A thermal interface wafer for facilitating heat transfer from an electronic component
to a heat sink. The wafer is formed from at least one elongate, vertically-oriented
strip of thermally conductive material having a layer of conformable, heat-conducting
material formed thereon. Preferably, the substrate comprises a metal foil, such
as aluminum or some other thermally-conductive metal, that is formed as a flat,
spiral-like coil. Such strip may further be configured to have a serpentine configuration,
or may alternatively be formed from a multiplicity of strips. The present invention
further provides for methods of transferring heat from an electronic component
to a heat sink, as well as methods for fabricating the thermal interface wafers
of the present invention.
