Graphite sheets and graphite gap pads used as thermal interface materials : A thermal and mechanical evaluation

Abstract: The electronic market is continually moving towards higher power densities. As a result, the demand on the cooling is increasing. Focus has to be put on the whole thermal management chain, from the component to be cooled to the ambient. Thermal interface materials are used to efficiently transfer heat between two mating surfaces or in some cases across larger gaps. There are several different thermal interface materials with various application areas, advantages and disadvantages. This study aimed to evaluate thermal and mechanical properties of graphite sheets and graphite gap pads. The work was done in cooperation with Ericsson AB. A test rig based on the ASTM D5470 standard was used to measure the thermal resistance and thermal conductivity of the materials at different pressures. It was found that several graphite sheets and gap pads performed better than the materials used in Ericsson’s products today. According to the tests, the thermal resistance could be reduced by about 50 % for the graphite sheets and 90 % for the graphite gap pads. That was also verified by placing the materials in a radio unit and comparing the results with a reference test. Both thermal values and mechanical values were better than for the reference materials. However, the long term reliability of graphite gap pads could be an issue and needs to be examined further.