Patent ID: 8322029

Claim:
A method of interfacing a cooling assembly and a surface to be cooled of at least one heat-generating electronic device, the method comprising: providing a plurality of discrete, thermally conductive pin fins comprising a first material having a first thermal conductivity; disposing the plurality of discrete, thermally conductive pin fins between the cooling assembly and the surface to be cooled, with at least some discrete, thermally conductive pin fins of the plurality of discrete, thermally conductive pin fins residing partially over at least one first region of higher heat flux of the surface to be cooled and extending partially over at least one second region of lower heat flux of the surface to be cooled; providing a thermal interface material between the cooling assembly and the surface to be cooled at least partially surrounding the plurality of discrete, thermally conductive pin fins and thermally interfacing the cooling assembly to the surface to be cooled, the thermal interface material comprising a second material having a second thermal conductivity, wherein the first thermal conductivity of the first material is greater than the second thermal conductivity of the second material, and wherein the at least some discrete, thermally conductive pin fins spread heat between the surface to be cooled and the cooling assembly, from over the at least one first region of higher heat flux to over the at least one second region of lower heat flux, for facilitating heat transfer from the at least one heat-generating electronic device to the cooling assembly; and wherein the disposing comprises wire-bonding each discrete, thermally conductive pin fin of the plurality of discrete, thermally conductive pin fins at only one end to at least one of the surface of the cooling assembly or the surface to be cooled of the at least one heat-generating electronic device, and wherein each discrete, thermally conductive pin fin of the plurality of discrete, thermally conductive pin fins is unattached at its other end.