Patent ID: 8647752

Claim:
A thermal interface material assembly comprising: a substrate; a metal alloy coupled to the substrate and defining at least one thermally conductive portion protruding away from the substrate, the metal alloy having a melting temperature of about 160 degrees Celsius or less; and a thermally conductive coating material covering at least part of the substrate and at least part of the metal alloy, the thermally conductive coating material having a melting temperature equal to or less than the melting temperature of the metal alloy; wherein the thermally conductive coating material is applied to the at least one thermally conductive portion, whereby the thermally conductive coating material inhibits oxidation of the at least one thermally conductive portion by functioning as a barrier to air and contains migration of the at least thermally conductive portion during operation of the thermal interface material assembly; and wherein the at least one thermally conductive portion includes at least one bump protruding away from the substrate, and wherein the metal alloy is coupled to the substrate to form multiple bumps along a same side of the substrate, and wherein the thermally conductive coating material has a thermal conductivity of at least 1 Watt per meter per Kelvin.