Henkel Thermal Gap Pad
The capacity of electronic components to dissipate heat directly impacts their performance levels and lifetime. The need to dissipate the heat properly becomes more important as miniaturization increases. The use of a gap-filler pad is one way to improve thermal energy transmission. Gap-fillers, like their thermal lubricant counterparts, are designed for deformation and to bridge gaps between electronics components to optimize the thermal conduction. Gap fillers, unlike thermal lubricants, require careful consideration of their compression characteristics and stress.
Choosing a gap filler with high compressibility, low stresses and softness will enable it to better conform to the surfaces of the mating components and eliminate air gaps. This can help maximize thermal conduction between the surface of a microchip and a heat sink, as well as between different pads. These characteristics also make gap fillers less likely to tear, stick or deform during use.
What is Thermal Gap Pad, It is available with a variety constructions and thicknesses that can be tailored to the specific needs of your application. They are commonly used to bridge the gap between a chip and a heatsink, or between different pads in an assembly. These materials are also used to eliminate vibrations or shocks due to their elasticity.
Henkel offers four series of thermal gap fillers, each with its own unique construction and addressing specific applications. These include telecommunication equipment and PC boards, chassis applications, thermally enhanced BGAs (ball grid arrays), memory packages and modules, and GPU and CPU applications.
Each thermal gap filler can be produced using a multi-step contact casting process, which produces a dense and tight composited sheet. This is achieved by mixing a gel silicone with different fractions of thermally conducting ceramic filler micro-powders. These are then mixed together and compressed under extreme conditions to produce a heat transfer product with superior characteristics.
Gap-fillers are designed to be more durable and perform under a greater range of conditions than their grease counterparts. For example, whereas thermal greases are typically only recommended for short-term use, a gap filler can be used over long periods of time because it is more resistant to degradation due to vibrations and shocks. This resistance can also extend its life and reduce maintenance costs over time.
It is important to use a gap filler which meets NASA's standards for outgassing, especially in applications where the product may be used near optical or camera equipment. This ensures that outgassed silicon particles won't settle on these sensitive devices and interfere in their operation.
A good gap filler, aside from being durable, should also have a low-modulus to minimize stress. It will conform to the contours and shapes of the mating parts without causing excessive damage or compression. It should be resistant both to metals and chemicals commonly found within the assembly environment. This will prevent bonding processes from degrading in the long term and limiting thermal interface materials' performance.