Increasing power densities in high-power electronic packages require advanced heat transmission from their respective thermal interface materials (TIMs). Modern TIMs do not accommodate both thermal performance and mechanical compliance with increasing device power density. Vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNT) are advantageous in that their intrinsic properties promote both high thermal conductivity while maintaining a mechanically flexible/compliant interface. Therefore, it is a promising approach to use carbon nanotubes (CNTs), specialty VACNTs, to make a novel interface heat transfer material. However, the high thermal contact resistance between VACNTs and substrate(s) has been a big issue to limit its application. In this study, the effect of post-processing techniques such as plasma treatment and surface metallization of VACNT layer (directly grown on Cu substrate) on interfacial properties of CNTs with matching substrate were explored. Thermal properties were evaluated via a Laser Flash testing system. Thermal test results demonstrated that modifying the surface of the VACNT layer is effective method to improve interfacial attachment between CNTs and matching substrate. Results indicated that, among different VACNT surface modification methods, the plasma treated VACNT layer surface promote the best thermal properties of VACNT-based metal nanocomposite as a TIM. Compared to the unmodified VACNT layer, in this study, the interphase thermal resistance of the Cu/VACNT/matched substrate sample made from the plasma treated VACNT layer was reduced approximately 80%.

大功率电子封装中功率密度的增加要求其各自的热界面材料（TIM）进行先进的热传递。随着设备功率密度的提高，现代TIM不能同时满足热性能和机械要求。垂直排列的碳纳米管（VACNT）的优势在于，它们的固有特性既可以提高导热率，又可以保持机械柔韧性/顺应性界面。因此，使用碳纳米管（CNTs）和特种VACNTs来制造新型界面传热材料是一种很有前途的方法。然而，VACNT与基底之间的高热接触电阻一直是限制其应用的大问题。在这个研究中，探讨了等离子体处理和VACNT层（直接生长在Cu衬底上）的表面金属化等后处理技术对与匹配衬底相结合的CNT的界面性能的影响。通过激光闪光测试系统评估热性能。热测试结果表明，修饰VACNT层的表面是改善CNT与匹配基板之间界面附着的有效方法。结果表明，在不同的VACNT表面改性方法中，经等离子体处理的VACNT层表面可促进VACNT基金属纳米复合材料的最佳热性能。与未改性的VACNT层相比，在本研究中，由经等离子体处理的VACNT层制成的Cu / VACNT /匹配的基板样品的相间热阻降低了约80％。