Abstract:
An improved heatsink structure is disclosed. The present invention provides a type of heatsinks formed by stacking a plurality of particulates, in order to achieve a larger heat-dissipation surface area and higher heat-dissipation efficiency.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    (a) Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to an improved heatsink structure, particularly a heatsink structure applicable to a computer chip, such that heat generated during chip processing is dissipated in order to maintain normal operations of the computer chip. 
         [0003]    (b) Description of the Prior Art 
         [0004]    A heatsink is mounted on a computer circuit board in close contact with a computer chip, such that the heatsink conducts the heat generated during chip processing to a surface of the heatsink. By using a fan, air is drawn for heat exchange on the surface of the heatsink, such that sufficient fresh air is available for heat dissipation in the computer chip to maintain its normal operations. 
         [0005]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a plurality of fins  11  are mounted on a surface of a conventional heatsink  10  to increase heat-dissipating surface area and thermal conversion efficiency. 
         [0006]    Given the higher processing speed of computer chips nowadays, temperature generated by computer chips becomes higher. Consequently, by increasing the volume of heatsinks and the number of fins, the heat-dissipating surface area is increased to maintain normal operations of the computer chips. However, this method greatly squeezes the space inside computers, particularly for notebook computers. Given notebook computers are characterized by thinness and compactness, reduced processing speed due to heat dissipation has long been a drawback to be overcome for notebook computers. 
         [0007]    The conventional process of fabricating heatsinks includes the steps of fabricating a set of aluminum extrusion molds, cutting the molds to the actual heatsink size after extruding the aluminum materials, polishing and trimming the edges so formed, and further processing of the heatsink using an anode to enhance the heatsink appearance. However, this conventional process is overly complicated, not satisfactorily productive and costly. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    To overcome the above drawbacks, a primary object of the invention is to provide a suitable heatsink structure, wherein the heatsink has a more spacious surface area conducive to higher thermal conversion efficiency. In this way, higher thermal dissipation efficiency is achieved using heatsinks with the same volume, or the same thermal dissipation efficiency is achieved by using even smaller heatsinks. This fabrication process thus becomes simpler, highly productive and less costly. 
         [0009]    To enable a further understanding of the objectives and the technological methods of the invention herein, the brief description of the drawings below is followed by the detailed description of the preferred embodiments. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a conventional heatsink; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a schematic view of a conventional heatsink; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a schematic view of the present invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a schematic view of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a two-dimensional schematic view and a detailed, magnified view of the present invention; and 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0016]    Referring to  FIGS. 3 ,  4  and  5 , an improved heatsink structure of the present invention includes a substrate  20  attached onto a computer chip. A plurality of fins  21  extends upward from the substrate  20 , wherein the substrate  20  and the fins  21  are formed by stacking a plurality of particulates  22  (See  FIG. 5 ). Moreover, adjacent particulates  22  are so tightly bound and integrated that the particulates do not fall off under external forces. 
         [0017]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , the adjacent particulates  22  are tightly bound as an integrated unit, but it is only a point-to-point connection. In addition to the binding sites of the particulates, most of the remaining spaces will come into contact with air. By doing so, the total surface area is increased by several times to thousand times. Moreover, the surface area is entirely determined by the particulate size. In other words, if a heatsink is formed by stacking smaller particulates  22 , the surface area of the heatsink becomes larger, but the gaps between the particulates  22  become closely tight. On the other hand, if a heatsink is formed by stacking larger particulates  22 , the surface area of the heatsink becomes smaller, but the gaps between the particulates  22  are loose and not dense. 
         [0018]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , when mounting the present invention on a computer chip  40  together with a fan  30 , the high temperature generated during the processing of the computer chip  40  is conducted from the substrate  20  to fins  21 . The fan  30  blows colder air from the environment to the fins  21  and the substrate  20 , such that the colder air flows around the gaps between the particulates  22  for maximizing thermal conversion efficiency. 
         [0019]    By modifying the appearance and the size of heatsinks, the surface area of heatsinks is maximized, thereby maximizing the heat-dissipation efficiency of the heatsinks. This method reduces the size of heatsinks and achieves the expected heat-dissipation effects, particularly for chips inside notebook computers. 
         [0020]    Only one set of multiple-cavity molds needs to be formed during fabricating the present invention. After particulates are poured into the molds, pressurized and heated, heatsinks are constituted. Neither cutting nor trimming is required for the fabrication of the present invention. Moreover, the raw materials are very simple and are free from the problem of waste generation, thereby greatly reducing production costs. 
         [0021]    It is of course to be understood that the embodiment described herein is merely illustrative of the principles of the invention and that a wide variety of modifications thereto may be effected by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.