Patent Description:
This disclosure generally relates to the field of thermal pad technologies, and the invention in particular relates to a thermal pad, a heat dissipation module, and an electronic device.

As an electronic device rapidly develops towards miniaturization and high performance, a heat dissipation requirement of an electronic component located in a small space inside the device becomes more and more urgent. Therefore, how to arrange heat dissipation of the electronic component becomes one of the important topics in the industry.

In a conventional electronic device, a thermal pad is usually disposed between an electronic component and a heat sink, and the thermal pad is usually made of a material such as thermally conductive silicone or thermally conductive silicone rubber, to transfer heat generated by the electronic component to the heat sink for dissipation. However, due to a limitation of heat conduction efficiency of a material of the thermal pad, heat conduction efficiency of the foregoing thermal pad is not high, and cannot meet a heat dissipation requirement of the electronic component, especially the heat dissipation requirement of a high-power electronic component.

To improve heat dissipation efficiency of the electronic component, in an electronic device in a related technology, a liquid metal layer (whose material is a liquid metal material) is disposed between the electronic component and the heat sink. To prevent the liquid metal layer from spilling between the electronic component and the heat sink, a sealing ring needs to be disposed between the electronic component and the heat sink. However, after a sealing ring is disposed, a structure of the heat dissipation module is more complex, and then a difficulty of assembly process of the heat dissipation module is increased, which increases manufacturing costs of the heat dissipation module.

<CIT> discloses that in a method for manufacturing of an electronic component device, an electronic component and a heat dissipating member are connected through a heat conducting member. The document further discloses steps of forming one of a plate shape metallic member and a recessed metallic member on the electronic component by vapor deposition processing or plating processing, forming the other of the plate shape metallic member and the recessed metallic member on the heat dissipating member by the vapor deposition processing or the plating processing, and filling a liquid metal in the recessed part of the recessed metallic member to form the liquid metal, the plate shape metallic member, and a part of the recessed metallic member into a solid solution.

<CIT> addresses the technical problems of the inefficiency and safety issues associated with traditional heat dissipation materials and methods used in smartphones. Specifically, the problems include inefficient thermal management, leakage of liquid metal and suboptimal sealing solutions. A heat dissipation structure for mobile phones is disclosed that uses liquid metal material. The design effectively prevents the liquid metal from overflowing after phase change while maximizing heat dissipation and minimizing leakage.

<CIT> discloses an intelligent controller heat dissipation method and device, and the method comprises the following steps: after a chip is used and generates heat, the heat is transmitted to a heat conduction copper block through liquid metal with a high heat conduction coefficient; a copper block and an aluminum radiating fin are rolled together, and the copper block is in direct contact with liquid metal; by means of the good heat absorption performance of copper, heat is rapidly transmitted to the copper block, the copper block and the aluminum cooling fin are rolled together, the contact area is large, heat on the copper block is rapidly transmitted to the aluminum cooling fin, and by means of the excellent heat dissipation performance of aluminum, heat is rapidly dissipated; and the heat can be transferred to a radiator on the outer side of the aluminum radiating fin again.

The object of the present invention is to provide a thermal pad, a heat dissipation module, and an electronic device, so as to resolve a problem that the heat dissipation module of the electronic device in a related technology cannot simultaneously improve heat dissipation efficiency and reduce manufacturing costs. This object is solved by the attached independent claims and further embodiments and improvements of the invention are listed in the attached dependent claims. Hereinafter, up to the "brief description of the drawings", expressions like ". aspect according to the invention", "according to the invention", or "the present invention", relate to technical teaching of the broadest embodiment as claimed with the independent claims. Expressions like "implementation", "design", "optionally", "preferably", "scenario", "aspect" or similar relate to further embodiments as claimed, and expressions like "example", ". aspect according to an example", "the disclosure describes", or "the disclosure" describe technical teaching which relates to the understanding of the invention or its embodiments, which, however, is not claimed as such.

To achieve the foregoing objective, the following technical solutions according to the invention are used in embodiments of this application.

According to a first aspect according to the invention, the invention provides a thermal pad, including a pad body, where the pad body is provided with a hollowed-out part, and the hollowed-out part is filled with a liquid metal material layer.

By using the technical solution, an overall coefficient of thermal conductivity of the thermal pad is improved, overall thermal resistance of the thermal pad is reduced, and heat dissipation efficiency of an electronic component is improved, so that heat dissipation of the electronic component is more sufficient. In addition, there is no need to dispose another sealing structure to limit the flow of the liquid metal material layer, so that not only a structure of the heat dissipation module is simpler, but also assembly process of the heat dissipation module is simplified, which thereby reducing manufacturing costs of the heat dissipation module.

According to the invention, in a thickness direction of the pad body, the pad body includes two pad surfaces that are disposed facing away from each other, and the hollowed-out part is disposed on the pad surface.

By using the technical solution, overall thermal resistance of the thermal pad can be greatly reduced.

According to the invention, the hollowed-out part penetrates through the pad body.

By using the technical solution, liquid metal material layers in the hollowed-out parts may be separately in contact with the electronic component and the heat sink, thereby further reducing the overall thermal resistance of the thermal pad.

According to the invention, each pad surface is provided with the hollowed-out part, and a depth of the hollowed-out part is less than a thickness of the pad body.

By using the technical solution, the liquid metal material layers in the hollowed-out parts of the two pad surfaces may be separately in contact with the electronic component and the heat sink, thereby further reducing the overall thermal resistance of the thermal pad.

In some embodiments, the hollowed-out parts disposed on the two pad surfaces are staggered in a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the pad body.

By using the technical solution, when a total quantity of hollowed-out parts is specified, a coverage area of the liquid metal material layer in the pad body is increased, which further improves a heat dissipation effect of the electronic component.

In some not claimed embodiments, the pad surface is provided with a plurality of hollowed-out parts arranged in an array.

By using the technical solution, a coverage area of the liquid metal material layer in the pad body is increased, which further improves the heat dissipation effect of the electronic component.

In some not claimed embodiments, the hollowed-out part is a hole or a groove.

By using the technical solution, manufacturing of the hollowed-out part may be facilitated.

In some embodiments, the pad surface includes a hollowed-out opening area and a surrounding area that is located on a periphery of the hollowed-out opening area; and the hollowed-out opening area is provided with the hollowed-out part, and the surrounding area is provided with an anti-spill groove.

By using the technical solution, diffusion of the liquid metal material may be prevented, thereby reducing a probability that the liquid metal material leaks out of an edge of the thermal pad.

In some embodiments, the anti-spill groove is separated from the hollowed-out part.

By using the technical solution, when the liquid metal material is filled into the hollowed-out part, a probability that the liquid metal material in the hollowed-out part enters the anti-spill groove can be reduced.

In some embodiments, the anti-spill groove extends in a circumferential direction of the hollowed-out opening area.

By using the technical solution, an effect of preventing diffusion of the spilled liquid metal material to a surrounding area by the anti-spill groove is improved.

In some embodiments, the surrounding area is provided with an anti-spill groove group, and the anti-spill groove group includes a plurality of anti-spill grooves disposed around the hollowed-out opening area.

By using the technical solution, the diffusion of the spilled liquid metal material in a plurality of directions can be prevented, thereby further reducing a probability that the liquid metal material leaks out of the edge of the thermal pad.

In some embodiments, the surrounding area is provided with the plurality of anti-spill groove groups, and the plurality of anti-spill groove groups are arranged in a direction away from the hollowed-out opening area.

By using the technical solution, the diffusion of the spilled liquid metal material in a plurality of directions can be better prevented, thereby greatly reducing the probability that the liquid metal material leaks out of the edge of the thermal pad.

In some embodiments, each anti-spill groove in the anti-spill groove groups penetrates through the pad body.

By using the technical solution, a volume of the anti-spill groove can be increased, so that the liquid metal material can be better prevented from continuing to diffuse outward.

In some embodiments, the anti-spill groove is a ring groove and is disposed around the hollowed-out opening area, and a groove depth of the anti-spill groove is less than the thickness of the pad body.

By using the technical solution, the diffusion of the spilled liquid metal material in a plurality of directions can be better prevented, thereby reducing the probability that the liquid metal material leaks out of the edge of the thermal pad.

In some embodiments, the surrounding area is provided with the plurality of anti-spill grooves, and the plurality of anti-spill grooves are arranged in a direction away from the hollowed-out opening area.

By using the technical solution, the plurality of anti-spill grooves can better prevent the diffusion of the spilled liquid metal material in a plurality of directions, thereby greatly reducing the probability that the liquid metal material leaks out of the edge of the thermal pad.

In some embodiments, one end of the anti-spill groove extends to an edge of the hollowed-out part, to communicate with the hollowed-out part.

By using the technical solution, a probability that the liquid metal material spills from an edge of the hollowed-out part can be greatly reduced.

In some not claimed embodiments, a width range of the anti-spill groove is <NUM>~<NUM>.

By using the technical solution, the liquid metal material filled into the hollowed-out part will not easily enter the anti-spill groove, or an accommodating space of the anti-spill groove will not be too small, thereby ensuring that the anti-spill groove can better prevent spilling of the liquid metal material.

In some embodiments, the hollowed-out opening area is provided with two rows of the hollowed-out parts, each row includes a plurality of hollowed-out parts, and each hollowed-out part separately communicates with at least one anti-spill groove.

By using the technical solution, the anti-spill groove may easily communicate with each hollowed-out part.

In some not claimed embodiments, the thermal pad further includes a protective film, and the protective film is attached to the pad surface, to cover the liquid metal material layer.

By using the technical solution, leakage of the liquid metal material in the hollowed-out part may be prevented, thereby facilitating storage and transportation of the thermal pad.

According to a second aspect according to the invention, the invention also provides a heat dissipation module, including an electronic component, a heat sink, and the thermal pad in the first aspect, where a pad body of the thermal pad is disposed between the electronic component and the heat sink.

A beneficial effect of the heat dissipation module is the same as that of the thermal pad in the first aspect, and details are not described herein again.

In some embodiments, the electronic component is a central processing unit; and the central processing unit includes a substrate and a bare die disposed on the substrate, and the pad body is disposed between the bare die and the heat sink.

By using the technical solution, heat dissipation for the central processing unit can be improved, to ensure normal operation of the central processing unit.

According to a third aspect according to the invention, the invention provides an electronic device, including a housing and the heat dissipation module in the second aspect, where the heat dissipation module is disposed in the housing.

Beneficial effects of the electronic device are the same as those of the heat dissipation module in the second aspect, and details are not described herein again.

According to a fourth aspect, where the fourth aspect and any of its implementations and options below are not claimed, a not claimed embodiment of this disclosure provides a method for manufacturing a thermal pad, including the following steps: providing a thermal pad, where the thermal pad includes a pad body, and the pad body includes, in a thickness direction of the pad body, two pad surfaces that are disposed facing away from each other; disposing a hollowed-out part on the pad surface, where a depth of the hollowed-out part is less than a thickness of the pad body; and filling a liquid metal material into the hollowed-out part, to form a liquid metal material layer.

Beneficial effects of the method for manufacturing the thermal pad are the same as those of the thermal pad in the first aspect, and details are not described herein again.

In some not claimed embodiments, after the filling a liquid metal material into the hollowed-out part, the method further includes the following step: attaching a protective film to the pad surface, to cover the liquid metal material layer.

In some not claimed embodiments, before the filling a liquid metal material into the hollowed-out part, the method further includes the following step: disposing an anti-spill groove on a periphery of the hollowed-out part.

According to a fifth aspect, where the fifth aspect and any of its implementations and options below are not claimed, a not claimed embodiment of this disclosure provides a method for manufacturing a thermal pad, including the following steps: providing a thermal pad, where the thermal pad includes a pad body, and the pad body includes, in a thickness direction of the pad body, a first pad surface and a second pad surface that are disposed facing away from each other; disposing a hollowed-out part on the pad body, where the hollowed-out part penetrates through the pad body in a thickness direction of the pad body; attaching a protective film to the first pad surface, to cover the hollowed-out part; filling a liquid metal material into the hollowed-out part from an opening of the hollowed-out part on the second pad surface, to form a liquid metal material layer; and attaching a protective film to the second pad surface, to cover the liquid metal material layer.

In embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the quantity of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features.

In embodiments of this application, it should be noted that the term "electrical connection" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, as a direct connection for current conduction or as a capacitive coupling for electric energy conduction.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram of a heat dissipation module in a conventional electronic device. The heat dissipation module includes an electronic component <NUM>, a heat sink <NUM>, and a thermal pad <NUM>. The thermal pad <NUM> is disposed between the electronic component <NUM> and the heat sink <NUM>, to transfer heat generated by the electronic component <NUM> to the heat sink <NUM> for dissipation. The thermal pad <NUM> is usually made of a material such as thermally conductive silicone or thermally conductive silicone rubber. However, heat dissipation efficiency of the thermal pad <NUM> that is made of the thermally conductive silicone or the thermally conductive silicone rubber is usually <NUM>~<NUM> W·m-<NUM>k-<NUM>, and the heat dissipation efficiency is relatively low. In this way, the thermal pad <NUM> cannot dissipate, in a timely manner, the heat generated by the electronic component <NUM>, which cannot meet a heat dissipation requirement of the electronic component <NUM> (especially the electronic component <NUM> with high power) in operation.

To improve the heat dissipation efficiency of the electronic component <NUM>, <FIG> is a schematic diagram of a heat dissipation module in an electronic device in a related technology. The heat dissipation module includes an electronic component <NUM>, a heat sink <NUM>, and a liquid metal layer <NUM> that is disposed between the electronic component <NUM> and the heat sink <NUM>. A material of the liquid metal layer <NUM> is a liquid metal material (the liquid metal material may be briefly referred to as "liquid metal"). To prevent the liquid metal layer <NUM> from spilling between the electronic component <NUM> and the heat sink <NUM>, a sealing structure <NUM> is further disposed on a periphery of the liquid metal layer <NUM>.

In the heat dissipation structure shown in <FIG>, the heat dissipation efficiency of the electronic component <NUM> can be improved by using the liquid metal layer <NUM>. However, to prevent the liquid metal layer <NUM> from spilling between the electronic component <NUM> and the heat sink <NUM>, the sealing structure <NUM> (that is, a sealing ring) needs to be disposed in the heat dissipation module. After the sealing structure <NUM> is disposed, the heat dissipation module is more complex, and then a difficulty of assembly process of the heat dissipation module is increased, which increases manufacturing costs of the heat dissipation module.

In addition, a price of the liquid metal material is relatively high. Therefore, if an entire liquid metal layer <NUM> needs to be disposed between the electronic component <NUM> and the heat sink <NUM>, a large quantity of liquid metal materials are needed, which increases costs of the heat dissipation module.

It can be learned that the heat dissipation module in the electronic device in the related technology cannot simultaneously improve the heat dissipation efficiency and reduce the manufacturing costs.

Therefore, embodiments of this application provide a thermal pad, a heat dissipation module, and an electronic device. A liquid metal material layer is filled in a hollowed-out part of a pad body of the thermal pad, heat dissipation of the electronic component is more sufficient, and heat dissipation efficiency of the electronic component is improved; in addition, a structure of the heat dissipation module is simplified, and manufacturing costs of the heat dissipation module are reduced.

The electronic device in this embodiment of this application may be a device including a heat dissipation module, such as a notebook computer, a desktop computer, a frequency converter, a solid-state relay, a bridge rectifier, a power battery, an LED (Light-Emitting Diode; light emitting diode) lamp with relatively high power.

The following uses a notebook computer as an example to describe a structure of an internal heat dissipation module in detail. For another electronic device, reference may be made to a structure of the heat dissipation module in this embodiment of the notebook computer, and details are not described herein again.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram of a structure of a notebook computer according to some embodiments of this application, <FIG> is a schematic diagram of arrangement of a heat dissipation module <NUM> according to some embodiments of this application, and <FIG> is a schematic diagram of a structure of the heat dissipation module <NUM> in <FIG> merely show composition of the heat dissipation module <NUM> and connection relationships between components, not shown according to an actual proportion of each component in an actual product.

The notebook computer includes a housing <NUM>, and a mainboard <NUM>, a heat dissipation module <NUM>, and a heat dissipation fan <NUM> that are disposed in the housing <NUM>. The housing <NUM> is provided with an air inlet <NUM> and an air outlet <NUM>, and both the heat dissipation module <NUM> and the heat dissipation fan <NUM> are disposed on the mainboard <NUM>.

The heat dissipation module <NUM> includes an electronic component <NUM>, a heat sink <NUM>, and a thermal pad <NUM>. The electronic component <NUM> is a central processing unit (Central Processing Unit; CPU for short), and the central processing unit includes a substrate <NUM> and a bare die (DIE) <NUM> disposed on the substrate <NUM>.

Certainly, in addition to being a central processing unit, the electronic component <NUM> may also be a heat emission component such as a power module, which may be specifically determined based on a type of the electronic device.

<FIG> is a top view of a pad body <NUM> of a thermal pad <NUM> according to some embodiments of this application, and <FIG> is a sectional view of the pad body <NUM> in a direction A-A in <FIG>. The thermal pad <NUM> includes a pad body <NUM>, a hollowed-out part <NUM> is disposed on the pad body <NUM>, the hollowed-out part <NUM> is filled with a liquid metal material layer <NUM>, and the pad body <NUM> is disposed between the bare die <NUM> and the heat sink <NUM>.

A liquid metal material is a general term for metal materials that are in a liquid state at a relatively low temperature. The liquid metal material has extremely strong thermal conductivity of a metal material, and heat dissipation efficiency of the liquid metal material is <NUM>~<NUM> W·m-<NUM>K-<NUM>; in addition, the liquid metal material has a specific fluidity. The liquid metal material may be a low melting point metal, for example, gallium (Ga) or an alkali metal such as sodium (Na), potassium (K), and lithium (Li). The liquid metal material may also be a low melting point alloy, for example, a gallium metal alloy.

The pad body <NUM> may be made of a thermally conductive material such as thermally conductive silicone, thermally conductive silicone rubber, or graphite.

In operation, the thermal pad <NUM> conducts heat generated by the bare die <NUM> to the heat sink <NUM>, and the heat dissipation fan <NUM> sucks air outside the housing <NUM> into the housing <NUM> through the air inlet <NUM>, and then takes away heat emitted from the heat sink <NUM> when the wind flows through the heat sink <NUM>, and the heat is discharged out of the housing <NUM> through the air outlet <NUM>. The hollowed-out part <NUM> of the pad body <NUM> is filled with a liquid metal material layer <NUM> with relatively good thermal conductivity. This improves an overall coefficient of thermal conductivity of the thermal pad <NUM>, and reduces overall thermal resistance of the thermal pad <NUM>, so that heat dissipation efficiency of an electronic component <NUM> is improved, and heat dissipation of the electronic component <NUM> is more sufficient.

In addition, the liquid metal material layer <NUM> is filled in the hollowed-out part <NUM> of the pad body <NUM>, so that the hollowed-out part <NUM> may limit the flow of the liquid metal material layer <NUM>, and then the pad body <NUM> can seal the liquid metal material layer <NUM>. Therefore, there is no need to dispose another sealing structure to limit the flow of the liquid metal material layer <NUM>, so that not only a structure of the heat dissipation module <NUM> is simpler, but also assembly process of the heat dissipation module <NUM> is simplified, which reduces manufacturing costs of the heat dissipation module <NUM>.

In addition, compared with a full layer of a liquid metal material layer (as shown in <FIG>) that is disposed between the electronic component <NUM> and the heat sink <NUM>, in this embodiment of this application, a liquid metal material layer <NUM> at a relatively high price is filled in a pad body <NUM> of a thermal pad <NUM> at a relatively low price, excessive use of the liquid metal material can be avoided, which meets a heat dissipation requirement of the electronic component <NUM> and reduces heat dissipation costs of the electronic component <NUM>.

In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, in a thickness direction H of the pad body <NUM>, the pad body <NUM> includes two pad surfaces <NUM> disposed facing away from each other, and the hollowed-out part <NUM> is disposed on the pad surface <NUM>. In this way, the hollowed-out part <NUM> can be easily filled with the liquid metal material layer <NUM>, and the liquid metal material layer <NUM> in the hollowed-out part <NUM> can also be in contact with the electronic component <NUM> or the heat sink <NUM>, thereby greatly reducing overall thermal resistance of the thermal pad <NUM>, and improving a heat dissipation effect of the electronic component <NUM>.

In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, a plurality of hollowed-out parts <NUM> arranged in an array are disposed on the pad surface <NUM> of the pad body <NUM>, and the hollowed-out parts <NUM> are arranged in an array of <NUM> (columns) × <NUM> (rows) in <FIG>. With this arrangement, a coverage area of the hollowed-out part <NUM> on the pad body <NUM> of the thermal pad <NUM> can be increased, so that a coverage area of the liquid metal material layer <NUM> in the pad body <NUM> is increased, and then a high-efficiency heat conduction area (that is, a coverage area of the liquid metal material layer <NUM> in the pad body <NUM>) of the thermal pad <NUM> is larger, which further improves a heat dissipation effect of the electronic component <NUM>.

In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, each pad surface <NUM> of the pad body <NUM> is provided with a hollowed-out part <NUM>, and a depth of the hollowed-out part <NUM> is less than a thickness of the pad body <NUM>, that is, the hollowed-out part <NUM> does not penetrate through the pad body <NUM>. The depth of the hollowed-out part <NUM> is less than the thickness of the pad body <NUM>, so that the hollowed-out part <NUM> is equivalent to a "container" of the liquid metal material layer <NUM>, and then the liquid metal material layer <NUM> can be filled into the hollowed-out part <NUM> more easily. In addition, each pad surface <NUM> of the pad body <NUM> is provided with a hollowed-out part <NUM>. In this way, the liquid metal material layer <NUM> in the hollowed-out part <NUM> of the two pad surfaces <NUM> may be separately in contact with the electronic component <NUM> and the heat sink <NUM>, thereby further reducing the overall thermal resistance of the thermal pad <NUM>, and further improving the heat dissipation effect of the electronic component <NUM>.

In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, the hollowed-out parts <NUM> disposed on the two pad surfaces <NUM> are staggered in a direction Y perpendicular to the thickness direction of the pad body <NUM>. In this way, when a total quantity of hollowed-out parts <NUM> is specified, a coverage area of the hollowed-out parts <NUM> on the pad body <NUM> of the thermal pad <NUM> can be increased, so that a coverage area of the liquid metal material layer <NUM> on the pad body <NUM> can be increased, and then a high-efficiency heat conduction area of the thermal pad <NUM> is larger, which further improves the heat dissipation effect of the electronic component <NUM>.

For example, as shown in <FIG>, a contour of the pad body <NUM> is rectangular, and the hollowed-out parts <NUM> disposed on the two sides of the pad body <NUM> are staggered in both the width direction X and the length direction Y of the pad body <NUM>.

The hollowed-out part <NUM> disposed on the two pad surfaces <NUM> may be completely staggered, as shown in <FIG>, or may be partially staggered. "Completely staggered" means that, in the direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the pad body <NUM>, orthographic projections of the hollowed-out parts <NUM> of the two pad surfaces <NUM> on a first plane do not overlap; and "partially staggered" means that, in the direction Y perpendicular to the thickness direction of the pad body <NUM>, orthographic projections of the hollowed-out parts <NUM> of the two pad surfaces <NUM> on the first plane partially overlap. The first plane is a plane perpendicular to the thickness direction of the pad body <NUM>.

In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, the hollowed-out part <NUM> is a groove. The hollowed-out part <NUM> is set to be the groove, so that the hollowed-out part <NUM> may be formed by using a stamping process, to facilitate manufacturing of the hollowed-out part <NUM>.

Certainly, the hollowed-out part <NUM> may be a hole in addition to the groove, and the hole may also be formed by using the stamping process, to facilitate manufacturing of the hollowed-out part <NUM>.

The hollowed-out part <NUM> may be disposed in addition to the pad surface <NUM> of the pad body <NUM>, or may be disposed inside the pad body <NUM>, and the liquid metal material may be injected into the hollowed-out part <NUM> inside the pad body <NUM> by using a needle.

In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, a pad surface <NUM> of the pad body <NUM> includes a hollowed-out opening area <NUM> and a surrounding area <NUM> located on a periphery of the hollowed-out opening area <NUM>. The hollowed-out opening area <NUM> is provided with a hollowed-out part <NUM>, and the surrounding area <NUM> is provided with an anti-spill groove <NUM>.

When the pad body <NUM> that is attached between the heat sink <NUM> and the electronic component <NUM> is extruded, the liquid metal material in the hollowed-out part <NUM> inevitably spills, and diffuses to the surrounding area <NUM> along a gap between the thermal pad <NUM> and the heat sink <NUM> or the electronic component <NUM>. The anti-spill groove <NUM> is disposed in the surrounding area <NUM>, so that the spilled liquid metal material can be accommodated, thereby preventing the liquid metal material from continuing to diffuse outward, and reducing a probability that the liquid metal material leaks out of an edge of the thermal pad <NUM>.

In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, the anti-spill groove <NUM> is separated from the hollowed-out part <NUM>, that is, the anti-spill groove <NUM> is separated from the hollowed-out part <NUM> by a specific distance, and does not communicate with the hollowed-out part <NUM>. With this arrangement, when the liquid metal material is filled into the hollowed-out part <NUM>, a probability that the liquid metal material in the hollowed-out part <NUM> enters the anti-spill groove <NUM> can be reduced.

In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, the anti-spill groove <NUM> extends in a circumferential direction of the hollowed-out opening area <NUM>. With this arrangement, when the liquid metal material of the hollowed-out part <NUM> spills and diffuses to a surrounding area <NUM>, the liquid metal material may enter the anti-spill groove <NUM> more easily, thereby improving an effect of preventing diffusion of the spilled liquid metal material to the surrounding area <NUM> by the anti-spill groove <NUM>.

For example, as shown in <FIG>, the hollowed-out opening area <NUM> is rectangular, and the anti-spill groove <NUM> extends in a length direction Y or a width direction X of the hollowed-out opening area <NUM>.

In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, the surrounding area <NUM> is provided with an anti-spill groove group <NUM>, and the anti-spill groove group <NUM> includes a plurality of anti-spill grooves <NUM> disposed around the hollowed-out opening area <NUM>. With this arrangement, the plurality of anti-spill grooves <NUM> disposed around the hollowed-out opening area <NUM> in the anti-spill groove group <NUM> can prevent the spilled liquid metal material from diffusing in a plurality of directions, thereby further reducing the probability that the liquid metal material leaks out of the edge of the thermal pad <NUM>.

For example, as shown in <FIG>, the anti-spill groove group <NUM> includes four anti-spill grooves <NUM>; and the two anti-spill grooves <NUM> are separately located on two sides that are of the hollowed-out opening area <NUM> and that are in a width direction X of the hollowed-out opening area <NUM>, and the other two anti-spill grooves <NUM> are separately located on two sides that are of the hollowed-out opening area <NUM> and that are in a length direction Y of the hollowed-out opening area <NUM>.

In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, a surrounding area <NUM> is provided with a plurality of anti-spill groove groups <NUM>, and the plurality of anti-spill groove groups <NUM> are arranged in a direction away from the hollowed-out opening area <NUM>. With this arrangement, the plurality of anti-spill groove groups <NUM> can better prevent the spilled liquid metal material <NUM> from diffusing in a plurality of directions, thereby greatly reducing a probability that the liquid metal material <NUM> leaks out of the edge of the thermal pad <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, a quantity of anti-spill groove groups <NUM> are two, but is not limited thereto, and two or more than anti-spill groove groups <NUM> may be disposed, which may be specifically determined based on a quantity of liquid metal materials filled in the hollowed-out part <NUM>.

In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, each anti-spill groove <NUM> in the anti-spill groove group <NUM> penetrates through the pad body <NUM>. In this way, the volume of the anti-spill groove <NUM> may be increased, which increases a quantity of liquid metal materials accommodated by the anti-spill groove <NUM>, thereby better preventing the liquid metal material from continuing to diffuse outward, and greatly reducing a probability that the liquid metal material leaks out of the edge of the thermal pad <NUM>.

Certainly, if a small amount of the liquid metal material is spilled, the anti-spill groove <NUM> may not penetrate through the pad body <NUM>. Specifically, <FIG> is a schematic diagram of a structure of a pad body <NUM> of a thermal pad <NUM> according to some other embodiments of this application. A groove depth of an anti-spill groove <NUM> is less than a thickness of the pad body <NUM>. A cross section of the anti-spill groove <NUM> is a triangle, so that the liquid metal material easily enters the anti-spill groove <NUM>.

In some embodiments, <FIG> is a schematic diagram of a structure of a thermal pad <NUM> in <FIG> when not being used. The thermal pad <NUM> further includes a protective film <NUM>, and the protective film <NUM> is attached to the pad surface <NUM>, to cover the liquid metal material layer <NUM>.

The protective film <NUM> is disposed, so that when the thermal conductive pad <NUM> is not used, the protective film <NUM> can prevent leakage of the liquid metal material in the hollowed-out part <NUM>, thereby facilitating storage and transportation of the thermal conductive pad <NUM>. When the thermal pad <NUM> is in use, the protective film <NUM> may be torn off, to ensure that the pad body <NUM> of the thermal pad <NUM> is attached between the electronic component <NUM> and the heat sink <NUM>. An ambient temperature when the pad body <NUM> is attached may be controlled below a melting point of the liquid metal material. In this way, the liquid metal material layer <NUM> in the hollowed-out part <NUM> is solid, so that the pad body <NUM> can be easily attached.

For example, the protective film <NUM> may be a PET (polyethylene terephthalate; polyethylene terephthalate) protective film.

If each of the two pad surfaces <NUM> of the pad body <NUM> is provided with the hollowed-out part <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>, the protective film <NUM> is attached to the two pad surfaces <NUM> of the pad body <NUM>. If one pad surface <NUM> of the pad body <NUM> is provided with the hollowed-out part <NUM>, the protective film <NUM> may be attached to the pad surface <NUM> of the hollowed-out part <NUM> that is provided with the pad body <NUM>.

<FIG> is a process diagram of manufacturing the thermal pad <NUM> shown in <FIG>, and <FIG> is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing the thermal pad <NUM> shown in <FIG>. A method for manufacturing the thermal pad <NUM> includes:
S1. As shown <FIG>, provide the thermal pad <NUM>.

The thermal pad <NUM> includes a pad body <NUM>, and the pad body <NUM> may be thermally conductive silicone, thermally conductive silicone rubber, graphite, or the like.

As shown <FIG>, dispose a hollowed-out part <NUM> on each of two pad surfaces <NUM> of the pad body <NUM> of the thermal pad <NUM>.

A depth of the hollowed-out part <NUM> is less than a thickness of the pad body <NUM>. The hollowed-out part <NUM> may be formed by using a stamping process, or may be formed by using another process, which is not specifically limited herein.

As shown <FIG>, dispose an anti-spill groove <NUM> on a periphery of the hollowed-out part <NUM>.

The anti-spill groove <NUM> may be formed by cutting on the peripheral with a cutter.

As shown <FIG>, fill a liquid metal material into the hollowed-out part <NUM> on one pad surface <NUM>, to form a liquid metal material layer <NUM>, and then attach a protective film <NUM> to the pad surface <NUM>, to cover the liquid metal material layer <NUM>.

As shown <FIG>, fill a liquid metal material into the hollowed-out part <NUM> on the other pad surface <NUM>, to form a liquid metal material layer <NUM>, and then attach a protective film <NUM> to the pad surface <NUM>, to cover the liquid metal material layer <NUM>.

Certainly, a sequence of S2 and S3 may also be interchanged, that is, the anti-spill groove <NUM> is first disposed, and then the hollowed-out part <NUM> is disposed. In addition, the anti-spill groove <NUM> and the hollowed-out part <NUM> may be formed on the pad body <NUM> by using one process, for example, the anti-spill groove <NUM> and the hollowed-out part <NUM> are formed on the pad body <NUM> by using one stamping process.

If another measures is taken to prevent the liquid metal material <NUM> from leaking out of an edge of the pad body <NUM>, the anti-spill groove <NUM> may not be disposed.

In step S2, the hollowed-out part <NUM> may alternatively be disposed on only one pad surface <NUM> of the pad body <NUM>. In this way, after the hollowed-out part <NUM> is filled with a liquid metal material, the protective film <NUM> is attached to only the pad surface <NUM>.

In an embodiment in which the hollowed-out part <NUM> is disposed on only one pad surface <NUM> of the pad body <NUM>, if the pad body <NUM> is stored in an environment below a melting point of the liquid metal material layer <NUM>, the protective film <NUM> may not be attached to the pad body <NUM>.

<FIG> is a top view of a pad body <NUM> of a thermal pad <NUM> according to some other embodiments of this application, and <FIG> is a sectional view of the pad body <NUM> that is in a direction B-B and that is of the thermal pad <NUM> in <FIG>. A main difference between the pad body <NUM> shown in <FIG> and the pad body <NUM> shown in <FIG> is that a shape of the anti-spill groove <NUM> is different. In this embodiment, the anti-spill groove <NUM> is a ring groove and is disposed around the hollowed-out opening area <NUM>, and a groove depth of the anti-spill groove <NUM> is less than a thickness of the pad body <NUM>.

The anti-spill groove <NUM> is set to be a ring groove, so that the anti-spill groove <NUM> may enclose the hollowed-out opening area <NUM>, thereby better preventing the spilled liquid metal material from diffusing in a plurality of directions, and reducing a probability that the liquid metal material leaks out of an edge of the thermal pad <NUM>. The groove depth of the anti-spill groove <NUM> is set to be less than the thickness of the pad body <NUM>, to prevent the ringshaped anti-spill groove <NUM> from dividing the pad body <NUM> into two parts.

As shown in <FIG>, a cross-sectional shape of the anti-spill groove <NUM> is rectangular, but is not limited thereto. The cross-sectional shape of the anti-spill groove <NUM> may be another shape, for example, a triangle. The shape of the anti-spill groove <NUM> may be a rectangular ring, or may be a circular ring, which may be specifically determined based on a shape of the pad body <NUM> and the hollowed-out opening area <NUM>.

In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, a surrounding area <NUM> is provided with a plurality of anti-spill grooves <NUM>, and the plurality of anti-spill grooves <NUM> are arranged in a direction away from the hollowed-out opening area <NUM>. With this arrangement, the plurality of anti-spill grooves <NUM> can better prevent the spilled liquid metal material from diffusing in a plurality of directions, thereby greatly reducing a probability that the liquid metal material leaks out of the edge of the thermal pad <NUM>.

To prevent leakage of the liquid metal material and facilitate storage and transportation of the thermal pad, the protective film <NUM> may also be attached to the pad surface <NUM> of the pad body <NUM> shown in <FIG>.

The thermal pad <NUM> shown in <FIG> can be manufactured with reference to the method shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, and details are not described herein again.

<FIG> is a top view of a pad body <NUM> of a thermal pad <NUM> according to some other embodiments of this application, and <FIG> is a sectional view of the pad body <NUM> that is in a direction C-C and that is of the thermal pad <NUM> in <FIG>. A main difference between the pad body <NUM> shown in <FIG> and the pad body <NUM> shown in <FIG> is that a structure of the hollowed-out part <NUM> is different, and a relationship between the anti-spill groove <NUM> and the hollowed-out part <NUM> is different.

In this embodiment, the hollowed-out part <NUM> penetrates through the pad body <NUM>. In this way, a liquid metal material layer <NUM> in the hollowed-out part <NUM> may be separately in contact with an electronic component <NUM> and a heat sink <NUM>, thereby further reducing the overall thermal resistance of the thermal pad <NUM>, and further improving the heat dissipation effect of the electronic component <NUM>.

In this embodiment, one end of the anti-spill groove <NUM> extends to an edge of the hollowed-out part <NUM>, to communicate with the hollowed-out part <NUM>. In this way, when the pad body <NUM> that is attached between the heat sink <NUM> and the electronic component <NUM> is extruded, the liquid metal material in the hollowed-out part <NUM> can directly enter the anti-spillage groove <NUM>, thereby greatly reducing a probability that the liquid metal material spills from an edge of the hollowed-out part <NUM>.

A width of the anti-spill groove <NUM> is an important parameter, and the width of the anti-spill groove <NUM> should not be too large or too small. If the width of the anti-spill groove <NUM> is too large, when the liquid metal material is filled into the hollowed-out part <NUM>, a part of the liquid metal material enters the anti-spill groove <NUM>, and occupies a space in the anti-spill groove <NUM>, which affects an anti-spill effect of the anti-spill groove <NUM> on the liquid metal material. If the width of the anti-spill groove <NUM> is too small, an accommodating space of the anti-spill groove <NUM> is smaller, and a quantity of liquid metal materials accommodated are smaller, which also affects the anti-spill effect of the anti-spill groove <NUM> on the liquid metal material. It is found through research that, when a width range of the anti-spill groove <NUM> is <NUM>~<NUM>, the liquid metal material filled into the hollowed-out part <NUM> will not easily enter the anti-spill groove <NUM>, or an accommodating space of the anti-spill groove <NUM> will not be too small, thereby ensuring that the anti-spill groove <NUM> can better prevent spilling of the liquid metal material.

In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, a hollowed-out opening area <NUM> is provided with two rows of hollowed-out parts <NUM>, each row includes a plurality of hollowed-out parts <NUM> (four hollowed-out parts <NUM> in each row are shown in the figure), and each hollowed-out part <NUM> separately communicates with one anti-spill groove <NUM>. Two rows of hollowed-out parts <NUM> are disposed in the hollowed-out opening area <NUM>. In this way, each hollowed-out part <NUM> in the two rows is adjacent to the surrounding area <NUM>, so that the anti-spill groove <NUM> can easily communicate with each hollowed-out part <NUM>.

Certainly, in addition to separately communicating with one anti-spill groove <NUM>, each hollowed-out part <NUM> may communicate with two or more than two anti-spill grooves <NUM>, which may be specifically determined based on a quantity of liquid metal materials in each hollowed-out part <NUM>.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram of a structure of a protective film <NUM> attached to the thermal pad <NUM> in <FIG>. The protective film <NUM> may be separately attached to each pad surface <NUM> of the pad body <NUM>, and the protective film <NUM> attached to each pad surface <NUM> covers the hollowed-out part <NUM>. When the hollowed-out part <NUM> is filled with the liquid metal material, the protective film <NUM> may be attached to one pad surface <NUM>. In this case, the protective film <NUM> and the hollowed-out part <NUM> form a "container" for accommodating the liquid metal material, thereby preventing the liquid metal material from leaking out of the other side of the pad body <NUM> when being filled into the hollowed-out part <NUM>.

<FIG> is a process diagram of manufacturing the thermal pad <NUM> shown in <FIG>, and <FIG> is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing the thermal pad <NUM> shown in <FIG>. A method for manufacturing the thermal pad <NUM> includes:
N1. As shown <FIG>, provide the thermal pad <NUM>.

The thermal pad <NUM> includes a pad body <NUM>, and two pad surfaces <NUM> of the pad body <NUM> are a first pad surface 3311a and a second pad surface 3311b.

As shown <FIG>, dispose a hollowed-out part <NUM> on the pad body <NUM> of the thermal pad <NUM>.

The hollowed-out part <NUM> penetrates through the pad body <NUM> in a thickness direction of the pad body <NUM>.

Dispose an anti-spill groove <NUM> on a periphery of the hollowed-out part <NUM>.

As shown <FIG>, attach a protective film <NUM> to the first pad surface 3311a, to cover the hollowed-out part <NUM>.

As shown <FIG>, fill a liquid metal material into the hollowed-out part <NUM> from an opening of the hollowed-out part <NUM> on the second pad surface 3311b, to form a liquid metal material layer <NUM>.

As shown <FIG>, attach the protective film <NUM> to the second pad surface 3311b, to cover the liquid metal material layer <NUM>.

Certainly, a sequence of N2 and N3 may also be interchanged, that is, the anti-spill groove <NUM> is first disposed, and then the hollowed-out part <NUM> is disposed. In addition, the anti-spill groove <NUM> and the hollowed-out part <NUM> may be formed on the pad body <NUM> by using one process, for example, the anti-spill groove <NUM> and the hollowed-out part <NUM> are formed on the pad body <NUM> by using one stamping process. If another measure is taken to prevent the liquid metal material from spilling from an edge of the hollowed-out part <NUM>, the anti-spill groove <NUM> may not be disposed.

<FIG> is a top view of a pad body <NUM> of a thermal pad <NUM> according to some other embodiments of this application, and <FIG> is a sectional view of the pad body <NUM> that is in a direction D-D and that is of the thermal pad <NUM> in <FIG>. A main difference between the pad body <NUM> shown in <FIG> and the pad body <NUM> shown in <FIG> is that a quantity of hollowed-out parts <NUM> disposed in the hollowed-out opening area <NUM> is different.

In this embodiment, the hollowed-out opening area <NUM> is provided with a hollowed-out part <NUM>. A contour shape of the hollowed-out part <NUM> is elliptical, but is not limited thereto. The contour shape of the hollowed-out part <NUM> may also be circular, rectangular, or the like, which may be specifically determined based on an actual situation.

For a specific setting manner of an anti-spill groove <NUM> in this embodiment, reference may be made to the setting manners shown in <FIG>, or reference may be made to the setting manners shown in <FIG>, or reference may be made to the setting manners shown in <FIG>, which may be specifically determined based on an actual situation.

In the description of the specification, specific features, structures, materials or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

Claim 1:
A thermal pad (<NUM>), comprising a pad body (<NUM>), wherein the pad body (<NUM>) is provided with a hollowed-out part (<NUM>), and the hollowed-out part (<NUM>) is filled with a liquid metal material layer (<NUM>); wherein
in a thickness direction of the pad body (<NUM>), the pad body (<NUM>) comprises two pad surfaces (<NUM>, 3311a, 3311b) that are disposed facing away from each other, and the hollowed-out part (<NUM>) is disposed on the pad surface (<NUM>, 3311a, 3311b);
the hollowed-out part penetrates through the pad body (<NUM>).; and
each pad surface (<NUM>, 3311a, 3311b) is provided with the hollowed-out part (<NUM>), and a depth of the hollowed-out part (<NUM>) is less than a thickness of the pad body (<NUM>).