Trident™ Application Highlight: Thermal Conductivity of Thermal Interface Materials Under Compression
This document highlights the use of the Transient Plane Source (TPS) method to characterize the thermal conductivity of silicone and non-silicone thermal interface materials (TIMs) under varying compressive loads.
Thermal interface materials are applied between heat-generating components and heatdissipation structures to fill interfacial air gaps and reduce thermal contact resistance. Their effectiveness depends not only on bulk thermal conductivity but also on how the material behaves under the assembly compression load. In practice, TIMs are compressed to varying degrees depending on tolerance stack-up, clamping force, and component geometry. Characterizing thermal conductivity as a function of compression provides more representative data for thermal model inputs than uncompressed bulk values alone.
Figure 1. Thermal interface material being applied to an electronic board.
Measurements were performed using the Trident Thermal Conductivity Instrument equipped with the Transient Plane Source (TPS) sensor. The 13 mm TPS sensor was placed between two stacks of thermal pads. The Compression Test Accessory (CTA) applied compression load, and a digital variance indicator tracked deflection as a percentage change in sample thickness. Testing was performed at room temperature. Reported values are the average of three measurements at each condition.To read more, download the PDF below.