Adhesive-bonded thermal interface structures

An apparatus for cooling a heat-producing electronic device, the apparatus comprising:

• a heat sink having a first surface;
• an adhesive material affixed to the first surface and to a second surface of the heat-producing electronic device, wherein the adhesive material comprises a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA), the adhesive material configured to provide a force to hold the first surface in an adjacent, parallel planar orientation to the second surface, the adhesive material, in an unassembled configuration, defining a perimeter on the first and second surfaces, the perimeter having four contiguous sides, the adhesive material further forming a cavity bounded by the perimeter, the first surface and the second surface;
• and
• a pre-formed thermal interface material (TIM) pad located within the cavity, the TIM pad configured to cool the heat-producing electronic device by providing a thermally conductive path between the heat-producing electronic device and the heat sink, the thermally conductive path including at least a portion of a third surface of the TIM pad in thermally conductive contact with a corresponding portion of the first surface of the heat sink and at least a portion of a fourth surface of the TIM pad in thermally conductive contact with a corresponding portion of the second surface of the heat-producing electronic device.