Method and apparatus for deploying a liquid metal thermal interface for chip cooling
View Patent ↗In one embodiment, the present invention is a method and apparatus for chip cooling. One embodiment of an inventive method for bonding a liquid metal to an interface surface (e.g., a surface of an integrated circuit chip or an opposing surface of a heat sink) includes applying an adhesive to the interface surface. A metal film is then bonded to the adhesive, thereby easily adapting the interface surface for bonding to the liquid metal.
1. A metal film for bonding a liquid metal to an interface surface, the interface surface comprising a surface of an integrated circuit chip or a surface of a heat sink, said metal film comprising:
a layer of barrier material adapted to bond to said interface surface to said liquid metal, said barrier material having a low solubility in said liquid metal; and
a layer of wetting material coating at least a portion of said layer of barrier material and adapted to bond said layer of barrier material to said liquid metal, said layer of wetting material being at least partially dissolvable in constituents of said liquid metal.
2. The metal film of claim 1 , wherein said layer of wetting material is disposed on a polymer backing film that is removable from said metal film.
3. The metal film of claim 1 , wherein said layer of barrier material and said layer of wetting material comprise a single layer of material having properties of both of said layer of barrier material and said layer of wetting material.
4. The metal film of claim 1 , wherein said layer of barrier material is formed of at least one of: titanium, tantalum, tungsten, chromium, molybdenum, silicon, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, silicon dioxide, titanium nitride, tantalum nitride or nickel.
5. The metal film of claim 1 , wherein said layer of wetting material is formed of at least one noble metal.
6. The metal film of claim 1 , wherein said layer of wetting material is formed of at least one of: platinum or gold.
7. The metal film of claim 1 , wherein said metal film has a thickness of at least approximately 1000 Angstroms.
8. The metal film of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the layer of barrier material and the layer of wetting material is evaporated onto a polymer backing film.
9. The metal film of claim 8 , wherein the polymer backing film is formed of a polyester film.
10. The metal film of claim 8 , wherein the polymer backing film is formed of at least one of: polyethylene terephthalate or polytetrafluoroethylene.