Carbon nanotubes for the selective transfer of heat from electronics

1. A method of cooling a circuit element, the method comprising:

providing a thermal reservoir having a temperature lower than an operating temperature of the circuit element; and

providing a nanotube article in thermal contact with the circuit element and with the reservoir,

the nanotube article comprising a non-woven fabric of nanotubes in contact with other nanotubes to define a plurality of thermal pathways along the article,

the nanotube article having a nanotube density and a shape selected such that the nanotube article is capable of transferring heat from the circuit element to the thermal reservoir.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the nanotube article comprises depositing pre-formed nanotubes on a surface so as to form the non-woven fabric of nanotubes.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein depositing pre-formed nanotubes comprises at least one of spin-coating pre-formed nanotubes and spray-coating pre-formed nanotubes.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the nanotube article comprises growing nanotubes on a surface so as to form the non-woven fabric of nanotubes.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising defining the shape of the nanotube article lithographically.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein defining the shape of the nanotube article lithographically comprises forming a non-woven fabric of nanotubes and subsequently removing selected portions of that non-woven fabric of nanotubes in accordance with the shape.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the nanotube article comprises conformally forming a non-woven nanotube fabric over the circuit element.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanotube article has a substantially planar shape.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a substrate having a substantially planar major surface and a feature not in the plane of the major surface, and wherein the nanotube article substantially conforms to said feature.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing supports under the nanotube article, the supports defining a gap over which the nanotube article is suspended.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanotube density and shape are selected such that the nanotube article is capable of transferring heat from the circuit element to the thermal reservoir at a pre-defined rate selected to maintain the circuit element below a pre-specified temperature.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pre-specified temperature comprises an upper limit of a normal operating temperature.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanotube article further has a pre-defined composition.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the pre-defined composition includes single-walled nanotubes.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the pre-defined composition includes multi-walled nanotubes.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the circuit element comprises at least a portion of an integrated circuit.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the circuit element comprises an encapsulation material.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the thermal reservoir comprises a heat sink.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the heat sink comprises a plurality of fins that radiate heat.

20. The method of claim 1 , further comprising a thermally conductive material between and in thermal contact with each of the nanotube article and the circuit element.

21. A method of forming a thermal management structure for an integrated circuit, the method comprising:

depositing a layer of non-woven nanotube fabric on a defined region of the integrated circuit, the layer substantially conforming to the defined region of the integrated circuit and comprising a plurality of nanotubes; and

providing a thermal reservoir in thermal contact with at least a portion of the layer of non-woven nanotube fabric,

wherein the layer of non-woven nanotube fabric has a nanotube density selected such that the nanotube article is capable of transferring heat from the integrated circuit to the thermal reservoir.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein depositing the layer of non-woven nanotube fabric comprises at least one of spin-coating and spray-coating pre-formed nanotubes onto the defined region of the integrated circuit.

23. The method of claim 21 , further comprising patterning the layer of non-woven nanotube fabric to provide defined regions of nanotubes over pre-selected portions of the integrated circuit.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the defined regions of nanotubes are each in thermal contact with the thermal reservoir.

25. The method of claim 23 , wherein the pre-selected portions of the integrated circuit comprise portions of the circuit needing cooling during operation.

26. The method of claim 23 , wherein the pre-selected portions of the integrated circuit comprise individual devices within the integrated circuit.

27. The method of claim 23 , wherein the pre-selected portions of the integrated circuit comprise active regions of the integrated circuit.

28. The method of claim 23 , wherein patterning the layer of non-woven nanotube fabric comprises providing a patterned mask over the layer of non-woven nanotube fabric and removing a portion of the layer of non-woven nanotube fabric in accordance with the patterned mask.

29. The method of claim 23 , wherein patterning the layer of non-woven nanotube fabric further comprises defining at least one of a memory element, a heat emitter, a channel in a field effect transistor, a gate in a field effect transistor, a relay, a conductor, and a sensor within the layer of non-woven nanotube fabric.

30. The method of claim 21 , further comprising patterning the layer of non-woven nanotube fabric to define regions of modified thermal conductivity.

31. The method of claim 21 , further comprising functionalizing at least a portion of the nanotubes of the layer of non-woven nanotube fabric.

32. The method of claim 21 , wherein the integrated circuit is substantially encapsulated.

33. The method of claim 21 , wherein the integrated circuit is substantially complete before depositing the non-woven nanotube fabric layer thereon.

34. The method of claim 21 , further comprising providing a second integrated circuit over the previously mentioned integrated circuit with the layer of non-woven nanotube fabric there between, the layer of non-woven nanotube fabric being in thermal contact with the second integrated circuit.

35. The method of claim 21 , wherein the nanotubes of the layer of non-woven nanotube fabric define a plurality of thermal pathways within the layer of non-woven nanotube fabric.

36. The method of claim 21 , wherein at least some of the nanotubes of the layer of non-woven nanotube fabric have a length of at least 100 nm.

37. The method of claim 21 , wherein the layer of non-woven nanotube fabric has a thickness between about 1 nm and about 100 nm.

38. The method of claim 21 , wherein the layer of non-woven nanotube fabric is substantially a monolayer of nanotubes.

39. The method of claim 21 , wherein the defined region of the integrated circuit comprises the top surface of the integrated circuit.