US Patent 7229683 Thermal interface materials and method of making thermal interface materials

In one aspect, the invention provides a method of making a thermal interface material comprising the steps of: (a) providing a polymeric hot melt pressure sensitive adhesive having a number average molecular weight of greater than 25,000; (b) melt-blending the polymer with at least 25 weight percent of a thermally conductive filler to form a mixture; and (c) forming the mixture of hot melt pressure sensitive adhesive and thermally conductive filler as a film. In another aspect, the invention may further comprise the steps of: providing a fire retardant and/or microfiber forming material; and/or irradiating the film with gamma or electron beam (E-beam) radiation or a combination of both to form a thermal interface material.