THERMAL INTERPOSERS WITH NANO STRUCTURES

Binghamton University
posted on 06/25/2009

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This invention is a materials science solution for managing thermal challenges in increasingly high power applications and "hot" chip packages. This technology is based on the use of thermally conductive carbon or metal spheres, rods, spikes, and tubes with fin protrusions suspended in an electrically insulating adhesive carrier along a compression axis. Fitting the nanostructures between the chip and the heat sink allows the construct to match the Coefficients of Thermal Expansion and to reduce interfacial resistance by an order of magnitude.

An advanced thermal management system for integrated circuits built into high-end notebook computers, workstations and servers.

The current industry approach to thermal management in power electronics is to use either Indium solder or grease for applications requiring heat dissipation up to 150W/cm2. Using the former as a heat sink is an expensive proposition, which projected supply constraints will exacerbate. Thermal grease limits device life-span because of deterioration over thermal cycling; as the grease dries out, its resistance rises. This new approach, by contrast, offers the means to replace 50-70% of bulk Indium by packing copper nanostructures inside Indium. The copper nanospheres can be made with fins and protrusions that touch which allows the heat to percolate. Commonly used thermal grease can also be filled with the interlocking nanostructures.