Morphing fillers and thermal interface materials

1. A method of preparing thermally conductive mechanically compliant pads comprising the steps of:

(a) selecting a quantity of an indium containing alloy which has a melt temperature of between about 40° C. and 120° C.

(b) treating said alloy to cause dispersal into divided form;

(c) combining said dispersed alloy with a compatible surface active agent and thermally conductive particles and blended to form a paste; and

(d) combining said dispersed alloy containing paste with a quantity of a flowable plastic resin material to form a thermally conductive mechanically compliant pad with said thermally conductive mechanically compliant pad comprising from between about 10% and 90% by volume of the combined dispersed metal alloy and thermally conductive particulate, balance flowable plastic resin.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the particles making up said thermally conductive particulate solid have a diameter of between about 1 and 40 microns.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said liquid alloy substantially encapsulates said thermally conductive particles to form a coating thereon, and wherein the liquid metal to thermally conductive particle volume ratio is at least 3:1.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said blended paste is further blended with microwax or silicone wax to form a conformable pad, with the pad comprising between about 10% and 90% by volume of homogeneous paste, balance microwax or silicone wax.

5. The method of claim 1 being particularly characterized in that said liquid metal alloy is in liquid state at temperatures above 60° C.

6. The compliant thermally conductive pad prepared in accordance with the steps of claim 1 .

7. A method of preparing thermally conductive mechanically compliant pads comprising the steps of:

( a ) selecting a quantity of an indium containing alloy which has a melt temperature of between about 40 ° C. and 120 ° C.;

( b ) treating said alloy to cause dispersal into divided form;

( c ) combining said dispersed alloy with thermally conductive particles and blending the combination to form a paste; and

( d ) combining said dispersed alloy containing paste with a quantity of a flowable plastic resin material to form a thermally conductive mechanically compliant pad with said thermally conductive mechanically compliant pad comprising between about 10 % and 90 % by volume of the combined dispersed metal alloy and thermally conductive particulate, balance flowable plastic resin.

8. A thermally conductive electrically- resistive mechanically compliant pad comprising a mixture of:

( a ) between about 10 % and 90 % by volume of a paste, which paste includes a blend of:

( i ) an indium containing alloy having a melt temperature of between about 40 ° C. and 120 ° C.;

( ii ) thermally conductive particles, at least a portion thereof being dispersed within at least a portion of said indium containing alloy; and

( b ) balance flowable plastic resin.

9. A thermally conductive electrically- resistive mechanically compliant pad comprising:

( a ) an indium containing alloy having a melt temperature of between about 40 ° C. and 120 ° C., and being in divided particulate form of between about 1 and 100 μm in diameter; and

( b ) a polymeric resin material having a melt temperature of between about 40 ° C. and 120 ° C.

10. A thermally conductive mechanically compliant pad as in claim 9 , including a compatible surface active agent.

11. A thermally conductive mechanically compliant pad as in claim 9 wherein the melt temperature of said polymeric resin material is about 10 ° C. lower than the melt temperature of said indium containing alloy.