What Is Thermal Interface Material
Theoretically, Thermal Interface Material (TIM) fills the microscopic voids between the heatsink/housing and the heat-generating units because the surfaces cannot be perfectly machined at zero roughness. By squeezing out the air trapped at the interface and bridging these two hot/cold sources, TIMs could significantly reduce contact thermal resistance, thereby enhancing overall thermal performance.
Is Thermal Interface Material necessary?
Maximise Contact Area
Any seemingly smooth chip and precision-machined heat sink surfaces are actually full of uneven gaps. When they are in direct contact, the area of true fit is very small, and the remaining space of over 90% is filled with air. GALLOP INNOTEK thermal interface materials are highly compliant with low hardness. They can flow and penetrate all the microscopic unevenness of the two contacting surfaces to achieve full-area contact.
Replace Adiabatic Air
Air is a poor conductor of heat. Its insulating effect creates a significant thermal resistance and prevents the heat transfer. The core function of GALLOP INNOTEK thermal interface materials is to replace this inefficient air with its own highly thermally conductive substance. This solves the problem of metal surface roughness and fills the air voids, allowing heat to be efficiently conducted through it.
Solving Heat Generation in Electronic Devices
The chips at the heart of electronic devices generate a great deal of heat during operation. This heat has to be dissipated in a timely and efficient manner, otherwise it can lead to overheating, performance degradation or even permanent damage to the chip. GALLOP INNOTEK thermal interface materials ensure the heat flows smoothly from the heat source to the heat sink, thus the electronic equipment operates stably and at a safe temperature.
Pressure-sensitive adhesive tape that efficiently transfers heat between components, providing insulation, easy installation, electrical isolation, and reliable thermal management performance.
Soft compressible material placed between heat sources and sinks, filling air gaps, improving conduction, damping vibration, and simplifying assembly process.
Rigid alumina ceramic substrate offering high thermal conductivity, electrical insulation, mechanical strength, chemical stability, and use in electronics applications worldwide.
Thin, flexible graphite material engineered for high in-plane thermal conductivity, efficiently spreading heat to reduce hotspots in electronic devices.
Pyrolytic graphite sheet is a synthetic, highly oriented graphite film offering exceptional in-plane thermal conductivity for rapid heat spreading electrons.
Materials that transfer heat while electrically insulating components, preventing short circuits, improving safety, and enabling efficient thermal dissipation in devices.
Thermal interface material that softens at operating temperatures, reducing resistance, filling gaps, improving contact, and enhancing heat transfer during operation.
Components designed to absorb, store, and dissipate heat energy, reducing temperature peaks, protecting devices, and stabilizing performance under varying loads.
Thermal Interface Material Properties
- Thermal Conductivity: GALLOP INNOTEK thermal interface materials exhibit high thermal conductivity across a wide range of applications.
- Thermal Resistance: GALLOP INNOTEK thermal interface material offers low interface thermal resistance, optimizing the efficiency of heat transfer from the surface of the appliance’s heat source to the heatsinks/housing.
- Flexibility: GALLOP INNOTEK offers thermal interface materials with excellent flexibility. TIM can deform under low pressure and fill microscopic unevennesses on the contact surfaces. It also ensures perfect filling of gaps of different sizes and reduces the contact thermal resistance.
- Insulation: Our TIM exhibits outstanding electrical insulation, preventing short circuits and breakdowns in various applications.
- Reliability: GALLOP INNOTEK TIM has a wide operating temperature range, ensuring that it can adapt to the operating temperature of your device. It does not become brittle or crack at low temperatures, nor does it melt, flow, or decompose at high temperatures, and it will function properly without fail. It also has long-term stability and resists performance degradation under thermal cycling.
- Chemical Stability: GALLOP INNOTEK provides TIM with good chemical stability. This can effectively prevent TIM from corroding the metal surface of your device.
Types of Thermal Interface Material
Thermal Pad
GALLOP INNOTEK thermal pads are stabilised solid sheets of silicone with thermally conductive fillers.
- Its adjustable thickness and softness help you to bridge the size difference between the thermal structure and the chip, thus reducing the need for precision machining of the contact surface.
- GALLOP INNOTEK thermal pads not only provide stable thermal conductivity but also offer good vibration damping, sound absorption, and electromagnetic shielding (EMC) functions, as well as reliable insulation, making them suitable for high-voltage environments.
- GALLOP INNOTEK thermal pads are reusable and easy to disassemble and maintain, eliminating the risk of damaging the chip or peripheral devices, unlike thermally conductive double-sided tape.
Thermal Absorber
GALLOP INNOTEK thermal absorber combines the functions of thermal conductivity and electromagnetic wave absorption. It is a composite functional material filled with magnetic loss fillers and thermally conductive fillers. Therefore, GALLOP INNOTEK thermal absorber is able to dissipate heat from your device while absorbing and eliminating unwanted electromagnetic interference.
Phase Change Material
GALLOP INNOTEK phase change material is a solid at room temperature and melts into a liquid when it reaches the phase change temperature. When your equipment is in operation, it melts and fully fills the interfaces to achieve very low interfacial thermal resistance. When your equipment is switched off and cooled down, it solidifies again.
GALLOP INNOTEK phase change material is usually pre-machined into flat gaskets. It solves the problem of pumping out and applying silicone grease, and offers high thermal conductivity and ease of installation.
Thermal Tape
GALLOP INNOTEK thermal tape is a double-sided adhesive tape designed for heat dissipation. It provides thermal conductivity while bonding two components. Due to its thinness, it is ideal for use inside electronic devices where space is at a premium and component density is high. However, GALLOP INNOTEK thermal tape’s primary function is bonding, and it doesn’t provide strong heat dissipation.
Thermal Gel
GALLOP INNOTEK Thermal Gel is a paste with good thermal conductivity. Its inherent adhesive properties eliminate the need for a bonding layer while providing a very high level of compliance compared to other thermal interface materials. It can fill highly uneven interfaces to maximise heat transfer. GALLOP INNOTEK Thermal Gel is particularly suitable if your equipment requires multiple components of different heights to share a common heat sink.
Thermal Gap Filler
GALLOP INNOTEK offers thermal gap filler for large gaps between components and heat sinks. It is a soft, compressible bulk filler material similar to a sponge. The use of GALLOP INNOTEK thermal gap filler will not put too much pressure on your components and it has a cushioning and shock-absorbing effect. However, its thermal conductivity is average, and the overall thermal resistance increases with thickness.
Thermal Potting
Unlike other thermal interface materials, GALLOP INNOTEK thermal potting with thermally conductive fillers is used to encapsulate the device, then curing to form a monolithic, fully encapsulated version of your device. It is thermally conductive, insulating, and protects against moisture, dust, and vibration. However, GALLOP INNOTEK thermal potting cannot be disassembled after curing. This makes your subsequent maintenance difficult. It also doesn’t provide you with a higher thermal conductivity.
Thermal Insulator
GALLOP INNOTEK’s thermal insulation helps you to effectively block heat transfer. With its extremely low thermal conductivity, it insulates you from heat flow, keeping the temperature in a specific area stable. With this product, you can easily protect temperature-sensitive components from nearby heat-generating parts while preventing heat transfer to the equipment enclosure, ensuring that your enclosure does not overheat.
Uses of Thermal Interface Material
Using TIM on Your Computer
The GALLOP INNOTEK TIM can be used between the CPU/GPU of your computer, on the power supply circuits, and on the SSD. It ensures that the enormous heat generated by the CPU/GPU is quickly transferred to the heat sink. Covering the power supply circuits with the GALLOP INNOTEK thermal pad transfers the heat to the chassis or to a special heat sink. Use GALLOP INNOTEK thermal pads or GALLOP INNOTEK thermal tape on SSDs to cool down high-speed SSDs and prevent them from slowing down due to overheating.
Using TIM on Smartphones & Tablets
GALLOP INNOTEK offers thermally conductive gels, phase change materials, or thermally conductive graphite sheets, and can transfer heat from the core chip to the metal shield, bezel or heat-averaging plate. Use GALLOP INNOTEK thermal pads to conduct the heat generated by the wireless charging coils to the phone case for dissipation.
Using TIM on Photovoltaic Inverters
GALLOP INNOTEK thermally conductive pads or phase change materials can efficiently conduct the heat generated by IGBTs, the primary heat source, to the heat sink, thereby preventing overheating and damage. GALLOP INNOTEK thermally conductive pads dissipate the heat of MCUs, DSPs, and other control chips, guaranteeing the stable operation of the control circuits. GALLOP INNOTEK thermally conductive pads or thermally conductive gels dissipate the heat of MOSFETs, Inductors, and other components.
Using TIM on Automotive
In the automotive industry, GALLOP INNOTEK thermal interface materials are used in battery management systems and motor cooling for electric vehicles. It helps you maintain batteries and motors at optimal operating temperatures, thereby improving energy efficiency and safety.
Conclusion
This article helps you to quickly understand the characteristics, types, and main applications of thermal interface materials. Knowing this can help you make the right choice efficiently. GALLOP INNOTEK provides high-quality TIM solutions. If you require any technical support, we will be happy to assist you. Please feel free to contact us!
Thermal Interface Material Pre-Selector
Narrow the starting TIM family from gap, serviceability and production priorities.
Planning/reference estimate: This is a family-level pre-selector, not a product approval. Thermal testing and assembly validation remain required.
