Heat Sink Assembly

Abstract

A heat sink assembly includes plural thermally conductive hair fins configured to be thermally coupled with a component to be cooled. The hair fins are elongated along a first direction and separated from each other by gaps along different second and third directions. The hair fins are configured to receive heat from the component to be cooled and to transfer the heat to cooling air disposed between the hair fins in order to cool the component.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A heat sink assembly comprising:
 plural thermally conductive hair fins configured to be thermally coupled with a component to be cooled, the hair fins being elongated along a first direction extending away from the component and separated from each other by gaps along different second and third directions that are orthogonal to the first direction, wherein the hair fins have external dimensions that are longer along the first direction than each of the second and third directions,   wherein the hair fins are arranged in an array that includes plural rows of the hair fins, each row having a respective plurality of the hair fins that are spaced apart from one another in the second direction, and the rows being spaced apart from one another in the third direction,   wherein the hair fins are configured to receive heat from the component to be cooled and to transfer the heat to cooling air disposed between the hair fins and flowing between the hair fins in the second and third directions, in order to cool the component, and   wherein each of the hair fins has a length along the first direction of at least two millimeters and no more than fifty-five millimeters and a cross-sectional area, defined by a plane of the second and third directions, of no more than 0.0009 square millimeters, and the heat sink assembly has a fin density of the hair fins of at least seventy-seven of the hair fins per square centimeter within an area of the heat sink assembly that includes the hair fins.   
     
     
         2 . The heat sink assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the hair fins have square cross-sectional shapes in a plane defined by the second and third directions. 
     
     
         3 . The heat sink assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a housing having opposing side walls on opposite sides of the hair fins. 
     
     
         4 . The heat sink assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the hair fins are arranged in a grid with the hair fins being equidistant from each other in the grid along the second and third directions. 
     
     
         5 . The heat sink assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the hair fins are separated from each other by first distances along the second direction and different, second distances along the third direction. 
     
     
         6 . The heat sink assembly of  claim 1 , wherein each of the hair fins has an aspect ratio of less than 0.001. 
     
     
         7 . The heat sink assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the first direction is oriented perpendicularly to at least one of the component or to a thermally conductive plate to which the hair fins are attached, the plate being configured for attachment to the component. 
     
     
         8 . A heat sink assembly comprising:
 plural thermally conductive hair fins configured to be thermally coupled with a component to be cooled, the hair fins separated from each other by gaps along different directions, wherein the hair fins are configured to receive heat from the component to be cooled and to transfer the heat to cooling air disposed between the hair fins in order to cool the component.   
     
     
         9 . The heat sink assembly of  claim 8 , wherein the different directions of the gaps, by which the hair fins are separated from each other, are orthogonal, and wherein the hair fins are configured to receive the heat from the component to be cooled and to transfer the heat to the cooling air that flows along the different orthogonal directions between the hair fins. 
     
     
         10 . The heat sink assembly of  claim 9 , wherein the hair fins are elongated along a direction that is orthogonal to the different orthogonal directions in which the cooling air flows. 
     
     
         11 . The heat sink assembly of  claim 9 , wherein the hair fins have square cross-sectional shapes in a plane defined by the different orthogonal directions. 
     
     
         12 . The heat sink assembly of  claim 9 , further comprising a housing having opposing side walls on opposite sides of the hair fins. 
     
     
         13 . The heat sink assembly of  claim 9 , wherein the hair fins are arranged in a grid with the hair fins being equidistant from each other in the grid along the different orthogonal directions. 
     
     
         14 . The heat sink assembly of  claim 9 , wherein each of the hair fins has an aspect ratio of less than 0.001. 
     
     
         15 . A heat sink assembly comprising:
 a housing having opposing side walls; and   plural thermally conductive hair fins disposed in a grid between the side walls of the housing, the hair fins configured to be thermally coupled with a component to be cooled, the hair fins being elongated along a first direction and separated from each other by gaps along different second and third directions, wherein the hair fins are configured to receive heat from the component to be cooled and to transfer the heat to cooling air disposed between the hair fins in order to cool the component.   
     
     
         16 . The heat sink assembly of  claim 15 , wherein the hair fins are separated from each other by the gaps such that the cooling air flows between the hair fins in both the second and third directions. 
     
     
         17 . The heat sink assembly of  claim 15 , wherein the hair fins have external dimensions that are longer along the first direction than each of the second and third directions. 
     
     
         18 . The heat sink assembly of  claim 15 , wherein the hair fins are arranged in the grid with the hair fins being equidistant from each other in the grid along the second and third directions. 
     
     
         19 . The heat sink assembly of  claim 15 , wherein each of the hair fins has an aspect ratio of less than 0.001. 
     
     
         20 . The heat sink assembly of  claim 15 , wherein:
 the first direction extends away from the component, and the second and third directions are orthogonal to one another and to the first direction;   the hair fins have external dimensions that are longer along the first direction than each of the second and third directions; and   the hair fins are arranged in the grid as an array that includes plural rows of the hair fins, each row having a respective plurality of the hair fins that are spaced apart from one another in the second direction, and the rows being spaced apart from one another in the third direction.