INTERFACE-INFUSED NANOTUBE INTERCONNECT

• US 20100021736A1
• Filed: 07/25/2008
• Published: 01/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Poenitzsch, Vasiliki Z., Slinker, Keith A.
• Application Number:
  US12/180,106
• Publication Number:
  US 20100021736A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/408
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2202/08 Aligned nanotubes
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2202/10 Filled nanotubes
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 32/16 Preparation
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 32/168 After-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 13/00 Arrangements for modifying heat-transfer, e.g. increasing, decreasing F28F1/00 - F28F11/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 2013/006 Heat conductive materials
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 21/02 of carbon, e.g. graphite
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/4871 Bases, plates or heatsinks
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/373 Cooling facilitated by selection of materials for the device or materials for thermal expansion adaptation, e.g. carbon
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/30 Self-sustaining carbon mass or layer with impregnant or other layer

Abstract

The invention relates to carbon nanotube arrays and methods for the preparation of carbon nanotube arrays. The carbon nanotube arrays include an aligned carbon nanotube array, wherein at least one of the ends of the carbon nanotube array includes a coating layer that is infused into the carbon nanotube array.

Claims

1. A method a forming a carbon nanotube array, comprising:

providing a substrate suitable for supporting the growth of a plurality of carbon nanotubes;

depositing a plurality of carbon nanotubes on a surface of the substrate, said carbon nanotubes having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is attached to the substrate and wherein said plurality of carbon nanotubes forms a forest of substantially aligned nanotubes;

depositing a first coating on the second end of the carbon nanotubes.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

removing the substrate from the first end of the carbon nanotubes; and

depositing a second coating on the first end of the carbon nanotubes.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the first and second coating are the same material.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the first and second coating are different materials.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the first and second coating are independently selected from titanium, aluminum, gold, silver, copper, solder, diamond-like carbon, or a silicon carbide precursor.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first coating is selected from titanium, aluminum, gold, silver, copper, solder, diamond-like carbon, or a silicon carbide precursor.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the carbon nanotube forest has a length of between 10 microns and 2 mm.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the carbon nanotube forest has a density of approximately 10%.

9. A carbon nanotube array, comprising

a plurality of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes, said nanotubes having a first and a second end;

and

a first metal layer coupled to the first end of the plurality vertically aligned carbon nanotubes, wherein the first metal layer partially infuses the plurality of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes.

10. The carbon nanotube array of claim 10 further comprising a second layer coupled to second end of the plurality of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes, said second layer partially infusing the plurality of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes.

12. The carbon nanotube array of claim 10 wherein the metal infuses into the first end of the plurality of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes by at least 2 microns.

11. The carbon nanotube array of claim 11 wherein the second layer selected from a polymer, silicon carbide or nanocomposite.

13. The carbon nanotube array of claim 11 wherein the metal infuses into the first end of the plurality of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes by at least 2 microns and the second coating infuses into the second end of the plurality of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes by at least 2 microns.

14. A carbon nanotube array, comprising

a plurality of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes, said nanotubes having a first and a second end;

and

an end cap layer coupled to the first end of the plurality vertically aligned carbon nanotubes, wherein the end cap layer partially infuses the plurality of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes.

15. The carbon nanotube array of claim 14 wherein the end cap lay comprises silicon carbide.

16. The carbon nanotube array of claim 14 wherein the end cap layer comprises a polymer.