The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has assigned patent No. 8,546,192, “System for Clamping Heat Sink,” to Harman International Industries, Inc. in Stamford, Conn.
According to the background information provided by the inventor, the patent covers “a system for clamping a heat sink that prevents excessive clamping force. The system may include a heat sink, a semiconductor device, a printed circuit board and a cover. The semiconductor device may be mounted onto the circuit board and attached to the cover. The heat sink may be designed to interface with the semiconductor device to transfer heat away from the semiconductor device and dissipate the heat into the environment. Accordingly, the heat sink may be clamped into a tight mechanical connection to minimize thermal resistance between the semiconductor device and the heat sink.”
“When attaching a heat sink to the semiconductor device, it may be important to have a tight mechanical coupling of the surface of the heat sink with the surface of the semiconductor device to minimize thermal resistance when transferring heat from the semiconductor device to the heat sink. Often, the components must be securely attached in a manner that will withstand harsh vibration and shock. For example, harsh shock and vibration are often encountered in an automotive audio environment. However, clamping the semiconductor device with excessive force can cause damage to the semiconductor device. Accordingly, there is a need to control the force used in securely clamping a heat sink to a semiconductor device.”
