Recent Advances in Thermal Interface Materials

Yongcun Zhou 1, 2, Email

Siqi Wu 1

Yuheng Long 3

Pengli Zhu 4

Feixiang Wu 5

Feng Liu 1, 6

Vignesh Murugadoss 7, 8

Williams Winchester 9

Amit Nautiyal 9

Zhe Wang 9, Email

Zhanhu Guo 8, Email

School of Material Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China

Yangtze River Delta Research Institute of Northwestern Polytechnical University, Taicang 215400, China

Queen Mary University of London Engineering School, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China

Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Electronic Materials, Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China

School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China

Analytical & Testing Center, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China

Electro-Materials Research Laboratory, Centre for Nanoscience and Technology, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605014, India

Integrated Composites Laboratory (ICL), Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA

Chemistry Department, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans 70125, USA

Abstract

In recent years, miniaturization and integration have become the development trends of electronic devices. With the power of electronic devices continuing to increase, the amount of heat generated is sharply increasing. Thermal interface material (TIM) can effectively improve heat transfer between two solid interfaces, and it plays an important role in the performance, service life and stability of electronic devices. In this case, higher requirements are put forward for thermal management, so much attention is also attached to the innovation and optimization of TIM. In this paper, recent research development of TIM is reviewed. Rheology-based modeling and design are discussed for the widely used polymeric TIMs. It is discussed for the effects of thermal conductive fillers on the properties of composites. Many studies have shown that some polymers filled with high thermal conductivity and low loss ceramics are well suitable for electronic packaging for device encapsulation. Until now, extensive attentions have been paid to the preparation of polymeric composites with high thermal conductivity for the application in electronic packaging. Finally, the problems are also discussed and the research directions of TIM in the future are prospected.

Recent Advances in Thermal Interface Materials