Patents by Inventor Richard C. Chu

Richard C. Chu has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5161089
    Abstract: A thermally optimized piston for use in a liquid cooled module. The thermally optimized piston has three distinctive sections, an upper tapered section, a central cylindrical section, and a lower diverging section. In a preferred embodiment, the thermally optimized piston is provided as part of an improved electronic module. The improved electronic module includes enhanced convective cooling channels disposed between the pistons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 1990
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1992
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Richard C. Chu, Michael J. Ellsworth, Jr., Gary F. Goth, Robert E. Simons, Michael L. Zumbrunnen
  • Patent number: 4928207
    Abstract: In an improved circuit module with a flat chip-carrying substrate and cylindrical pistons that contact the chips for cooling, each piston has an axial bore that carries a dielectric liquid to the chip and the lower face of the piston (facing the chip) is spaced away from the chip to establish radial channels that carry the liquid across the surface of the chip. The face of the piston, as seen in a section through the axis, is shaped to provide a selected flow pattern across the surface of the chip. The piston face reduces the channel height in the direction of flow where the liquid is non-boiling and thereby offsets the tendency for the flow rate to decrease as the circumferential width of the channel widens. The piston face increases the channel height in the direction of flow where the liquid is boiling to handle the increase in volume caused by the vapor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 22, 1990
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory Chrysler, Richard C. Chu, Robert E. Simons
  • Patent number: 4765400
    Abstract: An improved TCM-like circuit module for cooling an array of chips mounted on a substrate. The substrate and the chips are enclosed by components that include a barrier plate that separates the chip space from a coolant such as air or chilled water. A floating plate contacts a heat transfer surface of each chip and forms a local heat sink. Pins conduct heat from the floating plate. In one embodiment, one end of each pin is rigidly attached to the floating plate and the other end is located in a cavity in the barrier plate. In a second embodiment, the cavities are formed in the floating plate and the barrier plate rigidly supports the pins. In the second embodiment, the pins can be extended through the barrier plate to contact the coolant directly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1987
    Date of Patent: August 23, 1988
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corp.
    Inventors: Richard C. Chu, Jeffrey C. Eid, Michael L. Zumbrunnen
  • Patent number: 4757370
    Abstract: Heat producing components such as semiconductor chips are arranged with a major heat transfer surface at an angle of about 10 degrees to the vertical. A film of a dielectric liquid flows downward across this surface from a catch pan located above the component. The film evaporates and thereby removes heat from the component and the vapor is condensed and returned to the catch pan. The angle of the heat transfer surface helps to prevent separation of the film as it flows downward across the surface. In one embodiment the slanting surface is formed by slanted grooves in an otherwise vertical surface of a semiconductor chip. In other embodiments, a slanting surface or a vertical surface with slanting grooves is formed in place on the chip or is formed separately and attached to the chip or is formed as part of a local enclosure for the chip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 1987
    Date of Patent: July 12, 1988
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corp.
    Inventors: Dereje Agonafer, Richard C. Chu, Robert E. Simons
  • Patent number: 4709754
    Abstract: A metal foil for use as a heat transfer element has through holes formed as a narrow entrance opening to one surface and a wider diameter cavity opening to the other surface. Two foils are laminated with the narrow entrances opening to the outside and with the wider cavities closed by the inside surface of the other foil. In the completed structure the cavities and their entrances form nucleate boiling sites. In a manufacturing step of forming the through holes, the junction between the narrow entrance and the wider diameter cavity is shaped to prevent a heat transfer liquid from flooding the cavities. The structure is particularly useful for fins for cooling circuit devices that are immersed in a dielectric liquid. In one heat transfer structure, the fins are formed by laminating two metal foils that have differing coefficients of thermal expansion. The fins spread apart as their temperature increases, and components are cooled in proportion to the heat they produce.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1987
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corp.
    Inventors: Richard C. Chu, Robert E. Simons
  • Patent number: 4638858
    Abstract: Heat conducting pins are mounted on a base to be cooled and carry heat conducting wings that extend oppositely in the upstream and downstream direction of the flow of a coolant across the base. The wings are generally trapezoidal in shape, and they produce a greater drag on the coolant flow along the longer edge of the trapezoid shape than along the shorter edge. The pins along a column of coolant flow are oriented with the shorter parallel edges of the wings alternately at the base or at the top of the pin. The alternating regions of high drag and low drag produce an up-down motion in the coolant flow that improves heat transfer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 1985
    Date of Patent: January 27, 1987
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corp.
    Inventor: Richard C. Chu
  • Patent number: 4235494
    Abstract: An enclosure for data processing apparatus has a tambour door that slides in a track to partially open the front of the processor enclosure. The tambour door retracts completely into a canister that has a U shaped track that carries the tambour door. The canister is hinged along one edge of the processor frame so that the canister can be swung out to permit access completely along the front of the enclosure with a minimum of interference from the door and canister and with a minimum intrusion into an aisle alongside the processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 1978
    Date of Patent: November 25, 1980
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Richard C. Chu, James J. LaDue, Clifford I. Shelkofsky
  • Patent number: 4226281
    Abstract: A matrix of small diameter holes are located in the module housing adjacent each of the integrated circuit chips to be cooled. A pin or rod is located in each of the holes and extends therefrom into contact with the exposed surface of the chip. A spring means is located between the housing and the pin to provide a predetermined spring loading of the pin-piston against the exposed surface of the chip. A header is located at the outer end of the pin-piston in contact with the exposed surface of the chip thereby, providing multiple pin-piston contact with the exposed surface of the chip regardless of the chip tilt which improves the heat transfer. The heat transfer can be controlled by including or removing pin-pistons in accordance with the heat transfer desired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1979
    Date of Patent: October 7, 1980
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Richard C. Chu
  • Patent number: 4193445
    Abstract: An improved conduction cooled module of the type having at least one chip mounted on a substrate and having a housing surrounding the chips and sealed to the substrate. The housing having cylinders therein opposite the chips for containing pistons which are resiliently urged against the chip surface. Each piston has an opening extending from the top to the bottom surface and has at least one circumferential groove located in the outer wall of the piston. The opening and circumferential grooves are preloaded with a low melt point heat conductive material which is reflowed after assembly into the module to fill the interfaces formed between the piston and chip and the piston and cylinder. Grooves are located in the piston walls forming the interfaces which facilitate the flow of the molten material into the interfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 1978
    Date of Patent: March 18, 1980
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Richard C. Chu, Un-pah Hwang, Robert E. Simons
  • Patent number: 4156458
    Abstract: A conduction heat transfer connection is made between a heat source and a heat sink which is flexible so as to adapt to variations in distance between the source and sink and which maintains the required force on the heat source to obtain the required heat transfer across the junction therebetween. The connection consists of a heat conductive metallic foil bundle of sufficient thickness to contact sufficient surface area of the heat source to provide the required heat transfer and of sufficient thinness to be flexible enough to absorb the expansion and contraction due to temperature changes as well as the differences in distance between the heat source and sink and of sufficient length to contact at or near the other end thereof the heat sink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 1977
    Date of Patent: May 29, 1979
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Richard C. Chu, James H. Eaton, Ralph E. Meagher
  • Patent number: 4050507
    Abstract: A method is provided for customizing the heat transfer from the walls of an electronic unit such as a semi-conductor chip or wafer by determining the required heat transfer characteristics of the units; drilling holes of a predetermined size and location in the walls of the unit with a high energy beam in accordance with the required heat transfer characteristics of the unit; immersing the unit in a suitable dielectric coolant so that nucleate boiling will start at approximately the desired wall temperature to obtain the required heat transfer from the unit, thereby providing a uniform wall temperature.A further aspect of the invention is the inclusion of a heater means located at or near the bottom of the heat transfer wall so that bubble generation can be started thereat, which bubbles wash the liquid from the downstream drilled holes or natural nucleation sites, thereby starting nucleate boiling when the required temperature is reached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 1975
    Date of Patent: September 27, 1977
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Richard C. Chu, Kevin P. Moran
  • Patent number: 3993123
    Abstract: A gas encapsulated cooling unit is provided for one or more heat generating components mounted on a substrate. A heat conductive cap is sealed to the substrate enclosing the heat generating components. The wall of the cap opposite the substrate contains elongated openings therein extending towards the heat generating components and on the same centers with respect thereto. A resilient member is located in the cap in communion with the inner end of the openings. A thermal conductive element is located in each of the openings forming a small peripheral gap between each opening wall and the associated thermal conductive element. The resilient member urges the thermal conductive elements into pressure contact with the heat generating components. A thermal conductive inert gas is located within the cap filling the peripheral gaps and the interfaces between the heat generating elements and the thermal conductive elements. The heat is removed from the cap by external heat removal means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1975
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1976
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Richard C. Chu, Omkarnath R. Gupta, Un-Pah Hwang, Robert E. Simons