Performance of Thermal Interface Materials

The thermal interface materials (TIMs) used for improving thermal contacts are considered in terms of the performance, performance consideration criteria, performance evaluation methods, and material development approaches. The performance is described mainly by the thermal contact conductance, which refers to the conductance across the thermal contact surfaces that sandwiches the TIM. This conductance depends on the conformability, thermal conductivity, and small-thickness feasibility. However, the vast majority of published work does not consider this conductance, but only the thermal conductivity within the TIM. The highest TIM performance is exhibited by the thermal pastes and low-melting alloys.