Thermal Interface Materials (TIMs) are essential components in modern electronics, enabling efficient heat transfer between surfaces that need to manage thermal loads effectively. As devices become increasingly compact and powerful, the demand for reliable TIMs has grown significantly. These materials play a crucial role in applications ranging from semiconductor packaging to consumer electronics and automotive systems.
Why is Thermal Interface Material (TIM) crucial for modern electronic devices?
By acting as gap fillers between mating surfaces—like semiconductor devices and heat sinks—Thermal Interface Materials (TIMs) minimize thermal resistance, thereby enhancing the overall thermal management of the system.
Despite the appearance of flat surfaces, microscopic irregularities such as pores and tool marks create tiny air gaps that insulate against heat transfer. Thermal Interface Materials (TIMs) are designed to bridge these gaps with materials that exhibit much higher thermal conductivity, often surpassing air by nearly 100 times. This ensures that heat is dissipated effectively, which is critical for extending the operational lifespan and reliability of electronic components.
Honeywell Thermal Interface Material (TIM) offerings
Honeywell’s extensive range of Thermal Interface Materials (TIMs) combines advanced formulation technology with robust performance characteristics, addressing the pressing heat management challenges faced in today’s high-functioning electronics landscape. Honeywell’s Thermal Interface Material (TIM) offerings include:
Honeywell’s extensive range of Thermal Interface Materials (TIMs) combines advanced formulation technology with robust performance characteristics, addressing the pressing heat management challenges faced in today’s high-functioning electronics landscape. Honeywell’s Thermal Interface Material (TIM) offerings include:
A Phase Change Material (PCM) is a polymer-filler composition that softens to wet the die/sink surfaces at an optimum temperature and enables efficient heat transfer. It is applied between a bare flip chip die and a heat spreader, heat sink, or heat pipe and is, therefore, referred to as Thermal Interface Material (TIM) 1.5.
Applying Phase Change TIM helps in:
- Optimizing thermal conductivity by reducing interface contact resistance and allowing heat to move more freely and efficiently from the chip to the heat sink.
- Improving reliability by reducing the likelihood of thermal-induced deformation
- Simplifying the assembly process
Honeywell offers a range of phase change TIMs which offer a wide range of thermal properties. Furthermore, each of these products are available in different forms, such as pads, sheets, screen printable and dispensable pastes to fit the multiple assembly needs.
The choice of Phase Change Material (PCM) is largely dictated by the application, namely the power density of the device, the bond line thickness, and the thermal performance needed for a safe and reliable operation.
Featured product: PTM7950
PTM7950 is a highly thermally conductive Phase Change Material (PCM) designed to minimize thermal resistance at interfaces, maintain excellent performance through reliability testing, and provide scalable applications at a competitive cost. Based on a novel polymer PCM system, PTM7950 exhibits excellent interface wettability during typical operating temperature ranges, resulting in extremely low surface contact resistance.
The PTM7950 is clearly the best choice for thermal impedance, with the lowest value among all materials tested. This makes it an excellent option for electronic devices that require exceptional thermal management.
Available Versions:
- PTM7950 Pad: Easy application and no drying steps
- PTM7950-SP: Paste version for automatic stencil printing
- PTM7950-SPS: Paste version with slow-drying solvent
The Thermal Two-Part Hybrids products are two-component, dispensable thermally conductive gels that offer long-term reliability and superior softness. The enhanced bonding force between the polymer base and the filler minimizes oil separation issues in storage.
Thermal hybrid gels require very low compression force and can be used for vertical mounting. Before curing, the materials maintain good thixotropic characteristics and low viscosity to be easily dispensed. Additionally, they show minimal post-cure oil bleeding/separation and no pump-out or cracking.
Two component hybrid thermal gels can be cured in a short time after two-component mixing at room temperature. HLT series thermal gels require curing but very little pressure during installation (5-10psi or the weight of a heatsink is sufficient). You can speed up the process by curing at elevated temperatures (80 -100°C). The high compressibility minimizes thermal resistance at interfaces, making hybrids ideal for low stress applications while maintaining excellent performance during reliability testing.
Featured product:
HLT10000 High TC Hybrid Thermal Interface Material (TIM) has a thermal conductivity of 10 W/mK, high reliability, and ease of dispensing. It can be cured after two-component mixing and faster under higher temperatures. Its high compressibility minimizes interface thermal resistance while maintaining excellent performance during reliability testing.
This product is engineered for the most demanding and delicate applications on the market. It starts with a very low thickness and compresses just as easily, reaching its final thickness at a remarkable rate. It is also easy to dispense and rework, making it ideal for high volume manufacturing. To add to that, it offers reduced oil separation and doesn't exhibit pump out or cracking.
Honeywell Thermal Gap Pads are designed for thick bond line applications with large variances in gap dimensions between heat sources and heat sinks. Where the heat source is comprised of multiple microprocessors soldered onto a printed circuit board, the gap filler pads need to fill spaces between the chips and the heat sink. In the consumer electronics industry, Thermal Gap Pads must be simultaneously soft, elastic and thermally conductive. For manufacturers operating at the current technological level, a balance must be struck between high rebound resilience and low hardness. Honeywell Thermal Gap Pads provide exceptional thermal conductivity, exert limited pressure onto the chip and PCB to avoid damage, and ensure the rebound necessary to enable sustainable surface contact – all while minimizing outgassing and oil bleeding to maintain long-term device reliability.
Featured Products
Honeywell HGP10000 thermal gap pad provides high thermal performance with ease of use across multitude of applications. Its ultra-high compressibility enables low stress and excellent conformity to mating surfaces. It is designed to minimize thermal resistance at interfaces and maintain excellent performance through reliability testing.
Key features
- 10 W/m·K thermal conductivity
- Ultra-high compressibility for low stress applications
- High residual stress after relaxation
- Excellent surface wetting for low contact resistance
- High reliability
- Electrically insulating
- Available in thickness range from 1mm to 5.0mm with 0.25mm incremental
HGP14 High Thermal Conductivity Gap Pad
HGP14 is a high-performance thermal interface material designed for efficient heat transfer in demanding electronic applications. It offers a thermal conductivity of 14.0 W/m·K, making it well-suited for systems requiring high thermal dissipation across varying bond line thicknesses. The material is soft and conformable, allowing it to fill gaps between components and heat sinks without introducing significant mechanical stress. This makes it suitable for use with fragile components or assemblies where minimizing stress during installation is critical.
HGP14 also maintains material integrity over time, with low volatility and minimal oil bleed, reducing the risk of contamination or pump-out under thermal cycling. Its stability makes it a strong choice for applications sensitive to oil migration or where long-term performance is required. Honeywell HGP14 is well-suited for high-power electronics, automotive systems, and telecommunications equipment, where superior heat dissipation and long-term stability are essential.
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As you explore the benefits of Honeywell TIMs, we invite you to evaluate these for your specific application needs. Our team of experts will assist you in testing and integrating our solution into your application.
Featured Applications
Honeywell Phase Change Materials (PCM) and Hybrid Gels stand out as the ideal solution for EV manufacturers to effectively dissipate heat, ensuring that vehicles remain efficient, reliable, and ready for the demands of modern driving. By choosing Honeywell, you gain a competitive edge through superior thermal management for inverter, onboard charger (OBC) and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).
Ensuring higher reliability for EVs
After professional reliability testing in the new energy automobile industry, Honeywell Phase Change Material has successfully passed various rigorous tests such as high- and low-temperature cycles, high- and low-temperature shocks, long-term high-temperature baking, power cycles, HAST, vibration, shock, dripping test, etc.
Honeywell tightly wraps the fillers and substrates by carefully designing the molecular structure and applying multi-chain fillers to further enhance stability and long-term reliability.
The following thermal management solutions are designed to minimize thermal resistance at interfaces and maintain extremely stable performance through reliability testing required for long product life applications. Honeywell thermal solutions offer stable thermal impedance across accelerated aging tests and do not display bleeding, pumping, or flow out.
Auto Electronics/Electric Vehicles (EV) |
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Segment | Inverter | DC/DC Converter | On-board Charger | ECU | ADAS |
Applications | IGBT Module | Power Module | Power Module | Lighting Device | GPU/CPU/Memory/Power Device |
Products | PCMs - PTM7000 - PTM7000SPM |
Thermal Insulator - TIP5000 - TIP3500 Thermal Grease - TG5500 |
PCMs - PTM7000SPM - PTM6000SPM |
Two-part Thermally Conductive Gel - HLT7000 - HLT2000 Thermal Grease - TG3010 |
PCMs - PTM7900 - PTM7000 Two-part Thermally Conductive Gel - HLT10000 - HLT8000 - HLT7000 |
Download the product guide for information on thermal, physical, and electrical properties. |
Consumer Electronics
Cutting-edge thermal management solutions play a vital role in enhancing the performance and longevity of consumer electronics by
- Efficiently absorbing and releasing heat during their phase transitions, mitigating temperature spikes generated by compact, high-performance devices like smartphones and tablets. This ability to manage thermal loads improves energy efficiency and allows for slimmer designs, eliminating the need for bulky cooling systems like fans.
- Providing effective heat transfer by bridging air gaps between components, supporting both heat dissipation and mechanical stability in densely packed electronics.
- Offering superior thermal conductivity and low thermal resistance, adapting well to tight spaces and irregular surfaces, thereby enhancing reliability.
Consumer Electronics |
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Segment | Notebook/ Tablet/PC | Gaming Console | Projector | Camera/GPS |
Applications | GPU/CPU | GPU/CPU | Laser | CPU/Memory |
Products | PCMs - PTM7950 - PTM7950SP - PTM7900 - PTM7900SP Two-part Thermally Conductive Gel - HLT3500 |
PCM - PTM5000 |
PCMs - PTM7900 - PTM7950SP |
Thermal Gap Pads - TGP6000PT - TGP3500PT Two-part Thermally Conductive Gel - HLT3500 |
Download the product guide for information on thermal, physical, and electrical properties. |
HPC, Data Centers and Telecom Equipment
In high-performance computing (HPC) and data centers leveraging AI chips, advanced thermal management solutions such as Phase Change Material (PCM) and Thermal Gap Pads are essential for ensuring efficient operation and reliability. Phase Change Material (PCM) act by absorbing thermal fluctuations during peak AI processing loads, reducing the demand for active cooling and lowering energy costs. The Gap pads effectively transfer heat in densely packed server architectures, ensuring that critical components remain stable and perform optimally under high thermal loads. Both these materials provide exceptional thermal contact, adapting to variable power loads typical of AI workloads, while maintaining long-term reliability. Overall, Phase Change Materials (PCMs) and Gap Pads maximize AI chip efficiency and scalability and help mitigate risks associated with overheating, ensuring improved uptime and reduced operational costs.
Telecom/Data Center |
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Segment | Server | AI/HPC | Networks |
Applications | GPU/CPU/Memory | GPU/CPU | Base Station/Optical Transceiver/Switch |
Products | PCM - PTM7900 Thermal Gap Pad - TGP8000PT - TGP6000PT - TGP3500PT |
PCMs - PTM7950 - PTM7900 - PTM6880 - PTM6000 |
PCMs - PTM7950 - PTM7900 - PTM7000 |
Download the product guide for information on thermal, physical, and electrical properties. |
Products
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