Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1153097
66 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2019 In my previous column, I expressed some of the key issues and questions fielded by our technical support team regarding the all-im- portant subject of thermal management and materials, including gap pads, thermal pastes, and phase-change materials. I cannot empha- sise enough how maintaining reliable temper- ature control of components will significantly extend the performance and lifetime of your devices. It is a critical process that is best fac- tored in during the design stage to avoid un- necessary costs and save time when scaling up to full-scale production. This month, I will delve deeper into ther- mal management chemistries and the process- es you should follow to achieve a successful outcome and focus on some of the problems you are likely to face when applying a ther- mal management material. I will also provide an overview of some of the thermal bonding, resin, and encapsulation materials and prod- ucts that are available, their thermal conduc- tivity, and how to achieve the most efficient heat transfer. How Can I Avoid Pump-out? Let's start with an issue that many of you will encounter at some stage in your product development work—pump-out. Pump-out can occur when a device is subject to rapid tem- perature changes, resulting in the expansion and contraction of the interface surfaces, thus producing a pumping effect. This motion can cause such pastes to be squeezed or pumped out from the interface gap, reducing the ther- mal transfer performance. To tackle issues with pump-out, it is first important to under- stand the application conditions and material requirements involved. Temperature extremes and the rate of change of temperature are important factors that will determine the choice of thermal interface ma- How to Avoid Pump-out and Achieve Efficient Heat Transfer Sensible Design by Jade Bridges, ELECTROLUBE