Liquid metal based thermal interface material
AssigneeLenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
InventorsMark Summerville, Thomas Annunziata, Justin Ringuette, Mark Heidenfeldt, Sandy Collins
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A multilayer thermal interface material includes: a first metal layer comprising a first metal; a second metal layer comprising a second metal; and an interposed layer disposed between the first metal layer and the second metal layer. The first metal layer, the second metal layer, and the interposed layer are in a solid state at or below a first temperature. The interposed layer is configured to change phase based on temperature and is in a phase other than a solid state at a second temperature, such that the first metal layer and the second metal layer contact each other.
Claims18
A multilayer thermal interface material comprising:
- a first metal layer comprising a first metal;
- a second metal layer comprising a second metal;
- and
- an interposed layer disposed between the first metal layer and the second metal layer,
- wherein
- the first metal layer, the second metal layer, and the interposed layer are in solid state at or below a first temperature,
- the interposed layer is configured to change phase based on temperature and is in a phase other than solid state at a second temperature, such that the first metal layer and the second metal layer directly contact each other, and
- upon contacting each other, the first metal in the first metal layer and the second metal in the second metal layer form an alloy that is in liquid state at or above the second temperature.
A method for manufacturing a multilayer thermal interface material, comprising:
- disposing a first metal layer comprising a first metal;
- disposing an interposed layer directly on the first metal layer;
- and
- disposing a second metal layer comprising a second metal directly on the interposed layer, wherein
- the disposing of the first metal layer, the second metal layer, and the interposed layer are performed in a solid state at or below a first temperature, such that the first metal layer and the second metal layer are isolated by the interposed layer,
- the interposed layer is configured to change phase based on temperature and is in a phase other than a solid state at a second temperature, such that the first metal layer and the second metal layer contact each other, and
- upon contacting each other, the first metal in the first metal layer and the second metal in the second metal layer form an alloy that is in liquid state at or above the second temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.