In yesterday’s post, Miloš and I discussed what he’s been working on in the lab. Today we answer a question that impacts our TIM customers:
Jim: Will these new solid/liquid hybrid (SLH) materials competewith thermal greases, or do you expect this material will be used for higher-end applications – like applications that use pure indium?
Miloš: Metal TIMs will outperform any thermal grease material. Thermal conductivity of thermal grease is much lower and dries out over time, and that will decrease the performance of the material.High-end applications, especially in the semiconductor industry, are generating a lot of heat. Thermal greases or phase change materials can’t meet the thermal dissipation needs for those applications, and metal TIMs are definitely a much better option. SLH TIMs would provide amore upgraded or enhanced version of metal TIMs.
Thank you Miloš! Tomorrow we’ll be taking a closer look at the challenges of working with liquid metal.
PS: One thing that I should mention while we’re on the topic of thermal greases is that they are the go-to thermal interface material for bare die applications. Solid/liquid hybrid TIMs are able to be used directly against bare die, offering a high-end cooling option for bare die processors.
