Chemically enhanced carbon nanotubes based thermal interface materials

Daon, J.; Sun, Shuming; Jiang, Di; Leveugle, Elodie; Galindo, Christophe; Jus, Sébastien; Ziaei, A.; Ye, L.; Fu, Ying; Liu, J.; Bai, Jinbo

doi:10.1109/therminic.2015.7389610

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…A more detailed description of the CVD process can be found in Reference [19]. The grown CNT arrays were subsequently bonded to 10 mm by 10 mm, 2 mm thick Cu pieces using a previously described bonding process [17]. The polymer functionalization was spin coated onto the Cu pieces, and then the CNT array was pressed into the polymer layer.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this study, we subjected fabricated CNT array TIMs to thermal cycling and subsequently measured the thermal performance to investigate the degradation of the TIM. This paper is an extended and revised version of a conference report that was presented at Therminic 2018 [15] and follows the work of Ni et al [16] and Daon et al [17] on the HLK5 polymer used to bond CNT arrays for TIM applications. This is the first reported study on the thermal reliability of a CNT array TIM.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reliability Investigation of a Carbon Nanotube Array Thermal Interface Material

et al. 2019

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As feature density increases within microelectronics, so does the dissipated power density, which puts an increased demand on thermal management. Thermal interface materials (TIMs) are used at the interface between contacting surfaces to reduce the thermal resistance, and is a critical component within many electronics systems. Arrays of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have gained significant interest for application as TIMs, due to the high thermal conductivity, no internal thermal contact resistances and an excellent conformability. While studies show excellent thermal performance, there has to date been no investigation into the reliability of CNT array TIMs. In this study, CNT array TIMs bonded with polymer to close a Si-Cu interface were subjected to thermal cycling. Thermal interface resistance measurements showed a large degradation of the thermal performance of the interface within the first 100 cycles. More detailed thermal investigation of the interface components showed that the connection between CNTs and catalyst substrate degrades during thermal cycling even in the absence of thermal expansion mismatch, and the nature of this degradation was further analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. This study indicates that the reliability will be an important consideration for further development and commercialization of CNT array TIMs.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reliability Investigation of a Carbon Nanotube Array Thermal Interface Material

et al. 2019

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“… 13 However, uneven CNT length causes only the longest CNT to contact, with a large fraction of the CNTs not reaching the opposing surface. 15 To solve this problem, a bonding agent that partially penetrates the CNT array can be used, which can be either polymer-based 16 − 18 or metal-based. 15 , 19 , 20 It is also often unfeasible to synthesize CNT arrays directly on one of mating surfaces.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, uneven CNT length causes only the longest CNT to contact, with a large fraction of the CNTs not reaching the opposing surface . To solve this problem, a bonding agent that partially penetrates the CNT array can be used, which can be either polymer-based − or metal-based. ,, It is also often unfeasible to synthesize CNT arrays directly on one of mating surfaces. For instance, CNT array synthesis requires temperatures that exceed the maximum allowed temperature for complementary metal oxide semiconductor compatibility , and thus cannot be done directly on an active chip.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Degradation of Carbon Nanotube Array Thermal Interface Materials through Thermal Aging: Effects of Bonding, Array Height, and Catalyst Oxidation

Nylander

Hansson

Nilsson

et al. 2021

ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces

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Carbon nanotube (CNT) array thermal interface materials (TIMs) are promising candidates for high-performance applications in terms of thermal performance. However, in order to be useful in commercial applications, the reliability of the interfaces is an equally important parameter, which so far has not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, the reliability of CNT array TIMs is investigated through accelerated aging. The roles of CNT array height and substrate configuration are studied for their relative impact on thermal resistance degradation. After aging, the CNT catalyst is analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to evaluate chemical changes. The CNT-catalyst bond appears to degrade during aging but not to the extent that the TIM performance is compromised. On the other hand, coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch between surfaces creates strain that needs to be absorbed, which requires CNT arrays with sufficient height. Transfer and bonding of both CNT roots and tips also create more reliable interfaces. Crucially, we find that the CNT array height of most previously reported CNT array TIMs is not enough to prevent significant reliability problems.

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