This document highlights the use of the Transient Plane Source (TPS) method on the Trident Thermal Conductivity Instrument, together with the Automated Thermal Control (ATC) furnace, to track the thermal conductivity of a thermal interface material (TIM) through extended thermal aging.
TIMs sit between power-dissipating components, such as power semiconductors, processors, and battery cells, and the heat sinks or cold plates that cool them. Although the TIM is often the thinnest layer in the thermal stack, it plays one of the most significant roles in terms of overall system performance. Even a modest loss in performance raises operating temperatures, reduces efficiency, and shortens component life. Datasheet values describe a TIM as it leaves the factory, yet in service, the same material may spend thousands of hours at elevated temperatures. For reliability engineers, the relevant question is how its thermal conductivity evolves over that service life.
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