Patent ID: 7332807

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a die including an active surface and a backside surface; a heat sink disposed above the die; and a thermal interface material disposed between the die backside surface and the heat sink, wherein the thermal interface material includes a plurality of first metal particles, wherein at least some of the first metal particles include a dielectric film disposed thereon, wherein electrically conductive paths between the die and the heat sink are obstructed by the dielectric film, and wherein the dielectric film is selected from an oxide of the first metal, a nitride of the first metal, an oxynitride of the first metal, a carbide of the first metal, a sulfide of the first metal, a boride of the first metal, a boronitride of the first metal, and combinations thereof; and wherein the plurality of first metal particles has a heat-transfer capability of unity, and wherein the dielectric film decreases the heat-transfer capability of the first metal to not less than 10 percent of unity.