Fluidic aligned, dense SWNTs arrays as potential die adhesive and thermal interface material

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report a simple, room temperature approach to assemble dense, vertically aligned single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) between a chip and its substrate acting as a kind of thermal interface material by virtue of better mechanical and thermal properties.

Design/methodology/approach

Two silicon chips, with shallow trenches about 2 μm deep on the surface, were pressed together face to face with the trench direction perpendicular to each other. SWNT aqueous solution was driven into the gap between the two chips by capillary force. Later, the sample was baked to remove the moisture completely.

Findings

SWNTs beams were found to be assembled in the gap and have their two ends bonding with the interface of the two chips, respectively. The shear strength of the two chips was measured, and the thermal conductivity of the stacked chip‐SWNTs‐chip was tested using a laser flash method. In result, shear strength up to about 100 kPa, and an average thermal conductivity of 19.3 W·m⁻¹·K⁻¹ were demonstrated.

Originality/value

The paper proposes an approach to grown dense SWNT array bridging a chip and its substrate, and these SWNTs have potential capability to provide mechanical strength and higher thermal conductance instead of commercial thermal interface materials.

Citation

Rong, H., Wang, B., Lin, W., Sun, L., Zheng, J. and Lu, M. (2013), "Fluidic aligned, dense SWNTs arrays as potential die adhesive and thermal interface material", Soldering & Surface Mount Technology, Vol. 25 No. 1, pp. 45-50. https://doi.org/10.1108/09540911311294614