Nanotube Materials for Thermal Management of Electronic Components

A heat-conducting medium for thermal management, the medium comprising:

• a disk having a first side for placement adjacent a heat source and an opposing second side for placement adjacent a heat sink;
• a rim positioned circumferentially about each side of the disk;
• a first recessed surface defined by the rim on the first side of the disk;
• a second recessed surface defined by the rim on the second side of the disk;
• and
• an array of heat conducting bristles extending from within the first and second recessed surfaces, such that the bristles in the first recessed surface provides a plurality of contact points to the heat source and the bristles in the second recessed surface provides a plurality of contact points to the heat sink.

A method for manufacturing a heat-conducting medium for thermal management, the method comprising:

• providing a disk having opposing recessed surfaces and a relatively high thermal conductivity characteristic;
• depositing a plurality of catalyst particles into the recessed surfaces;
• exposing the catalyst particles in the recessed surfaces to a gaseous carbon source;
• allowing uptake of carbon by the catalyst particles to permit growth of nanotubes from the recessed surface;
• and
• terminating the growth of the nanotubes when they extend beyond the recessed surfaces.