Challenges in thermal interface material testing

Characterization of thermal properties of thermal interface materials (TIMs) has gained increasing importance as the relative percentage of overall semiconductor package material thermal resistance attributable to the TIMs has increased. The development of new TIM materials has increasingly focused on materials with very high performance and, in certain instances, with very thin in-situ application thickness. These trends have placed increasing focus on the characterization methods, characterization equipment, and accuracy and repeatability of results. This discussion focuses mainly on standardization aspects, standardized laboratory measurement methodology, and application-specific measurements