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US-12621970-B2 - Electromagnetic interference shield extending underneath memory modules

US12621970B2US 12621970 B2US12621970 B2US 12621970B2US-12621970-B2

Abstract

Devices and systems for shielding electromagnetic interference, and methods of forming the same, are disclosed herein. In one example, an electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield includes a housing to substantially enclose a memory module. When the housing and the memory module are coupled to a circuit board, the housing is to extend at least partially underneath the memory module. The housing may also be openable or at least partially removable.

Inventors

  • Pin Jan Wang
  • Min Suet Lim
  • Arturo Navarro Alvarez
  • Hao-Han Hsu

Assignees

  • INTEL CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20240329

Claims (15)

  1. 1 . An electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield, comprising: a housing to substantially enclose a memory module, wherein the housing and the memory module are to be coupled to a circuit board, wherein the housing is to extend at least partially underneath the memory module, and wherein the housing is openable or at least partially removable, and wherein the housing comprises: a top portion, wherein the top portion is to extend over the memory module, and wherein the top portion is openable or removable; a plurality of side walls; a bottom portion, wherein the bottom portion is to extend at least partially underneath the memory module; a flexible interface between the top portion and one of the side walls, wherein the flexible interface enables the top portion to open; and a plurality of corner side covers to cover openings at corners of side walls adjacent to the flexible interface; a plurality of EMI gaskets, wherein the EMI gaskets are interior to the corner side covers.
  2. 2 . The EMI shield of claim 1 , wherein the top portion is a removable lid.
  3. 3 . The EMI shield of claim 1 , wherein the bottom portion comprises a conductive edge, wherein the conductive edge is to be electrically coupled to a ground contact on the circuit board.
  4. 4 . The EMI shield of claim 1 , wherein the bottom portion comprises one or more mechanical feet, wherein the one or more mechanical feet are to be coupled to the circuit board.
  5. 5 . The EMI shield of claim 1 , wherein the memory module is a small outline dual in-line memory module.
  6. 6 . A system, comprising: a circuit board; one or more memory modules coupled to the circuit board; and an electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield to substantially enclose the one or more memory modules, wherein the EMI shield is coupled to the circuit board, and wherein the EMI shield comprises: a top portion, wherein the top portion extends over the one or more memory modules, and wherein the top portion is openable or removable; a plurality of side walls; a bottom portion, wherein the bottom portion extends at least partially underneath the one or more memory modules; a flexible interface between the top portion and one of the side walls, wherein the flexible interface enables the top portion to open; and a plurality of corner side covers to cover openings at corners of side walls adjacent to the flexible interface; a plurality of EMI gaskets, wherein the EMI gaskets are interior to the corner side covers.
  7. 7 . The system of claim 6 , further comprising a plurality of clips coupled to the circuit board, wherein the clips are to hold the top portion of the EMI shield in place.
  8. 8 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the top portion is a removable lid.
  9. 9 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the circuit board comprises one or more ground contacts, wherein the EMI shield is electrically coupled to the one or more ground contacts.
  10. 10 . The system of claim 6 , further comprising a processor coupled to the circuit board.
  11. 11 . The system of claim 10 , further comprising a system-on-a-chip coupled to the circuit board, wherein the system-on-a-chip comprises the processor and at least one of a graphics processing unit, a network interface controller, a storage device, a memory controller, or an input/output (I/O) controller.
  12. 12 . The system of claim 6 , further comprising one or more memory connectors coupled to the circuit board, wherein the one or more memory modules are removably coupled to the one or more memory connectors.
  13. 13 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the one or more memory modules are small outline dual in-line memory modules.
  14. 14 . A method, comprising: receiving a circuit board, a memory connector, and an electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield, wherein the EMI shield comprises: a top portion, wherein the top portion extends over a memory module, and wherein the top portion is openable or removable; a plurality of side walls; a bottom portion, wherein the bottom portion extends at least partially underneath the memory module; a flexible interface between the top portion and one of the side walls, wherein the flexible interface enables the top portion to open; a plurality of corner side covers to cover openings at corners of side walls adjacent to the flexible interface; and a plurality of EMI gaskets, wherein the EMI gaskets are interior to the corner side covers; attaching the memory connector to the circuit board; attaching the EMI shield to the circuit board; and inserting a memory module into the memory connector.
  15. 15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein attaching the EMI shield to the circuit board comprises: inserting the EMI shield into a plurality of clips; and attaching the EMI shield and the plurality of clips to the circuit board.

Description

BACKGROUND Electromagnetic interference (EMI) shields are crucial for protecting electronic components, such as memory modules, from EMI. As electronic devices continue scaling down in size, however, designing effective EMI shields becomes challenging due to space constraints. For example, as printed circuit boards (PCBs) become smaller and components on PCBs are spaced closer together, the PCB ground contacts and vias for an EMI shield may interfere with other components on a PCB. As a result, EMI shields with less effective designs may be used to accommodate the space constraints, or alternatively, larger PCBs may be used to eliminate the space constraints and avoid sacrificing EMI shielding efficiency. In either case, a compromise is made between EMI shielding efficiency and PCB size. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system with a one-piece semi-rigid extended EMI shield for memory modules. FIGS. 2A-E illustrate an example of a one-piece semi-rigid extended EMI shield for memory modules. FIGS. 3A-C illustrate an example of EMI gaskets in a one-piece semi-rigid extended EMI shield. FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a one-piece semi-rigid extended EMI shield with a bottom edge designed for optimal placement of ground connections. FIGS. 5A-D illustrate perspective views of a system with a one-piece semi-rigid extended EMI shield for memory modules. FIGS. 6A-E illustrate an example process flow for assembling a system with a one-piece semi-rigid extended EMI shield. FIGS. 7A-E illustrate another example process flow for assembling a system with a one-piece semi-rigid extended EMI shield. FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a system with a two-piece extended EMI shield for memory modules. FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a two-piece extended EMI shield for memory modules. FIGS. 10A-C illustrate an example process flow for assembling a system with a two-piece extended EMI shield. FIG. 11 illustrates a graph demonstrating the EMI shielding performance of an extended EMI shield for memory modules. FIG. 12 illustrates a cross-sectional side view of an integrated circuit device assembly in accordance with certain embodiments. FIG. 13 illustrates a block diagram of an example electrical device in accordance with certain embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is a disturbance caused by an electromagnetic field that can potentially disrupt the operation of an electronic device, which may lead to reduced performance, reliability, and/or safety. Effective EMI mitigation techniques, such as EMI shielding and grounding, are crucial to prevent or minimize negative effects from EMI and ensure proper functioning of an electronic device. For example, EMI shields (which may also be referred to as EMI fences, cans, cages, etc.) are devices designed to block or reduce EMI between electronic components. EMI shields come in a variety of forms—including enclosures, cans, cages, covers, barriers, and sheets—and may be designed to fully or partially enclose electronic components or devices. Moreover, EMI shields are typically made of conductive materials (e.g., metals such as aluminum, copper), which absorb or reflect electromagnetic waves, thus preventing them from penetrating or escaping the shielded area. Accordingly, EMI shields play an important role in minimizing EMI and ensuring the reliable operation of electronic devices and systems. In some cases, for example, EMI shields may be used to protect memory modules from EMI, such as dual in-line memory modules (DIMMs) or small outline dual in-line memory modules (SODIMMs). A good EMI shield for removable memory modules typically requires a full enclosure around the memory modules to provide effective EMI shielding (e.g., a Faraday cage), along with mechanisms for opening or removing the EMI shield to enable end users to upgrade the memory modules. To fulfill these requirements, removable memory modules such as SODIMMs often use a clip-on EMI can for EMI shielding, which is an EMI enclosure designed to clip in and out of clips attached to ground strips/pads on a printed circuit board (PCB). If the SODIMM connectors/modules are placed too close to a system-on-a-chip (SoC) and/or central processing unit (CPU), however, PCB ground strips/pads for the EMI can cannot be placed on the side of the SODIMM modules adjacent to the SoC/CPU due to space constraints, as that may interfere with the memory microstrip routing near the SoC/CPU. As a result, a three-sided EMI can is used since there are no PCB ground strips/pads on the fourth side, which leaves the EMI can open on one side, thus trading off EMI shielding efficiency for smaller PCB size. Alternatively, the SODIMM connectors/modules may be repositioned farther away from the SoC/CPU to make room for PCB ground strips/pads on the fourth side of the EMI can, which enables a four-sided EMI can to be used, thus fully enclosing the memory modules. However, this requires the SOD