Carbon Nanotube Heat Sinks Could Increase CPU Clock Speeds

Feb-05-14 By creating a heat sink made of carbon nanotubes, researchers have found a quieter way to cool computer processors that is also six times more effective than current solutions.

Although carbon nanotubes are known to have impressive thermal conductivity, bonding them to thermal interfaces has proven difficult. The team, from Berkeley University, overcame the bonding obstacle by using organic compounds to form the bonds between the carbon nanotubes and the metal layer at the top of the chip. The resulting material was able to conduct the heat off the top of the chip six times more effectively than previous methods, and the bonding technique can work with copper, aluminum, silicon and gold.

The team is currently investigating ways to ensure all the nanotubes are in contact with the chip’s metal layer at the same time, which would increase the heat sink's abilities substantially.

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