Numerical modeling of the performance of thermal interface materials in the form of paste-coated sheets

The performance of thermal interface materials in the form of core sheets coated on both sides with a thermal paste is numerically modeled by finite element analysis. The paste is polyol-ester-based carbon black paste and serves to improve the conformability. Good agreement is found between modeling and experimental results that involve copper proximate surfaces sandwiching the thermal interface material. The core sheets are copper, aluminum, indium, and flexible graphite. Flexible graphite (made from exfoliated graphite) is advantageous in its low elastic modulus, whereas copper and aluminum foils are advantageous in their high thermal conductivity. Indium is advantageous in its low elastic modulus compared with copper or aluminum and in its high thermal conductivity compared with flexible graphite. Among the four types of core sheet with identical thickness, coated indium foil gives the best performance for the range of foil thickness of 6 μmto112 μm for the case of smooth (0.01 μm roughness) proximate surfaces and 117 μm to 320 μm for the case of rough (15 μm roughness) proximate surfaces. Aluminum foil gives the best performance for the thickness range of 112 μm to 2000 lmin the case of smooth proximate surfaces. For thicknesses below these ranges, flexible graphite performs the best. For thicknesses above these ranges, copper foil performs the best.