clip.
7. The heat dissipater according to claim 6 , wherein the thermal interface material is electrically insulating.
8. The heat dissipater according to claim 1 , wherein the spring clip provides a retaining force against the rigid plate.
9. The heat dissipater according to claim 1 , further comprising a heat sink coupled to the rigid plate.
10. The heat dissipater according to claim 1 , wherein the rigid plate further comprises mounting holes for mounting a cold plate to the rigid plate.
11. The heat dissipater according to claim 1 , wherein the rigid plate is made from one or more of the following materials: metal, plastic, ceramic, and composite.
12. The heat dissipater according to claim 1 , wherein the spring clip is made from one or more of the following materials: metal; plastic; and composite.
13. The heat dissipater according to claim 1 , wherein the rigid plate has as electrically insulating coating.
14. The heat dissipater according to claim 1 , wherein the spring clip is electrically insulated by powder coating.
15. The heat dissipater according to claim 1 , wherein the spring clip contacts flush with at least one power component on the bottom of the circuit board.
16. The heat dissipater according to claim 15 , wherein the surface of the spring clip facing the circuit board is contoured to accommodate said power component.