The combination of thermal management and EMI protection in a single material offers several advantages:
1. Efficient Heat Dissipation:
Thermal films help distribute heat evenly, preventing overheating and ensuring stable device operation.
2. EMI Shielding:
The integrated EMI absorber protects electronic components from interference, improving signal quality and performance.
3. Customizable Solutions:
Available in various thicknesses, sizes, and shapes, thermal films with EMI absorbers can be tailored to fit specific design requirements.
4. Space-Saving Design:
By combining two functions in one material, these films help reduce the need for multiple layers, saving valuable space in compact electronic devices.
Applications of Thermal EMI AbsorberFilm
Thermal films with EMI absorbers are used in a variety of industries and applications, including.
1. Consumer Electronics:
Ideal for smartphones, tablets, and laptops where compact designs demand efficient heat and EMI management.
2. Automotive Electronics:
Ensures reliable performance of infotainment systems, sensors, and control units by managing heat and EMI in high-stress environments.
3. Telecommunication Equipment:
Protects sensitive components in networking devices from overheating and electromagnetic interference, ensuring consistent signal transmission.
4. Medical Devices:
Maintains the performance of sensitive instruments by reducing interference and managing heat, ensuring accurate and reliable operation.
Choosing the Right Thermal Film with EMI Absorber
When selecting a thermal film with EMI absorbing capabilities, it’s essential to consider factors such as heat conductivity, thickness, and environmental durability. Custom solutions are available to meet the specific thermal and EMI requirements of different devices, ensuring optimal performance and protection.
See the complete thermal datasheet by clicking here: Graphite Sheets
Table of Contents
Why is Heat Management Important for Smartphones?
As smartphones become more powerful, the demand for efficient heat management systems increases. Devices with high-performance processors and larger batteries generate significant amounts of heat, which, if not managed properly, can lead to performance throttling, decreased battery life, and in extreme cases, permanent damage to components.
In previous iPhone models, overheating has been a noted issue, particularly under heavy workloads like gaming or video streaming. Apple’s introduction of Graphene in the iPhone 16 series could be a game-changer for how heat is handled, ensuring optimal device performance and longevity.
What is Graphene and How Does It Help with Thermal Management?
Graphene is a form of carbon arranged in a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice. It has gained immense popularity in recent years due to its remarkable properties, particularly its thermal conductivity. Unlike traditional thermal interface materials such as graphite, graphene is far more efficient in spreading heat across the surface of a device.
In addition to its heat-dissipating abilities, graphene has other notable characteristics that make it ideal for smartphones:
Electromagnetic Shielding: In addition to their thermal properties, graphene pads offer electromagnetic shielding, which can protect internal components from interference. This dual function makes graphene an even more attractive solution for smartphone manufacturers.
Cost-Effectiveness: Graphene thermal pads are relatively inexpensive to produce compared to more complex cooling systems like vapor chambers. This cost-saving factor makes it a practical choice for mass-market smartphones.
Compact and Lightweight: With smartphones shrinking in size yet growing in power, finding space for large cooling systems becomes a challenge. Graphene pads are incredibly thin and light, making them a perfect fit for slim devices like the iPhone 16.
Flexibility and Durability: Graphene thermal pads are not only highly efficient but also flexible. This flexibility allows them to be molded or cut into various shapes, making them adaptable to the complex internal layouts of modern smartphones.
Graphene vs. Vapor Chambers: Why Apple Chose Graphene
While other smartphone manufacturers, such as Samsung, have opted for vapor chambers in their flagship models, Apple appears to be taking a different route by potentially integrating Graphene thermal pads. Both systems are designed to handle the same issue—heat management—but they do so in different ways.
Vapor Chambers: These systems use a liquid that evaporates and condenses to carry heat away from hot spots. While effective, vapor chambers are bulkier, heavier, and generally more expensive than graphene-based solutions. Additionally, they require the use of thermal interface materials (TIMs) to assist in heat transfer between components and the vapor chamber, which adds another layer of complexity.
Graphene Thermal Pads: In contrast, graphene pads are simpler and more versatile. They eliminate the need for additional TIMs and can function as both a heat spreader and an interface material in one. Due to their thin profile, they are particularly suited for lightweight mobile devices, where space and weight are at a premium.
By choosing graphene thermal pads, Apple ensures that the iPhone 16 series benefits from superior heat dissipation without sacrificing slim design or increasing production costs. Additionally, graphene’s lightweight nature means it won’t add extra weight to the device, enhancing user experience and comfort.
Are Graphene Pads Enough for Advanced Heat Management?
While graphene thermal pads offer numerous advantages, they may not be a one-size-fits-all solution. For more demanding tasks like 4K video rendering or extended gaming sessions, some users might wonder whether graphene can handle the heat as efficiently as vapor chambers.
The answer lies in Apple’s design philosophy: focusing on balanced performance. The introduction of graphene could address the overheating problems seen in earlier iPhone models by optimizing heat distribution across the entire device, but it’s unlikely that Apple will rely solely on graphene for all thermal management. Instead, it may be used in conjunction with other heat management solutions, ensuring that the iPhone 16 series performs optimally under a variety of conditions.
Conclusion
Apple’s potential use of Graphene thermal pads in the iPhone 16 series highlights the company’s commitment to innovation and efficiency. Graphene offers a lower-cost, more compact, and lighter-weight solution compared to traditional cooling systems like vapor chambers, without compromising on performance. Its flexibility, ease of customization, and added benefit of electromagnetic shielding make it a perfect fit for modern smartphones.
By incorporating graphene, Apple is addressing one of the most critical issues for high-performance mobile devices—overheating—and paving the way for future advancements in thermal management. For users, this could mean longer battery life, better performance under load, and a more comfortable overall experience with the iPhone 16 series.
Thermal Rubber is often formulated using compound materials that contain thermally conductive fillers. These fillers, such as aluminum oxide, boron nitride, or graphite, enhance the rubber’s ability to transfer heat efficiently. The inclusion of such fillers allows the silicone rubber to retain its elasticity while improving thermal conductivity, making it a versatile solution for applications requiring both flexibility and heat dissipation.
Key Properties: Thermal Conductivity, Elasticity, and Insulation
One of the primary reasons Thermal Silicone Rubber is so valuable is its combination of thermal conductivity, elasticity, and electronic insulation.
Thermal Conductivity: With the addition of conductive fillers, the silicone rubber can achieve higher levels of heat transfer, which is crucial for cooling electronic devices and preventing overheating.
Elasticity: Despite the inclusion of thermally conductive materials, Thermal Silicone Rubber maintains its flexibility, which allows it to form tight seals and withstand mechanical stress without cracking or losing its shape.
Electronic Insulation: Beyond its thermal capabilities, Thermal Silicone Rubber is also an excellent insulator, preventing electrical currents from passing through, which is vital for protecting sensitive electronics from short circuits and damage.
Applications
Given its combination of properties, Thermal Silicone Rubber is commonly used in heat sink pads, gap fillers, and other thermal interface materials. It ensures that heat generated by electronic components is efficiently transferred away, thus maintaining the performance and safety of devices in high-heat environments.
One of the main advantages of thermal tape is its dual functionality. It provides efficient heat transfer while also serving as a strong adhesive layer. This eliminates the need for separate thermal interface materials (TIM) and adhesives, simplifying installation processes and reducing assembly time. The thermal conductivity of these tapes can range from 0.6 to 1.5 W/m·K, depending on the specific type and thickness.
Thermal adhesive tape is typically constructed from thermally conductive fillers combined with silicone or acrylic-based adhesives. This ensures that the tape can conform to irregular surfaces, filling in gaps and ensuring uniform heat transfer between components. The adhesive strength of these tapes is also high, providing reliable bonding over time, even in challenging environmental conditions such as high heat or vibration.
Another important feature of thermal tape is its electrical insulation properties. Many thermal tapes are designed to be electrically non-conductive, making them ideal for use in sensitive electronic components where short circuits must be avoided. They can withstand temperatures up to 200°C, making them suitable for a wide range of applications.
Applications of Thermal Tape
Thermal adhesive tape is widely used in electronic devices, where heat management is critical to maintaining stable performance and extending the life of components. It is commonly applied in the assembly of LEDs, power supplies, and processors, as it efficiently transfers heat away from these components to prevent overheating.
In addition to consumer electronics, thermal tape is also used in automotive applications. Electric vehicle (EV) battery systems, power converters, and other electronic modules rely on thermal tape for effective heat management and mechanical bonding. Furthermore, industrial applications, including telecommunications and data centers, utilize thermal tape to manage the heat generated by high-power equipment.
The tape’s strong adhesive properties ensure secure mounting of heat sinks and heat spreaders, reducing the need for mechanical fasteners. This is particularly important in compact devices, where space is limited, and adding additional hardware could negatively affect the overall design.
Conclusion
Thermal adhesive tape provides an efficient and convenient solution for both thermal management and mechanical bonding in a variety of industries. Its ability to transfer heat effectively while providing strong adhesion makes it an essential material in electronic, automotive, and industrial applications. By simplifying the assembly process and enhancing heat dissipation, thermal tape helps maintain optimal performance and extend the lifespan of heat-sensitive components.
Artificial Graphite have several advantages that make them an essential material for thermal management. The most notable feature is their superior thermal conductivity, which can range from 300 to 1500 W/m·K, depending on the grade and thickness. This high conductivity allows for rapid heat dissipation from heat-generating components, such as CPUs, GPUs, power transistors, and LEDs, thus extending the lifespan of the devices.
Another important characteristic is their flexibility and ease of customization. Artificial Graphite can be cut into various shapes and sizes to fit different applications, making them suitable for compact electronic devices or larger industrial equipment. Their lightweight nature also adds minimal extra weight to electronic components, which is crucial for modern devices that prioritize slim and lightweight designs.
Additionally, graphite sheets are resistant to high temperatures, withstanding conditions up to 400°C in an oxidizing environment or even higher in a vacuum. This makes them suitable for use in demanding environments where consistent thermal performance is necessary.
Applications of Graphite Sheets
Artificial Graphite are widely applied in industries where efficient thermal management is critical. In consumer electronics, they are used to cool smartphones, tablets, and laptops by transferring heat away from processors and batteries. Automotive manufacturers use them to dissipate heat in electric vehicle (EV) batteries, inverters, and LED lighting systems. Additionally, in telecommunications, graphite sheets help in managing heat within 5G infrastructure and data centers.
In industrial applications, graphite sheets are commonly used in heat sinks, thermal modules, and high-power machinery that operates continuously and generates significant heat. Their ability to conduct heat without adding bulk or weight makes them an ideal solution for various high-performance applications.
Conclusion
Graphite sheets are an excellent thermal interface material due to their high thermal conductivity, flexibility, and lightweight properties. Their application in electronics, automotive, telecommunications, and industrial sectors proves their versatility in heat management solutions. Whether in smartphones or high-power industrial equipment, graphite sheets help maintain performance and extend the life of heat-sensitive components.
Thermal Interface Gel is a highly efficient thermal interface material (TIM) used in various electronics and industrial applications. Designed for devices that require superior heat dissipation, thermal gel offers a versatile solution for managing excess heat in high-power components such as CPUs, GPUs, power modules, and LEDs. Its unique properties, such as high thermal conductivity and excellent gap-filling capabilities, make it an ideal choice for applications where traditional materials like thermal pads or pastes may not suffice.
LiPOLY Liquid Thermal Gel : SH-putty3 is a one-part thermally conductive putty that offers outstanding thermal conductivity at 8 W/m*K and extremely low thermal resistance under minimal pressure. SH-putty3 is a highly conformable gap filler, designed to replace gap pads and remove manufacturing tolerance. It’s ideally suited for mass production applications in which a dispensing robot is needed.
See the complete Liquid Thermal Gel datasheet by clicking here:SH-putty3
Key Benefits of Thermal Gels
One of the primary advantages of thermal gel is its excellent thermal conductivity, allowing it to effectively transfer heat away from components that tend to generate excess thermal energy. This helps to maintain optimal operating temperatures, thereby extending the lifespan and reliability of electronic devices.
Thermal gel is also extremely versatile. Unlike thermal pads, which have fixed dimensions, or thermal pastes, which can be more difficult to apply evenly, thermal gel is designed to conform easily to the shape and surface of any component. This makes it perfect for filling in irregular surfaces or gaps, ensuring maximum contact between the heat source and the heatsink, resulting in improved heat dissipation.
Differences Between Thermal Gels and Other Thermal Interface Materials
Compared to thermal paste, thermal gel offers a longer life cycle and better gap-filling properties. It is also less prone to drying out over time, making it a more reliable option for long-term applications. Thermal pads, on the other hand, are easier to apply but may not be as effective at irregular surfaces or gaps as thermal gel. The non-curing nature of thermal gel also makes it a more flexible solution in environments where mechanical stress or vibration may occur, as it can maintain its consistency without hardening or cracking.
Applications of Thermal Gels
Due to its excellent heat transfer properties and flexibility, thermal gel is used in a wide variety of applications, including:
Consumer electronics: Cooling for CPUs and GPUs in computers, laptops, and gaming consoles.
LED lighting: Efficiently dissipating heat from high-power LEDs to ensure consistent performance.
Power electronics: Managing heat in power modules and converters used in industrial settings.
Automotive electronics: Maintaining optimal performance in automotive control units and power systems.
Conclusion
In summary, thermal gelsis a powerful and adaptable thermal interface material that excels in high-performance applications. Whether it’s used in consumer electronics or industrial power systems, thermal gel provides a highly efficient heat dissipation solution, extending the life of critical components and ensuring consistent performance under demanding conditions.
LiPOLY’s Gap Filler provide deflection thermal interfaces between heat sinks and electronic devices, accommodating for uneven surfaces. LiPOLY’s R&D team have created an ultra-soft, highly conformable, non-flammable interface material. LiPOLY T-Top 800 is a high effective material, designed to allow minimal stress on components while offering high thermal conductivity and low thermal resistance. With a thermal conductivity of 8.0 W/m*K, T-Top 800 offers excellent performance at an extremely competitive price.
Enhanced Thermal Conductivity: Thermal gap fillers are engineered to transfer heat efficiently between components and heat sinks or other cooling systems. By filling gaps, these materials minimize thermal resistance, allowing for more efficient heat dissipation. This is essential for high-performance devices that generate a significant amount of heat, such as processors, GPUs, and power electronics.
Conformability and Flexibility: One of the most important features of thermal gap fillers is their ability to conform to the surface topography of components. Their soft and compressible nature allows them to adapt to irregular surfaces and varying gap sizes. This flexibility ensures optimal contact between components and heat sinks, further improving heat transfer.
Vibration Dampening: In addition to their thermal properties, thermal gap fillers also serve as vibration dampeners. They help cushion sensitive components, protecting them from mechanical shock or vibrations that could cause damage over time. This feature is especially valuable in automotive, aerospace, and industrial applications where systems are exposed to constant motion.
Electrical Insulation: Many thermal gap fillers offer electrical insulation properties, which is important for protecting components from electrical shorts or static discharge. This makes them ideal for use in densely packed electronic assemblies where both thermal and electrical insulation are required.
Types of Thermal Gap Fillers
There are two primary categories of thermal gap fillers: Silicone-Based and Non-Silicone solutions, each offering unique properties and suited for different applications.
Thermal Stability: Silicone-based gap fillers are known for their excellent thermal stability, making them suitable for high-temperature applications. They can maintain their thermal conductivity and physical properties even under extreme heat conditions, which is crucial for devices that generate a lot of heat, such as high-performance CPUs or industrial power supplies.
High Conformability: These materials are extremely flexible, allowing them to conform to uneven surfaces, which is especially important in applications with complex geometries. Their compressibility ensures that they can fill gaps without exerting excessive pressure on components, preventing mechanical damage.
Durability: Silicone-based thermal gap fillers are highly durable, able to withstand environmental stress such as moisture, UV exposure, and oxidation. This makes them suitable for outdoor applications or devices that operate in harsh conditions, such as telecommunications equipment or automotive electronics.
Contamination-Free: Non-silicone thermal gap fillers are often used in applications where contamination is a concern. For instance, silicone can sometimes release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during operation, which may interfere with sensitive electronics or optical systems. Non-silicone alternatives eliminate this risk, making them ideal for environments where cleanliness is essential, such as medical devices, optical systems, or semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
Chemical Resistance: Non-silicone gap fillers offer better resistance to certain chemicals, fuels, or oils, which can be crucial in specific industrial applications, including automotive and aerospace systems.
Comparable Performance: While silicone-based materials are typically known for their flexibility, non-silicone gap fillers can provide similar levels of thermal conductivity and conformability, ensuring that they remain a viable option for applications requiring efficient thermal management.
Applications of Thermal Gap Fillers
Thermal gap fillers are widely used in various industries that require efficient heat management:
Consumer Electronics: From smartphones to laptops, thermal gap fillers ensure that heat is effectively dissipated in compact devices, preventing overheating and prolonging product lifespan.
Automotive: In electric vehicles, thermal gap fillers play a vital role in cooling powertrain components, battery packs, and control modules to enhance performance and reliability.
Telecommunications: As telecommunications equipment generates significant heat, thermal gap fillers are used to maintain optimal operating temperatures in antennas, base stations, and other related devices.
Medical Devices: In the medical field, non-silicone gap fillers are often chosen for sensitive devices where silicone outgassing could be a concern, providing efficient cooling solutions for diagnostic equipment and imaging devices.
Conclusion
Thermal gap fillers are an essential component in modern thermal management solutions, providing efficient heat dissipation in a wide range of applications. Whether you need silicone-based or non-silicone alternatives, these materials offer a versatile and reliable solution for ensuring the performance, safety, and longevity of electronic devices. By choosing the right thermal gap filler, you can protect your components from overheating, vibrations, and mechanical damage, ensuring your devices operate at their best.
Shiu Li Technology has created a new advanced Thermal Putty interface material. LiPOLY H-putty is a tolerance filled, thermally conductive putty that maintains high compressibility with low stress, high reliability, and will not flow vertically. Our H-putty can replace thermals pads in design gaps of 0.1mm-3.0mm. H-Putty has a bond line thickness of 100-3000μm. The thermal conductivity of the H-putty series is 2.0/3.5/6.0 W/m*K.
LiPOLY’s Putty Series is gap filler material with a thermal conductivity 3.5~8.0W/m*K, high deformation amount, extremely low thermal resistance, low stress, flexible gap adaptation, and excellent tolerance compensation feature can overcome overflow and dryness problems. Ideally suited for LiPOLY Smart Dispense Robot which is the best choice for automated dispensing production.
See the complete thermal datasheet by visiting:Thermal Putty
Conformability: One of the standout features of thermal putty is its ability to conform to irregular surfaces. It is soft and easily moldable, allowing it to fill in even the smallest air gaps between components. This ensures complete thermal contact and minimizes thermal resistance, which enhances heat dissipation. Thermal putty is ideal for applications where precise thermal contact is required but where other TIMs might struggle to fill gaps effectively.
Self-Leveling and Reworkable: Thermal putty’s self-leveling nature makes it easy to apply, as it spreads out evenly across surfaces under slight pressure. This property reduces the need for complex installation processes. Moreover, unlike some traditional TIMs, thermal putty is reworkable, meaning it can be easily removed or reapplied during maintenance or component replacement without losing effectiveness.
Non-Curing: Unlike some other TIMs that require curing time to reach full effectiveness, thermal putty does not cure. This characteristic allows for instant thermal performance right after application, making it a more efficient solution for fast-paced production environments.
Durability and Long-Term Stability: Thermal putty is known for its long-term stability, maintaining its thermal conductivity and physical properties over extended periods. It does not dry out or degrade, which ensures consistent performance over the lifespan of the device.
Applications of Thermal Putty
Thermal putty is commonly used in a variety of industries and applications, including:
Consumer Electronics: It is widely used in smartphones, tablets, and laptops, where heat dissipation is crucial for maintaining device performance and preventing overheating in compact designs.
Automotive: In electric vehicles (EVs), thermal putty plays a crucial role in managing the heat generated by batteries, powertrain components, and control modules.
Telecommunications: High-power telecom equipment, such as base stations and antennas, often rely on thermal putty to efficiently dissipate heat generated by high-performance processors and other electronic components.
Difference Between Thermal Putty and Other TIMs
Compared to other TIMs like thermal grease or thermal pads, thermal putty offers distinct advantages:
Better Gap-Filling: Thermal grease provides good thermal conductivity, but it may struggle to fill large or irregular gaps effectively. Thermal pads are easy to apply but may lack the flexibility needed for certain applications. Thermal putty combines the best of both worlds by offering excellent gap-filling capability and thermal conductivity in a flexible and easy-to-use form.
Reusability: Unlike thermal grease, which may dry out over time, or thermal pads that may lose effectiveness after reinstallation, thermal putty can be reused and reworked, making it a cost-effective solution for long-term applications.
In conclusion, thermal putty is an excellent choice for managing heat in high-performance, compact devices. Its flexibility, reusability, and superior gap-filling properties make it a highly effective TIM for modern thermal management challenges.
Thermally Conductive Grease, also known as thermal paste or thermal compound, is a thermally conductive material used to improve the heat transfer between a heat-generating component, such as a CPU or GPU, and a heatsink or cooling solution. The purpose of thermal grease is to fill microscopic imperfections or air gaps on the surface of the component and the heatsink, ensuring maximum contact and efficient heat dissipation. Without thermal grease, these air pockets can act as thermal insulators, significantly reducing the cooling efficiency of the device.
LiPOLY’s N series is a non-silicon thermal grease with a thermal conductivity of 1.3-6.0W/m*K. None low-molecular- weight siloxane volatilization cause no electrical contact failure. It is suitable for optical products or sensitive electronic components. Extremely low thermal resistance and good thermal conductivity have been widely used in thermal control technology for consumer electronics and microprocessors. When the temperature of the component rises, the viscosity of the grease will decrease for wetting the interface components.
Thermally Conductive Grease is not a heat sink by itself, but it enables the heatsink to perform its function more effectively. When applied between the heat source and the heatsink, the grease spreads out evenly, allowing for better heat conduction due to its higher thermal conductivity compared to air. Thermal grease typically comes in either silicone or non-silicone formulations and may contain additives like metal oxides to enhance thermal performance.
Types of Thermally Conductive Grease
Silicone-Based Thermal Grease: This type is widely used due to its versatility and durability. It contains silicone oil mixed with fillers like zinc oxide, making it flexible and easy to apply.
Non-Silicone Thermal Grease: These are often used in applications where silicone contamination is a concern. They tend to have higher thermal conductivity and stability in extreme temperatures, making them ideal for high-performance applications.
Key Uses Benefits
Enhancing Heat Transfer: Thermal grease fills the microscopic air gaps and imperfections between a heat source (such as a CPU or GPU) and a heat sink. This ensures efficient heat transfer by replacing air, which is a poor conductor of heat, with a material that has much higher thermal conductivity3.
Preventing Overheating: By improving the thermal interface between components, thermal grease helps prevent overheating, which can lead to system instability, performance degradation, or even hardware damage2.
Maintaining Device Stability: Proper application of thermal grease ensures that electronic devices operate within safe temperature ranges, thereby enhancing their stability and longevity.
Typical Applications
CPUs and GPUs: Thermal grease is commonly applied between CPUs or GPUs and their respective cooling solutions to ensure effective heat dissipation.
Power Electronics: Used in power supplies and motor controls where efficient thermal management is critical to maintaining performance and preventing failure.
Optical Devices: In applications where silicone contamination must be avoided, non-silicone thermal greases are preferred to prevent interference with sensitive optical components.
Application Techniques
Even Application: It is crucial to apply thermal grease evenly and in the right amount. Too much grease can act as an insulator rather than a conductor, while too little may not cover all the necessary surfaces.
Automated Systems: In professional settings, automated dispensing systems can be used to ensure consistent application, minimizing human error and ensuring optimal performance.
In summary, thermal grease is an essential component in modern electronics, ensuring that heat generated by high-performance components is effectively transferred to cooling systems, preventing damage and optimizing device performance.
