High power semiconductor heat sink assembly

Claim 1

A high power semiconductor heat sink assembly comprising: a semiconductor chip; two spaced apart thermally and electrically conductive rigid heat sink plates having substantially parallel facing planar surfaces between which a space is defined and between which the semiconductor chip is clamped so that the width of the space is substantially the same as the width of the chip, the thickness of each plate being substantially greater than the thickness of the space between them, and the facing surfaces of the plates extending a substantial distance beyond the edges of the chip so that a substantial proportion of the space defined between the plates is not occupied by the chip; resilient sealing means sandwiched between the plates and extending around the chip to define with said plates a sealed compartment within which the chip is located; and a thin layer of a solid, electrically nonconductive, thermally conductive material filling the space between the plates outside said compartment, the area of each plate surface in contact with said material being substantially larger than the area of each plate surface in contact with the chip, whereby heat can be rapidly conducted away from the chip through the plates and from one plate to the other.