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Author(s): I. Savija, J. R. Culham, M. M. Yovanovich, P. Teertstra

Keywords: contact resistance, electronics, ghf, in-situ thickness measurement, metallic foils, phase change materials, polymeric materials, test apparatus, thermal conductivity, thermal interface materials

Abstract: Thermal interface materials (TIMs) are often used in electronic and microelectronic applications. It can be difficult to determine their characteristics once they are in-situ because it is hard to account for the surface roughness and waviness of the objects the TIM is applied to. This paper explores the application and design of a guarded heat flow meter apparatus that complies with all standards in ASTM D 5470-95 that can accurately measure changes in the thermal characteristics of a TIM in-situ, including the thermal conductance and the thickness.

Reference: IEEE Xplore Conference: Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems, 2002. ITHERM 2002. The Eighth Intersociety Conference

DOI: 10.1109/ITHERM.2002.1012448