US20120312508A1

US20120312508A1 - Gapless heat pipe combination structure and combination method thereof

Info

Publication number: US20120312508A1
Application number: US13/155,692
Authority: US
Inventors: Chih-Yeh SHEN
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-06-08
Filing date: 2011-06-08
Publication date: 2012-12-13

Abstract

A gapless heat pipe combination structure and a combination method thereof are provided. An open slot being open is formed on a bottom surface of a heat dissipation device, an adhesive layer is disposed on a surface of grooves in the open slot, and a plurality of heat pipes is provided, which are adhered to the surface of the grooves closely through the adhesive layer respectively. A jig is used to press heating segments of the heat pipes at least once, so that the heating segments exposed from the open slot form a plane heating surface, and the heating surface of the heat pipes completely contact with an area of a heat source, thereby improving overall thermal conduction performance.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a gapless heat pipe combination structure and a combination method thereof, and more particularly to a combination structure that arranges heat pipes closely to combine the heat pipes gaplessly to increase a direct contact area between the heat pipes and a heat source, and a combination method thereof.
2. Related Art
In recent years, with rapid development of an integration process of semiconductor devices, the semiconductor devices are increasingly integrated. However, the semiconductor device having gradually smaller volume makes a growing heat production, thus requiring higher heat dissipation performance, which becomes a more and more important issue to be solved. In order to meet the requirement, various heat dissipation manners, such as fan heat dissipation, water cooling assisted heat dissipation, and heat pipe heat dissipation, are widely applied, and a certain heat dissipation effect is achieved.
Two most important heat transfer mechanisms in a radiator are thermal conduction and thermal convection. The thermal conduction refers to energy exchange between molecules. After contacting with a molecule with more energy, a molecule with less energy acquires energy (by physical direct contact). If no temperature difference between two objects exists (for example, an independent heat sink), thermal conduction cannot be realized. In a conventional radiator, a Thermal Interface Material (TIM) of a high thermal conductivity is usually added between a heat sink and a heat source (a semiconductor integrated device), so that thermal energy produced by the semiconductor integrated device can be conducted to the heat sink more effectively.
The thermal convection refers to heat transfer realized by motion of matter. Thermal energy comes from a heat source surrounded by a gas or a liquid, and the thermal energy is transferred in a radiator by motion of molecules. Heat produced by a semiconductor integrated device is transferred into air through a heat sink eventually, and thermal energy is then carried away by a convection phenomenon.
Besides a plurality of heat pipes, a heat pipe heat dissipation apparatus includes a plurality of heat sinks and a fixing seat. The heat sinks are usually made of aluminum or copper. The heat pipe is a metal pipe having two closed ends and filled with a working fluid. The fixing seat is made of aluminum or copper, thereby also being called an aluminum base or a copper base.
The heat pipe heat dissipation apparatus is such designed that the fixing seat contacts with a heat dissipation portion of the semiconductor device, heat of the semiconductor device is first conducted to the fixing seat, and then the heat is conducted to the heat pipes and the heat sinks, thereby achieving an objective of heat dissipation. The heat is conducted in an indirect manner, that is, first through the fixing seat, and then the heat is transferred to the heat pipes and the heat sinks, so that the heat pipe heat dissipation apparatus has a low efficiency.
Therefore, after improvement an existing heat pipe heat dissipation apparatus of high efficient heat dissipation is designed that heat pipes contact with a heat dissipation portion of a semiconductor device directly, heating segments on pipe bodies of the heat pipes form a flat heating surface, which can make a direct face to face contact with a heat dissipation area of a surface of the semiconductor device, exothermic segments are formed above the fixing seat, the heat sinks contact with the exothermic segments of the heat pipes closely, and heat is transferred to air through the heat sinks, thereby achieving the objective of heat dissipation. According to a binding manner of the fixing seat and the heat pipes, a bottom surface of the fixing seat is opened with a plurality of open rabbets matching the heat pipes, so that the heat pipes are inserted into the rabbets in a matched manner. During implementation, a pressing tool is used to insert the heat pipes into the rabbets by pressing the heat pipes flat, so that the heat pipes are covered by the fixing seat in a half-exposed manner, and heating surfaces of the heat pipes are exposed at the bottom surface of the fixing seat. The heating surfaces directly contact with the heat dissipation portion of the semiconductor device, so that indirect transfer for heat dissipation is not required, thereby achieving very efficient heat dissipation.
In addition, the heat pipes and the fixing seat are made of different materials, so that pretreatment of nickel plating is required before welding, which makes overall processing complex, increases cost, makes assembly inconvenient, and does not comply with requirements on environmental protection. Particularly, the fixing seat of the radiator is made of a solid metal block, which not only is heavy and big, but also consumes a large amount of metal and makes manufacturing cost high, so that some products already remove the fixing seat by directly combining the heat pipes and the heat sinks to form heat dissipation apparatuses without seats.
However, no matter in a heat dissipation structure in which heat pipes are inserted into rabbets of a fixing seat or in a heat dissipation structure in which heat pipes and heat sinks are combined, the following problems still exist during actual use. During combination of heat pipes and a fixing seat, the fixing seat or heat sinks are required to serve as a support, and then a pressing tool is used to press the heat pipes flat to insert the heat pipes into rabbets. Spacer bars are disposed between the rabbets, so that after being inserted into the rabbets in a matched manner the heat pipes are stably held and positioned by the spacer bars. Therefore, no matter which manufacturing process is used by a manufacturer to make the heating surfaces of the heat pipes be aligned with the bottom surface of the fixing seat or combine the heating surfaces of the heat pipes and the heat sinks directly, the spacer bars are disposed to separate the heat pipes, so that the heating surfaces of the heat pipes cannot be concentrated. Under a trend of smaller volume of the semiconductor device and smaller area of the heat source, the number of heat pipes on the limited area of the heat source is limited seriously, which greatly affects an area by which the heating surfaces directly contact with a heat dissipation portion of the semiconductor device, thereby causing undesired thermal conduction performance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, in order to eliminate the above defects, a major objective of the present invention is to provide a gapless heat pipe combination structure and a combination method thereof, so that heating segments of heat pipes are bound more closely, each of the heat pipes can perform well, and an objective of making the heat pipes completely contact with an area of a heat source is achieved, thereby fully achieving thermal conduction performance and increasing heat dissipation efficiency.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a gapless heat pipe combination structure and a combination method thereof, so that heating segments of heat pipes are bound more closely, more heat pipes are buried in a smaller width of a rabbet, and the number of the heat pipes contacting with an area of a heat source increases, thereby fully achieving thermal conduction performance and increasing heat dissipation efficiency.
In order to achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a gapless heat pipe combination structure, which comprises: a heat dissipation device, where a bottom surface of the heat dissipation device is formed into an open slot, a surface of the open slot is disposed with a plurality of grooves, the heat dissipation device is a fixing seat for heat dissipation or is formed by a plurality of heat sink fins arranged in parallel and adjacent to each other; an adhesive layer, disposed on a surface of the grooves of the open slot; and a plurality of heat pipes, where the heat pipes have heating segments and exothermic segments, the exothermic segments extend from the open slot to the outside, side edges of the heating segments are arranged in parallel closely, received in the open slot, and adhered to the surface of the grooves closely through the adhesive layer respectively, and the heating segments are exposed at the open slot to form a plane heating surface.
A combination method of the present invention comprises: providing a heat dissipation device, where a bottom surface of the heat dissipation device is formed into an open slot, and a surface of the open slot is disposed with a plurality of grooves; disposing an adhesive layer on a surface of the grooves of the open slot; and providing a plurality of heat pipes, where the heat pipes have heating segments and exothermic segments, the exothermic segments extend from the open slot to the outside, side edges of the heating segments are arranged in parallel closely, received in the open slot, and adhered to the surface of the grooves closely through the adhesive layer respectively, the heating segments of the heat pipes are pressed flat at least once by a jig, and the heating segments are exposed at the open slot to form a plane heating surface.
A jig is used to process two sides of the heating segments of the heat pipes, so that the heating segments get slimmer, and the side edges are arranged in parallel closely and are received in the open slot.
Advantages of the present invention are as follows. Heat pipes are arranged and combined closely, so that the gapless heat pipes are combined with a heat dissipation device, no conventional spacer bar exists between adjacent heating surfaces, spacing kept between conventional heat pipes is decreased dramatically, so that the heating surfaces of the heat pipes completely contact with an area of a heat source, thereby fully achieving thermal conduction performance of each of the heat pipes and improving overall thermal conduction performance. Accordingly, a jig is used to process two sides of the heating segments of the heat pipes, so that the heating segments get slimmer, and the side edges of the heating segments of the heat pipes are arranged in parallel closely and are received in the open slot. With the same area of a heat dissipation portion of a semiconductor device, according to the combination of the heat pipes of the present invention, more heat pipes can be buried in the same contact area, so that more heat pipes contact with a heat source, thereby improving the overall thermal conduction performance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below for illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic combination view of an embodiment according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded view of an embodiment according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic combination view of another embodiment according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic exploded view of another embodiment according to the present invention;

FIGS. 5A to 5E are diagrams of combination steps according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a first schematic sectional view of grooves according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a second schematic sectional view of grooves according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a third schematic sectional view of grooves according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 9A to 9C are first schematic processing diagrams of heating segments of heat pipes according to the present invention;

FIGS. 10A to 10C are second schematic processing diagrams of heating segments of heat pipes according to the present invention;

FIGS. 11A to 11C are third schematic processing diagrams of heating segments of heat pipes according to the present invention;

FIGS. 12A to 12E are diagrams of combination steps according to another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIGS. 13 to 15 are schematic views of relative positions of a heating surface and an open slot according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Detailed contents and technical specifications of the present invention are further illustrated below with reference to embodiments. It should be understood that the embodiments are only for illustration, and are not construed as a limit to implementation of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the present invention provides a gapless heat pipe combination structure, which includes a heat dissipation device 100. As shown in the figures, the heat dissipation device 100 is, for example, a fixing seat for heat dissipation. The fixing seat may be made of aluminum, copper, or a non-metallic material, and is usually rectangular. A bottom surface of the heat dissipation device 100 is formed into an open slot 110. A surface of the open slot 110 is disposed with a plurality of grooves 120. An adhesive layer 200 is disposed on surfaces of the grooves 120 of the open slot 110. The gapless heat pipe combination structure further includes a plurality of heat pipes 300. In embodiments of the present invention, the number of the heat pipes 300 is equal to or greater than 2, and in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 the number is 4. In implementation, the heat pipes 300 may be L-shaped, U-shaped, or of other shapes, and a capillary structure and a working fluid are disposed in the heat pipes 300, so as to achieve a rapid heat transfer effect by using a gas/liquid phase heat transfer mechanism. The heat pipes 300 have heating segments 310 and exothermic segments 320. The exothermic segments 320 extend from the open slot 110 to the outside. Side edges of the heating segments 310 are arranged in parallel closely, received in the open slot 110, and adhered to the surface of the grooves 120 closely through the adhesive layer 200 respectively. The heating segments 310 are exposed at the open slot 110 to form a plane heating surface 311.
Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, in another embodiment, a heat dissipation device 400 is directly formed by a plurality of adjacent heat sink fins 410 in parallel, which is usually made of aluminum or copper in implementation. Recessed portions 420 corresponding to each other are formed on bottom sides of the heat sink fins 410, so that the recessed portions 420 are arranged in parallel and adjacent to each other to form an open slot 430. Surfaces of the heat sink fins 410 are opened with a plurality of through holes 440 corresponding to each other. The recessed portions 420 on the bottom sides of the heat sink fins 410 are disposed with concave arcs 421, so that grooves 431 are formed on the open slot 430 formed by arranging the recessed portions 420 in parallel and adjacent to each other.
Referring to FIGS. 5A to 5E, FIGS. 5A to 5E are diagrams of combination steps according to an embodiment of the present invention. A combination method of the present invention is as follows. A heat dissipation device 100 (for example a fixing seat in the figures) is provided, a bottom surface of which is formed into an open slot 110, and a surface of the open slot 110 is disposed with a plurality of grooves 120. An adhesive layer 200 is disposed on surfaces of the grooves 120 of the open slot 110 (as shown in FIG. 5A). Side edges of heating segments 310 of a plurality of heat pipes 300 are arranged to be in parallel closely (as shown in FIG. 5B). The heating segments 310 arranged in parallel closely are received by the open slot 110, and adhered to the surfaces of the grooves 120 closely through the adhesive layer 200 respectively (as shown in FIG. 5C). The heating segments 310 of the heat pipes 300 are pressed flat at least once by a jig 500 (as shown in FIG. 5D), so that the heating segments 310 are exposed at the open slot 110 to form a plane heating surface 311 (as shown in FIG. 5E). Using the jig 500 to the heat pipes 300 flat is a prior art, which is not a focus of the present invention, and therefore is not repeated herein.
Referring to FIGS. 6 to 8, FIGS. 6 to 8 are schematic sectional views of the grooves in the open slot. In implementation, the grooves 120 in the open slot 110 are arranged close to the heating segments 310 of the heat pipes 300 through the adhesive layer 200, so that a cross-sectional shape of the grooves 120 in the open slot 110 corresponds to a cross-sectional shape of the heating segments 310. A section of the grooves 120 may be in the shape of an arc (as shown in FIG. 6), in the shape of a small tooth (as shown in FIG. 7), in the shape of a big tooth (as shown in FIG. 8), or in the shape of a polygon. The shape of polygon is an implementation of a different shape of the grooves 120 in the open slot 110, and is not repeated herein.
Refer to FIG. 9A to FIG. 9C, FIG. 10A to FIG. 10C, and FIG. 11A to FIG. 11C, which are schematic processing diagrams of heating segments of heat pipes according to the present invention. Furthermore for the heat pipes 300, a jig is used to process two sides of the heating segments 310, so that the heating segments 310 get slimmer, and the side edges are arranged in parallel closely and are received in the open slot 110. During implementation, the cross-sectional shape of the heating segments 310 corresponds to the cross-sectional shape of the grooves 120 in the open slot 110. Two sides of the heating segments 310 of the heat pipes 300 are processed by a jig 600, so that the section of the heating segments 310 is in the shape of a quadrilateral (as shown in FIGS. 9A to 9C), which is applied in a case in which the section of the grooves 120 in the open slot 110 is in the shape of an arc (as shown in FIG. 6). Or, two sides and portions above the two sides of the heating segments 310 of the heat pipes 300 are processed by the jig 600, so that the section of the heating segments 310 is in the shape of a pentagon (as shown in FIGS. 10A to 10C), which is applied in a case in which the section of the grooves 120 in the open slot 110 is in the shape of a small tooth (as shown in FIG. 7). Or, portions above two sides of the heating segments 310 of the heat pipes 300 are processed by the jig 600, so that the section of the heating segments 310 is in the shape of a triangle (as shown in FIGS. 11A to 11C), which is applied in a case in which the section of the grooves 120 in the open slot 110 is in the shape of a big tooth (as shown in FIG. 8).
Referring to FIGS. 12A to 12E, FIGS. 12A to 12E are diagrams of combination steps according to another embodiment of the present invention. A combination method of a heat conducting pipe 30 after processing is the same as above and is as follows. A heat dissipation device 100 (for example a fixing seat in the figures) is provided, a bottom surface of which is formed into an open slot 110, and a surface of the open slot 110 is disposed with a plurality of grooves 120 (for example a section of the grooves 120 is in the shape of an arc). An adhesive layer 200 is disposed on surfaces of the grooves 120 of the open slot 110 (as shown in FIG. 12A). Side edges of heating segments 310 after being processed by a jig 600 are arranged to be in parallel closely, and for example, a section of the heating segments 310 in the figure is in the shape of a quadrilateral (as shown in FIG. 12B). The heating segments 310 arranged in parallel closely are received by the open slot 110, and adhered to the surfaces of the grooves 120 closely through the adhesive layer 200 respectively (as shown in FIG. 12C). The heating segments 310 of the heat pipes 300 are pressed flat at least once by a jig 500 (as shown in FIG. 12D), so that the heating segments 310 are exposed at the open slot 110 to form a plane heating surface 311 (as shown in FIG. 12E).
Furthermore, the jig 600 is used to process two sides of the heating segments of the heat pipes 300, so that the heating segments 310 get slimmer, and the side edges are arranged in parallel closely and are received in the open slot 110. With the same area of a heat dissipation portion of a semiconductor device, according to the combination of the heat pipes 300 of the present invention, more heat pipes can be buried in the same contact area, so that more heat pipes 300 contact with a heat source, thereby improving overall thermal conduction performance.
Referring to FIGS. 13 to 15, and FIGS. 13 to 15 are schematic views of relative positions of the heating surface 311 and the open slot 110. During implementation, exothermic segments 320 extend from the open slot 110 to the outside of the open slot 110 of the heat dissipation device 100, the heating segments 310 are arranged in parallel closely and received in the open slot 110, and the heating segments 310 are exposed at the open slot 110 to form the plane heating surface 311. During implementation, a semiconductor device 700 has various application manners. The adjacent and closely arranged heating surfaces 311 may be aligned with the side edges of the open slot 110 of the heat dissipation device 100, and the heating surfaces 311 attach to the semiconductor device 700. Or, the heating surfaces 311 of the heating segments 310 protrude from the side edges of the open slot 110, and the heating surfaces 311 attach a heating portion of the semiconductor device 700. Or, the heating surfaces 311 of the heating segments 310 are recessed in the open slot 110, and the semiconductor device 700 still attaches the heating surfaces 311 in the open slot 110.
What is described in the foregoing is only an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and definitely is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, that is, all simple equivalent changes and modifications made according to the claims or the summary of the present invention fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A gapless heat pipe combination structure, comprising:

a heat dissipation device, wherein a bottom surface of the heat dissipation device is formed into an open slot, and a surface of the open slot is disposed with a plurality of grooves;

an adhesive layer, disposed on a surface of the grooves of the open slot; and

a plurality of heat pipes, wherein the heat pipes have heating segments and exothermic segments, the exothermic segments extend from the open slot to the outside, side edges of the heating segments are arranged in parallel closely, received in the open slot, and adhered to the surface of the grooves closely through the adhesive layer respectively, and the heating segments are exposed at the open slot to form a plane heating surface.

2. The gapless heat pipe combination structure according to claim 1, wherein the heat dissipation device is a fixing seat for heat dissipation.

3. The gapless heat pipe combination structure according to claim 1, wherein the heat dissipation device is formed by a plurality of heat sink fins arranged in parallel and adjacent to each other, recessed portions corresponding to each other are formed on bottom sides of the heat sink fins, and the recessed portions are arranged in parallel and adjacent to each other to form the open slot.

4. The gapless heat pipe combination structure according to claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional shape of the grooves in the open slot corresponds to a cross-sectional shape of the heating segments.

5. The gapless heat pipe combination structure according to claim 1, wherein the heating surface of the heating segments is aligned with the side edges of the open slot.

6. The gapless heat pipe combination structure according to claim 1, wherein the heating surface of the heating segments protrudes from the side edges of the open slot.

7. The gapless heat pipe combination structure according to claim 1, wherein the heating surface of the heating segments is recessed in the open slot.

8. A combination method of gapless heat pipes, comprising:

providing a heat dissipation device, wherein a bottom surface of the heat dissipation device is formed into an open slot, and a surface of the open slot is disposed with a plurality of grooves;

disposing an adhesive layer on a surface of the grooves of the open slot; and

providing a plurality of heat pipes, wherein the heat pipes have heating segments and exothermic segments, the exothermic segments extend from the open slot to outside, side edges of the heating segments are arranged in parallel closely, received in the open slot, and adhered to the surface of the grooves closely through the adhesive layer respectively, the heating segments of the heat pipes are pressed flat at least once by a jig, and the heating segments are exposed at the open slot to form a plane heating surface.

9. The combination method of gapless heat pipes according to claim 8, wherein the heat dissipation device is a fixing seat for heat dissipation.

10. The combination method of gapless heat pipes according to claim 8, wherein the heat dissipation device is formed by a plurality of heat sink fins arranged in parallel and adjacent to each other, recessed portions corresponding to each other are formed on bottom sides of the heat sink fins, and the recessed portions are arranged in parallel and adjacent to each other to form the open slot.

11. The combination method of gapless heat pipes according to claim 8, wherein a cross-sectional shape of the grooves in the open slot corresponds to a cross-sectional shape of the heating segments.

12. The combination method of gapless heat pipes according to claim 8, wherein the jig is used to process two sides of the heating segments of the heat pipes, so that the heating segments get slimmer, and the side edges are arranged in parallel closely and are received in the open slot.

13. The combination method of gapless heat pipes according to claim 12, wherein a cross-sectional shape of the heating segments corresponds to a cross-sectional shape of the grooves in the open slot.