Although phase change materials (PCM) were introduced nearly twenty years ago, it was not until the development of the high-powered Pentium processor that this class of interface material gained widespread acceptance. The large quantities of heat produced by these processors necessitated a carefully designed thermal path where all of the thermal resistances were minimized. For … [Read more...]
The Role of Natural Graphite in Electronics Cooling
Graphite is available as a variety of different material forms, the most useful in the electronics cooling market being pyrolytic graphite, graphite fiber reinforced carbon and polymer matrix composites, graphite foams and, the subject of this brief, natural graphite. The basic structure of graphite is shown in Figure 1. Figure 1. Structure of graphite crystal. The … [Read more...]
Test methods for characterizing the thermal transmission properties of phase-change thermal interface materials
All phase change thermal interface materials are designed to minimize the thermal resistance in an interface between a heat generating component and a heat sink. How well they achieve this goal in a specific application depends on how judiciously their phase change characteristics are matched to the interface specifications. The purpose of this paper is to present the results … [Read more...]
Thermal interface under a plastic quad flat pack
Introduction Plastic components are designed so that the heat is dissipated by forced or natural convection. The use of plastic packages under conditions where neither cooling method is available introduces new challenges. High heat-dissipation plastic packages require a large-area solid heat sink in order to transfer the heat into the copper thermal lands on the printed … [Read more...]
Thermal management of outdoor enclosures using phase change materials
Telephone equipment has traditionally been housed in large buildings, sheds and outdoor cabinets. The cooling of these facilities has been carried out using traditional methods. However, in many of the new systems being developed and deployed such as broadband ISDN, cellular and/or cable, heat dissipation densities will increase substantially [1]. Furthermore, the introduction … [Read more...]
