Thermal Contact Resistance Between an Electronic Package and a Heat Sink

Application ID: 14659


This example reproduces parts of the study of Ref. 1 on the thermal contact resistance at the interface between a heat sink and an electronic package. Eight cooling fins equip the cylindrical heat sink and contact is made at the radial boundaries of the package. The efficiency of the device depends on the cooling of the fins and the heat transfer from the package to the heat sink. This model focuses on the heat transfer through the contact interface where four parameters influence the joint conductance: contact pressure, microhardness of the softer material, surface roughness and surface roughness slope.

This model example illustrates applications of this type that would nominally be built using the following products: