THERMAL MANAGEMENT DEVICE WITH COMPRISING AN ARRAY OF THERMALLY CONDUCTIVE PIECES

1 . A thermal management device comprising:

a first substrate;

a second substrate arranged over the first substrate; and

a thermal spreader layer arranged between the first substrate and the second substrate, the thermal spreader layer having a first thermally conductive piece having a first edge and a second thermally conductive piece having a first edge, wherein the first edge of the first thermally conductive piece is disposed adjacent the first edge of the second thermally conductive piece.

2 . The thermal management device of claim 1 , wherein the first edge of the first thermally conductive piece and the first edge of the second thermally conductive piece directly overlap one another in a direction normal to a thickness of the first and second thermally conductive pieces.

3 . The thermal management device of claim 1 , wherein the first edge of the first thermally conductive piece is beveled at an angle α, and the first edge of the second thermally conductive piece is beveled at an angle β, and the angles α and β are each independently greater than 0° and less than 90° relative to vertical.

4 . The thermal management device of claim 3 , wherein the angles α and β are complimentary angles to one another having a sum of 90°.

5 . The thermal management device of claim 1 , wherein the first edge of the first thermally conductive piece is in direct contact with the first edge of the second thermally conductive piece.

6 . The thermal management device of claim 1 , further comprising a machined feature or insert of substrate material is positioned as a thermal dam between different regions of continuous thermally conductive pieces.

7 . The thermal management device of claim 1 , wherein the first edge of the first thermally conductive piece is spaced apart from the first edge of the second thermally conductive piece by a gap.

8 . The thermal management device of claim 7 , wherein the gap is from about 0.001″ to about 0.100″.

9 . The thermal management device of claim 1 , wherein the first edge of the first thermally conductive piece and the first edge of the second thermally conductive piece are ship lapped.

10 . The thermal management device of claim 1 , wherein the first substrate contains a via protruding from the first substrate and extending through the thermal spreader layer.

11 . The thermal management device of claim 10 , wherein the via extends through both the first thermally conductive piece and the second thermally conductive piece.

12 . The thermal management device of claim 10 , wherein the second substrate includes a recess configured to receive and mate with the via from the first substrate.

13 . The thermal management device of claim 1 , wherein the thermal spreader layer includes separate thermally conductive material arranged in at least two separate zones, wherein the first thermally conductive piece and the second thermally conductive piece form a part of respective zones or form a part of one zone.

14 . A thermal management device comprising:

a first substrate;

a second substrate arranged over the first substrate; and

a thermal spreader layer stacked between the first substrate and the second substrate, the thermal spreader layer having a first thermally conductive piece having a first edge and a second thermally conductive piece having a first edge, wherein the first edge of the first thermally conductive piece directly overlaps the first edge of the second thermally conductive piece.

15 . The thermal management device of claim 14 , wherein the thermal spreader layer has a thermal conductivity that is greater than each thermal conductivity of each of the first and second substrates.

16 . The thermal management device of claim 14 , wherein the thermal spreader layer includes at least one of thermal pyrolytic graphite or diamond.

17 . The thermal management device of claim 14 , wherein the thermal management dimension has a dimension that exceeds the viable manufacturable dimension of the thermal spreader layer, requiring a tiling strategy to maintain continuous thermal spreading.

18 . The thermal management device of claim 14 , further comprising a first bonding layer arranged between the thermal spreader layer and the first substrate; and a second bonding barrier layer arranged between the thermal spreader layer and the second substrate.

19 . A method of making a thermal management device comprising:

providing a first substrate having a cavity;

disposing a first thermally conductive piece having a first edge within the cavity of the first substrate;

disposing a second thermally conductive piece having a first edge within the cavity, wherein the first edge of the second thermally conductive piece is positioned adjacent the first edge of the first thermally conductive piece;

arranging a second substrate over the first and second thermally conductive pieces and the first substrate to encapsulate the first and second thermally conductive pieces; and

bonding the first substrate to the second substrate.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the cavity is defined by a perimeter wall and a lower surface of the first substrate, wherein the first substrate includes one or more projections extending from the perimeter wall and angled toward the lower surface of the first substrate,

wherein the first thermally conductive piece and the second thermally conductive piece are positioned on the projections, and when the second substrate is arranged over and bonded to the first substrate, pressure is applied to the first and second thermally conductive pieces such that the projections push the first edge of the first thermally conductive piece and the first edge of the second thermally conductive piece toward each other, and,

wherein the first edge of the first thermally conductive piece and the first edge of the second thermally conductive piece are pushed into contact with one another.