Adhesives at Work: Using Conductive Adhesives for Thermal Management in Micro- and Power Electronics

The increase in demand for mobile electronic devices has brought about new design challenges with an ever-greater emphasis on mechanical strength and thermal management capability. As substrate sizes shrink and operating environments become more rugged, integrated product design must overcome the challenge of dissipating heat while maintaining shock resistance.¹ Conductive adhesives are a proven yet underutilized bonding solution in electronics engineering.

Figure 1 illustrates thermally conductive adhesives joining two components to transfer heat from the hotter surface to the colder one. Adhesives can cover large surface areas, thereby providing the necessary heat transfer and forming a durable structural joint. In contrast, most other thermal interface materials (TIM) like thermal greases, phase-change materials or polymer pads require mechanical fastening. One exception, soldering, offers mechanical stability but at higher processing temperatures than an adhesive solution.