Appeal 2007-0998
Application 10/708,066
STATEMENT OF THE CASE
Appellants invented a structure for attaching a heat sink to a
semiconductor chip or package via a thermal interface layer. Specifically,
spacer members are adhered between the substrate and the heat sink. By
adhesively bonding the spacer members to the structure, the thermal
interface layer need not include adhesive. As a result, the thermal interface
layer can comprise materials with higher thermal conductivity. Moreover,
removing the heat sink with such a structure will not damage the chip or the
module.1 Claim 1 is illustrative:
l. A heat sink attachment structure, comprising:
an integrated circuit chip mounted on a substrate surface;
a thermal interface layer in contact with said integrated circuit chip;
a heat sink in contact with said thermal interface layer; and
at least one spacer member in contact between said substrate surface
and said heat sink, wherein said at least one spacer member is provided with
an adhesive material on top and bottom surfaces thereof.
The Examiner relies on the following prior art references to show
unpatentability:
Toy US 6,218,730 B1 Apr. 17, 2001
Boyer US 6,730,993 B1 May 4, 2004
(filed Jul. 26, 2001)
The Examiner’s rejections are as follows:
1. Claims 1, 4, 6, 8, 11, 14, 17, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C.
1 See generally Specification ¶¶ 0020-21; 0026.
2
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