Interface Materials |
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Comairrotron provides a wide range of thermal interface material solutions,
any of which can be factory applied to the heat sink.
There are several categories of thermal interface material from which to choose from: |
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Thermal Compounds and Greases |
Thermally Conductive Elastomeric Films and Gap Fillers |
Phase Change Thermal Interface Materials |
Double Sided Tapes |
Pre-cut Shapes Available for Interface Materials |
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Attaching a heat sink to a semiconductor package requires that two solid surfaces be brought together
into intimate contact. Unfortunately, no matter how well prepared,
when two typical electronic component surfaces are brought together,
less than one percent of their surfaces make physical contact.
As much as 99% of the surfaces are separated by a layer of interstitial
air due to a certain roughness caused by microscopic hills and valleys (surface finish)
and by macroscopic properties such as non-planarity in the form of a concave, convex or twisted shape
(flatness, twist, etc.). As these two surfaces are brought together, only the hills of the surfaces
come into physical contact.
The valleys are separated and form air-filled gaps.
Some heat is conducted through the physical contact points, but much more has to transfer through the air gaps. Since air is a poor conductor of heat, designers use more conductive materials to displace the air, increase the joint conductivity and thus improve heat transfer across the thermal interface. Thermal interface materials are used to fill air pockets and gaps between the electronic component and various thermally conducting components such as heat sinks and heat spreaders. |
 Poor Contact Due to Surface Roughness  Poor Contact Due to Non-Planar Surfaces |
Thermal interface materials are used in a variety of ways for electronic cooling applications:
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The selection of the interface material is critical to the performance of the device and
is selected based upon various material characteristics.
The selection criterion for what thermal interface material is appropriate for a specific application
is dependent upon many factors.
Some factors that need to be considered when selecting a thermal interface material are:
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