Author Topic: Stone as a heatsink?  (Read 7435 times)

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Offline alexigTopic starter

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Stone as a heatsink?
« on: July 20, 2011, 12:04:23 pm »
Hi all,

I just pulled a product apart and found that one chip had a stone based material (or something similar) on it as a heatsink ???.

This is the first time I've seen this, is it common and/or just a way to cut costs? This board also had a proper heatsink on a larger chip.






Alex.
 

Offline scrat

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Re: Stone as a heatsink?
« Reply #1 on: July 20, 2011, 12:39:48 pm »
Could be a ceramic (sintered) material..
One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man. - Elbert Hubbard
 

Offline sacherjj

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Re: Stone as a heatsink?
« Reply #2 on: July 20, 2011, 01:51:22 pm »
It could impulse heat sink needs and using the thermal mass of the ceramic as a buffer.  I'm not familiar with the heat transfer characteristics of ceramics vs more normal heat sink materials. 
 

Offline saturation

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Re: Stone as a heatsink?
« Reply #3 on: July 20, 2011, 03:16:29 pm »
Nice, first time I've seen that on a real product.  Read about them, since they are porous and thermally conductive they have more exposed surface area than aluminum.

http://www.electronics-cooling.com/2010/11/micro-porous-ceramic-heat-sinks-enhance-heat-dissipation/

http://www.ceramtec.com/index/products/ceramcool/ceramic-heat-sinks/

I've seen them in some LED bulbs, but thought at first they were insulators.



Could be a ceramic (sintered) material..
Best Wishes,

 Saturation
 

Offline sacherjj

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Re: Stone as a heatsink?
« Reply #4 on: July 20, 2011, 03:28:48 pm »
Interesting.  Good links, thanks.
 

Offline scrat

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Re: Stone as a heatsink?
« Reply #5 on: July 21, 2011, 07:26:28 pm »
I remember ceramic packaged ICs, like Intel's 8088 or something similar... Even older than me!
However, I think some PC processors have been packaged in ceramics until quite recent days.

You could recognize them from the "metallic" sound (with respect to plastics) and roughness of the surface.
One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man. - Elbert Hubbard
 

Offline saturation

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Re: Stone as a heatsink?
« Reply #6 on: July 22, 2011, 11:25:51 am »
Yes, I remember many of those, I always thought it was some sort of metal alloy that felt like ceramic.

I remember ceramic packaged ICs, like Intel's 8088 or something similar... Even older than me!
However, I think some PC processors have been packaged in ceramics until quite recent days.

You could recognize them from the "metallic" sound (with respect to plastics) and roughness of the surface.
Best Wishes,

 Saturation
 


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