# US 2014/0151009 A1 · Thermal interface element and method of preparation

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- Number: US 2014/0151009 A1
- Document ID: US20140151009A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/691,138
- Filed: 2012-11-30
- Published: 2014-06-05
- Earliest claimed: 2012-11-30
- Assignees: General Electric Company
- Inventors: Raj Bahadur; David Mulford Shaddock
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140151009A1

## CPC

- F28F 21/089: {Coatings, claddings or bonding layers made from metals or metal alloys (F28F19/06 takes precedence)}
- C23C 14/16: on metallic substrates or on substrates of boron or silicon
- C23C 14/225: {Oblique incidence of vaporised material on substrate}
- F28F 13/00: Arrangements for modifying heat-transfer, e.g. increasing, decreasing (F28F1/00 - F28F11/00 take precedence)
- F28F 21/00: Constructions of heat-exchange apparatus characterised by the selection of particular materials {(coatings for modifying heat-transfer F28F13/18; coatings for preventing the formation of deposits or corrosion F28F19/02)}
- F28F 2013/005: {Thermal joints}
- Y10T 29/4935: Heat exchanger or boiler making
- F28F: DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION (water and air traps, air venting F16)
- C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04)
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## 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.

## Claims

### Claim 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.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of nanosprings comprise free-standing inorganic nanosprings.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

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.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

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.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the deposition method comprises GLAD, having a glancing angle in a range from about 78° to about 87°.

### Claim 6

A thermal interface element, comprising a pre-formed structure of a plurality of free-standing inorganic nanosprings disposed on an indium substrate.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

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.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

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.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The thermal interface element of claim 6, comprising at least about 108 nanosprings/cm2.

### Claim 10 (depends on 6)

The thermal interface element of claim 6, further comprising a metallic cap layer on at least 50% of the free-standing inorganic nanosprings.

### Claim 11

A thermal interface element, consisting essentially of:
an indium substrate, and
a plurality of free-standing inorganic nanosprings disposed on the substrate.