Continuing Education Seminar:
Thermal Interface Materials for Improving Thermal Contacts
Hosted jointly by the SACP & SSP Continuing Education Committee
Speaker:
Deborah D. L. Chung, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor, University at Buffalo, State University of New York (SUNY)
Abstract:
Overheating is a key problem that limits the performance, reliability and power of microelectronics, which include computers, cell phones, LEDs, and data centers. Thermal interface materials (TIMs) are needed for improving thermal contacts for the purpose of microelectronic cooling. The most widely used and most cost effective TIMs are thermal pastes, which should be fluidic for the purpose of providing conformability and spreadability. The conformability refers to the ability to conform to the surface topography of the mating surfaces. It is critically important, as the two mating surfaces are never perfectly smooth, so that they contact one another at points and there are valleys between these points. If the TIM does not fill these valleys completely, air remains in the valleys, thus causing the thermal contact to be poor, even if the TIM material is high in thermal conductivity. The thermal conductivity becomes more important when the roughness of the two mating surfaces increases. The spreadability is also important, as the thermal resistance increases with the thickness of the TIM. Both conformability and spreadability are promoted by the fluidity of the thermal paste. The fluidity is promoted by having the liquid component of the paste be made of small molecules rather than long molecules. However, the liquid should be capable of withstanding elevated temperatures typically up to about 150°C. This seminar covers the science and applications, including the status and evolution of the field.
Overheating is a key problem that limits the performance, reliability and power of microelectronics, which include computers, cell phones, LEDs, and data centers. Thermal interface materials (TIMs) are needed for improving thermal contacts for the purpose of microelectronic cooling. The most widely used and most cost effective TIMs are thermal pastes, which should be fluidic for the purpose of providing conformability and spreadability. The conformability refers to the ability to conform to the surface topography of the mating surfaces. It is critically important, as the two mating surfaces are never perfectly smooth, so that they contact one another at points and there are valleys between these points. If the TIM does not fill these valleys completely, air remains in the valleys, thus causing the thermal contact to be poor, even if the TIM material is high in thermal conductivity. The thermal conductivity becomes more important when the roughness of the two mating surfaces increases. The spreadability is also important, as the thermal resistance increases with the thickness of the TIM. Both conformability and spreadability are promoted by the fluidity of the thermal paste. The fluidity is promoted by having the liquid component of the paste be made of small molecules rather than long molecules. However, the liquid should be capable of withstanding elevated temperatures typically up to about 150°C. This seminar covers the science and applications, including the status and evolution of the field.
Saturday, June 13
Lunch: 11:30 AM | Seminar: 1:00 PM
$15.00
Registration includes lunch
(Students Complimentary)
SACP+SSP Office
2150 Eldo Rod
Monroeville, PA 15146
Deborah Chung Bio
Deborah D.L. Chung is a Fellow of American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Fellow of American Carbon Society, and a Fellow of ASM International. She received a Ph.D. degree in Materials Science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B.S. degree from California Institute of Technology. She is a pioneer and international leader in the fields of multifunctional structural materials, thermal interface materials, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials. She is the inventor of smart concrete. She has authored or coauthored >600 archival journal papers and 10 books. The honors received include Caltech’s Distinguished Alumni Award, UB President’s Medal, Honorary Doctorate from University of Alicante, Spain, Pettinos Award from American Carbon Society, SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities, SUNY Outstanding Inventor, and Hardy Gold Medal from American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers. In a 2023 study, Stanford University ranked Chung 14th among 299,561 materials researchers (living/deceased) in the world. Nearly 40 Ph.D. students have graduated under her supervision.