Rheology based modeling and design of particle laden polymeric thermal interface materials

Most of the research on particle laden polymeric (PLP) thermal interface materials (TIM) has primarily dealt with the understanding of the thermal conductivity of these types of TIMs. For thermal design reduction of the thermal resistance is the end goal. Thermal resistance is not only dependent on the thermal conductivity, but also on the bond line thickness (BLT) of these TIMs. This paper introduces a rheology based model for the prediction of the BLT of these TIMs from very low to very high pressures. BLT depends on the yield stress of the particle laden polymer and the applied pressure. The model is based on the concept of finite size scaling of physical properties of particle laden systems at very thin length scale due to percolation phenomenon in these materials. This paper shows that the yield stress of the PLP increases with decreasing thickness of the TIM and therefore it is size dependent. The BLT model combined with the thermal conductivity model can be used for modeling the thermal resistance of these TIMs for factors such as particle volume fraction, substrate/die size, pressure and particle diameter.