Nanostructured polymer-metal composite for thermal interface material applications

Continued miniaturization in combination with increased performance of microelectronics has generated an urgent need for improved thermal management techniques in order to maintain reliability of systems and devices. Development of advanced thermal interface materials has been identified as crucial, absorbing a portion of the advancements necessary within packaging technology. In this paper we introduce a novel nanostructured polymer-metal composite for thermal interface material applications together with an introduction to the associated manufacturing technology. The composite provides all-metal high thermal conductivity pathways between surfaces. Results show total thermal resistances as low as 8.5 Kmm² W^-1 at bondline thicknesses of approximately 70 mum, corresponding to an effective thermal conductivity of 8 Wm^-1 K^-1. In addition, a test fixture for thermal interface material characterization is introduced, combining the basic characteristics of the ASTM D5470 standard with a high precision Instron 5548 MicroTester. The test setup, acting as a subcomponent of the Instron 5548 MicroTester, exhibited excellent precision and repeatability throughout measurements.