It is often necessary to generate in-house pressure-drop and base-to-ambient thermal resistance data for ducted fan/heat sink assemblies. For reliable applicability of the performance data, the configuration of the test article should closely match the intended application so that the test article coolant flow characteristics (turbulence level, 3-dimensionality, etc.) match … [Read more...]
Pyrolytic graphite – thermal performance by structure
Continuing our discussion of different forms of carbon, this column addresses the topic of pyrolytic graphite, a material that opens up many interesting applications not only for cooling but also for scientific measurement equipment. Pyrolytic graphite - the finest forms of which are often called Highly Ordered Pyrolytic Graphite (HOPG) - is manufactured through a pyrolysis … [Read more...]
Optical instrumentation for the thermal characterization of electronic devices
What information does light, reflected from a running electronic device, carry? Our research team has been working upon this key question for almost a decade. As this magazine is dedicated to thermal issues, we will focus upon these aspects of optical probing. Figure 1 shows the general principle of our experimental method. Light is shone upon a running device. When the device … [Read more...]
Thermal joint conductance for graphite materials
The heat flow across a metal/interstitial elastic-layer/metal joint is a very important problem in many microelectronic applications. It is generally known that when two surfaces are brought together, intimate solid-to-solid contact occurs only at discrete parts of the interface. Therefore, the actual contact area of pressed surfaces represents a very small fraction of the … [Read more...]
Understanding Phase Change Materials
Although phase change materials (PCM) were introduced nearly twenty years ago, it was not until the development of the high-powered Pentium processor that this class of interface material gained widespread acceptance. The large quantities of heat produced by these processors necessitated a carefully designed thermal path where all of the thermal resistances were minimized. For … [Read more...]
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