Definition of Thermal Pad
Thermal Pad (also called thermally conductive pad or thermal interface pad) are a preformed square or rectangle of solid material (often silicone based) commonly used underside of the heatsink to aid the conduction of heat away from the component being cooled (such as CPU or another chip) and into the heatsink.
Beside thermal pads and thermal compound are used to fill air gaps caused by imperfectly flat or smooth surfaces which should be in thermal contact.
Categorize the Thermal Pad
- According to the based materials:
+ Silicone based Thermal Pad
The most commonly use Thermal Pad with its excellent feature of flexibility, temperature resistance and durability.
+ Non-silicone based Thermal Pad
Avoid depositing silicone oil at room temperature, usually used in high-end medical equipment such as precision optics and LEDs. No volatiles are attached to the optical window and will not contaminate the PCB. Otherwise, it could also used in many applications such as: IC, CPU, MOS, LED, M/B, P/S, Heat Sink, LCD-TV, Notebook PC, PC, Telecom Device, Wireless Hub, DDR II Module, DVD Applications, Hand-set applications, etc.
- According to its structure:
+ Thermal Pad with Adhesive
+ Thermal Pad Non-adhesive
Benefits of Thermal Pad over Thermal Paste
In comparation to Thermal Paste, the main advantage of thermal pads is that they are easier to place and replace – they are cut to size based on your needs and you don’t need to worry about whether using too much or too little paste, plus there is no need to clean up the old dried-up paste from the heat spreader and the heatsink once it’s time to replace it.
Furthermore, thermal pads are pre-formed phase-change materials, meaning they have ability to change their physical characteristics. The pads are firm at room temperature and cut to the same size as the CPU surface, making them easy to apply. They soften when temperatures rise to conform to both the processor and heatsink surfaces and fill any air gaps. As general rule, thermal pads are not as effective at removing heat as thermal paste, however, some CPU manufacturers do specify thermal pads with some of their processors.
Despite these above advantages, thermal pad also has its drawbacks. See more here.
See more other products:
If there are any questions about the products as well as manufacturing solutions, feel free to contact us through:
