Thermal management system
DC CAFC
First Claim
1. A thermal management system comprising a heat source having an external surface and a thermal interface which comprises an anisotropic flexible graphite sheet formed by compressing exfoliated particles of natural graphite and having a planar area greater than the area of the external surface of the heat source, the flexible graphite sheet having first and second major planar surfaces and having axes of higher thermal conductivity parallel to said major planar surfaces, one of said major planar surfaces being in direct operative contact with the heat source.
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a system for managing the heat from a heat source like an electronic component. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system effective for dissipating the heat generated by an electronic component using a thermal management system that includes a thermal interface formed from a flexible graphite sheet and/or a heat sink formed from a graphite article.
205 Citations
20 Claims
- 1. A thermal management system comprising a heat source having an external surface and a thermal interface which comprises an anisotropic flexible graphite sheet formed by compressing exfoliated particles of natural graphite and having a planar area greater than the area of the external surface of the heat source, the flexible graphite sheet having first and second major planar surfaces and having axes of higher thermal conductivity parallel to said major planar surfaces, one of said major planar surfaces being in direct operative contact with the heat source.
- 3. A thermal management system comprising a heat sink which comprises a graphite article shaped so as to provide a heat collection surface and at least one heat dissipation surface, and said system further comprising a thermal interface operatively connected to the heat sink, the thermal interface comprising an anisotropic flexible graphite sheet having two parallel planar surfaces extending in a direction parallel to the planar direction of the crystal structure of the graphite in the sheet, wherein arranging the heat collection surface of the graphite article in direct operative contact with one of said planar surfaces and arranging the other of said planar surfaces in direct operative contact with a heat source causes dissipation of heat from the heat source through the at least one heat dissipation surface of the graphite article.
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13. A thermal management system comprising:
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(a) a heat source which comprises an electronic component, the heat source having an external surface;
(b) a thermal interface comprising an anisotropic flexible graphite sheet having two parallel planar surfaces extending in a direction parallel to the planar direction of the crystal structure of the graphite in the sheet, a first of the planar surfaces of the thermal interface being in operative contact with the external surface of the heat source, wherein the planar area of the first planar surface of the thermal interface is greater than the area of the external surface of the heat source; and
(c) a heat sink which comprises a graphite article shaped so as to provide a heat collection surface and at least one heat dissipation surface, the heat collection surface of the heat sink being in operative contact with the second of the planar surfaces of the thermal interface. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification
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- Resources
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Current AssigneeNeoGraf Solutions, LLC
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Original AssigneeAdvanced Energy Technology Inc. (Graftech International Limited)
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InventorsTzeng, Jing Wen
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Primary Examiner(s)Jones, Deborah
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Assistant Examiner(s)BOSS, WENDY L
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Application NumberUS09/513,001Time in Patent Office998 DaysField of Search428/131, 428/408, 361/709, 165/905, 165/907, 257/712, 257/722, 423/414, 423/445.R, 423/448US Class Current428/408CPC Class CodesF28F 21/02 of carbon, e.g. graphiteF28F 3/02 Elements or assemblies ther...F28F 7/02 Blocks traversed by passage...H01L 21/4871 Bases, plates or heatsinksH01L 21/4882 Assembly of heatsink partsH01L 23/373 Cooling facilitated by sele...H01L 23/3733 having a heterogeneous or a...H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrange...H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of g...Y10S 165/905 Materials of manufactureY10S 165/907 PorousY10T 428/24273 including apertureY10T 428/30 Self-sustaining carbon mass...
