scholarly journals Reduction of Device Operating Temperatures with Graphene-Filled Thermal Interface Materials

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 53
Author(s):  
Jacob S. Lewis

The majority of research into few layer graphene (FLG) thermal interface materials (TIM) concerns the direct quantification of innate composite properties with much less direct analysis of these materials in realistic applications. In this study, equilibrium temperatures of engineered device substitutes fixed to passive heat sink solutions with varying FLG concentration TIMs are experimentally measured at varying heat dissipation rates. A custom, precisely-controlled heat source’s temperature is continually measured to determine equilibrium temperature at a particular heat dissipation. It is found that altering the used FLG TIM concentrations from 0 vol.% to as little as 7.3 vol.% resulted in a decrease of combined TIM and passively-cooled heat sink thermal resistance from 4.23∘C/W to 2.93∘C/W, amounting to a reduction in operating temperature of ≈108∘C down to ≈85∘C at a heat dissipation rate of 20 W. The results confirm FLG TIMs’ promising use in the application of device heat dissipation in a novel, controllable experimental technique.

2006 ◽  
Vol 968 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yimin Zhang ◽  
Allison Xiao ◽  
Jeff McVey

ABSTRACTThermal interface materials (TIMs) are used to dissipate thermal energy from a heat-generating device to a heat sink via conduction. The growing power density of the electronic device demands next-generation high thermal conductivity and/or low thermal resistance TIMs. This paper discusses the current state-of-art TIM solutions, particularly fusible particles for improved thermal conductivity. The paper will address the benefits and limitations of this approach, and describe a system with unique filler morphology. Thermal resistance and diffusivity/conductivity characterization techniques are also discussed.


Author(s):  
Vinh Khuu ◽  
Michael Osterman ◽  
Avram Bar-Cohen ◽  
Michael Pecht

Thermal interface materials are used to reduce the interfacial thermal resistance between contacting surfaces inside electronic packages, such as at the die-heat sink or heat spreader-heat sink interfaces. In this study, the change in thermal performance was measured for elastomeric gap pads, gap fillers, and an adhesive throughout reliability tests. Three-layer composite structures were used to simulate loading conditions encountered by thermal interface materials in actual applications. The thermal resistance of the thermal interface material, including contact and bulk resistance, was calculated using the Lee algorithm, an iterative method that uses properties of the single layers and the 3-layer composite structures, measured using the laser flash method. Test samples were subjected to thermal cycling tests, which induced thermomechanical stresses due to the mismatch in the coefficients of thermal expansion of the dissimilar coupon materials. The thermal resistance measurements from the laser flash showed little change or slight improvement in the thermal performance over the course of temperature cycling. Scanning acoustic microscope images revealed delamination in one group of gap pad samples and cracking in the putty samples.


2009 ◽  
Vol 1158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Rosshirt ◽  
Drazen Fabris ◽  
Christopher Cardenas ◽  
Patrick Wilhite ◽  
Thanh Tu ◽  
...  

AbstractHeat dissipation in electronics packaging can be highly dependent on Thermal Interface Materials (TIM). TIM contact, compliance, and conductivity can be the dominant limiting factors in the overall conduction heat transfer across the interface. Mixing multiwall Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs), which have high thermal conductivity, with other thermally conducting materials holds great promise as TIM fillers and has been shown to have higher thermal performance than commercial TIM ‘1’. Such mixtures possess greater thermal conductivity as a result of increased thermal conduction paths through highly conductive, high aspect ratio CNTs.In this work, we develop and test an advanced apparatus based on the ASTM D5470-06 standard to measure thermal interface resistance. Our experimental findings quantify the thermal performance trends of industry-standard TIM Arctic Silver® 5 along with hybrid TIM mixtures of Arctic Silver®5 and varying weight ratios of CNTs. Early experimental findings show that Arctic Silver®5 mixed with 0.5 to 1% multiwall CNT by weight may improve thermal conductivity over pure Arctic Silver®5.The goal of this research is to investigate the viability of integrating CNTs with commercial products as improved TIM for electronic cooling in chip packages.


Author(s):  
L. M. Boteler ◽  
M. C. Fish ◽  
M. S. Berman

Abstract As technology becomes more electrified, thermal and power engineers need to know how to improve power modules to realize their full potential. Current power module technology involves planar ceramic-based substrates with wirebond interconnects and a detached heat sink. There are a number of well-known challenges with the current configuration including heat removal, reliability due to coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch, and parasitic inductance. Various solutions have been proposed in literature to help solve many of these issues: alternate substrates, advanced thermal interface materials, compliant die attach, thermal ground planes, high performing heat sinks, superconducting copper, wirebondless configurations, etc. While each of these technologies have their merits, this paper will perform a holistic analysis on a power module and identify the impact of improving various technologies on the device temperature. Parametric simulations were performed to assess the impact of many aspects of power module design including material selection, device layout, and heat sink choice. Materials that have been investigated include die attach, substrate, heat spreader, and thermal interface materials. In all cases, the industry standard was compared to the state of the art to quantify the advantages and/or disadvantages of adopting the new technologies. A sensitivity analysis is also performed which shows how and where the biggest benefits could be realized when redesigning power modules and determining whether to integrate novel technologies.


Author(s):  
Yingyan Zhang ◽  
Jun Ma ◽  
Ning Wei ◽  
Jie Yang ◽  
Qing-Xiang Pei

Modern electronic devices are characterized by high-power and high-frequency with excessive heat accumulation. Thermal interface materials (TIMs) are of crucial importance for efficient heat dissipation to maintain proper functions and...


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathias Ekpu

Purpose In microelectronics industry, the reliability of its components is a major area of concern for engineers. Therefore, it is imperative that such concerns are addressed by using the most reliable materials available. Thermal interface materials (TIMs) are used in electronic devices to bridge the topologies that exists between a heat sink and the flip chip assembly. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the reliability of SAC405 and SAC396 in a microelectronics assembly. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, SnAgCu solder alloys (SAC405 and SAC396) were used as the TIMs. The model, which comprises the chip, TIM and heat sink base, was developed with ANSYS finite element analysis software and simulated under a thermal cycling load of between −40°C and 85°C. Findings The results obtained from this paper were based on the total deformation, stress, strain and fatigue life of the lead-free solder materials. The analyses of the results showed that SAC405 is more reliable than SAC396. This was evident in the fatigue life analysis where it was predicted that it took about 85 days for SAC405 to fail, whereas it took about 13 days for SAC396 to fail. Therefore, SAC405 is recommended as the TIM of choice compared to SAC396 based upon the findings of this investigation. Originality/value This paper is centred on SnAgCu solders used as TIMs. This paper demonstrated that SAC405 is a reliable solder TIM. This can guide manufacturers of electronic products in deciding which SAC solder to apply as TIM during the assembly process.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document