Thermal interface element and method of preparation

Abstract

An article and method of assembling the article is disclosed. The method of assembling includes positioning a pre-fabricated thermal interface element between a heat source and a heat-sink. The pre-fabricated thermal interface element includes an indium substrate and a plurality of nanosprings disposed on the indium substrate.

1 . A method of assembling an article, comprising:
 positioning a pre-fabricated thermal interface element between a heat source and a heat-sink, wherein the pre-fabricated thermal interface element comprises a plurality of nanosprings disposed on an indium substrate.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of nanosprings comprise free-standing inorganic nanosprings. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the pre-fabricated thermal interface element further comprises a metallic cap layer on at least 50% of the nanosprings. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the pre-fabrication of the thermal interface element comprises:
 providing an indium substrate; and   disposing a plurality of nanosprings on at least one side of the substrate by a deposition method comprising physical vapor deposition (PVD), glancing angle deposition (GLAD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), electrochemical deposition, sol-gel deposition, or any combination thereof.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the deposition method comprises GLAD, having a glancing angle in a range from about 78° to about 87°. 
     
     
         6 . A thermal interface element, comprising a pre-formed structure of a plurality of free-standing inorganic nanosprings disposed on an indium substrate. 
     
     
         7 . The thermal interface element of  claim 6 , wherein the inorganic nanosprings comprise copper, aluminum, silver, gold, platinum, tungsten, silicon, zinc oxide, silicon nitride, titanium, molybdenum, tantalum, or any combination of the foregoing. 
     
     
         8 . The thermal interface element of  claim 6 , wherein the plurality of nanosprings has a median spring diameter in a range from about 10 nm to about 2 μm. 
     
     
         9 . The thermal interface element of  claim 6 , comprising at least about 10 8  nanosprings/cm 2 . 
     
     
         10 . The thermal interface element of  claim 6 , further comprising a metallic cap layer on at least 50% of the free-standing inorganic nanosprings. 
     
     
         11 . A thermal interface element, consisting essentially of:
 an indium substrate, and   a plurality of free-standing inorganic nanosprings disposed on the substrate.