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 Indigo™
is Enerdyne Solutions' breakthrough thermal interface material, consisting of an ultra-high
performing phase change metal alloy (PCMA) TIM and advanced corrosion mitigation technology, for solid long-term
reliability.
With a Thermal Impedance < 0.04°C-cm2/W
(@ 2 mil BLT) and Thermal Conductivity of greater than 20 W/mK,
Indigo is a solution that must be considered for nearly any thermal management requirement.
Indigo can be customized to suit virtually any customer requirements, demonstrating superb
performance and reliability in laboratory testing. With its excellent wetting and high bulk
conductivity, the Indigo TIM offers dramatically lower thermal resistance than competing
products. While solders can also provide high thermal performance, they are generally
unsuitable for materials with unmatched Coefficients of Thermal Expansion (CTEs) such
as silicon and the typical heat sink materials copper and aluminum.
Indigo provides extraordinarily high thermal transfer performance at the crucial thermal
interface.This reduces the need
for expensive heat sinks and costly alternatives such as heat pipes. The result -
dramatic reductions in overall thermal solution cost. Indigo offers higher performance
at reduced cost with outstanding reliability, and also enables solutions that are
lighter, smaller, and quieter.
Phase Change Metal Alloys (PCMAs)
PCMAs are typically alloys of indium, bismuth, and/or tin. Specific alloys of these metals are in liquid phase at operating temperatures; typical phase
change occurs between 60°C and 80°C.
Because PCMAs are all-metal they contain no organic materials and hence require no curing during
application. The superior performance of PCMAs as TIMs is due to the thermally conductive nature
of metals and the high degree of wetting they enjoy. Good wetting means low contact resistance
and allows relatively thin bond lines.
How Indigo Works
As much as 40% of the thermal budget is spent at the die-level interface. The heart
of the Indigo system is a PCMA TIM and mitigation technology that provides robust
reliability of the PCMA against failure mechanisms that have plagued earlier, more
troubled efforts. Unlike even the best particle-filled greases which have some
metals suspended in them, Indigo provides an all-metal heat path with none of the
thermal resistance entailed by polymeric or organic materials. Consequently, its
bulk conductivity is comparatively high. Indigo fits readily into existing
manufacturing and assembly processes and is available as a preform in custom sizes.
The product is compatible with a broad array of lid materials, and can be supplied
with an integrated pressure-sensitive adhesive for ease of attachment to customer
hardware. Also, Indigo is available pre-assembled with a copper heat spreader.
A powerful value proposition of Indigo lies with its ability to perform regardless of
CTE mismatch. Since Indigo reflows at 60°C, it is fully liquid
at operating temperatures. Differing rates of expansion of the interface surfaces
therefore cause no mechanical stress as they would upon a solid TIM. Notable savings
result from the ability to use cheaper heater spreaders or lids, like copper, that
normally suffer from CTE incompatibilities.
The choice of a PCMA in Enerdyne Solutions Indigo makes it the clear winner over all
alternatives for a high-performance thermal interface. Indigo can reduce the junction
temperature of a 60-80W chip by 10ºC or more. And the hotter the chip, the greater the
temperature drop that can be achieved.
An Indigo
solution can provide further cost benefits by using a CTE-mismatch lid, like copper
instead of AlSiC. This makes an Indigo solution less than 1/3 the cost of AlSiC,
Cu-Mo and Cu-W composite spreaders with matching die attach, while at the same time
yielding higher performance. The increased performance allows additional solutions
savings from other components, particularly the heat sink and fan.
Indigo can be deployed at low clamping pressure: as little as 5psi. Some thermal interface materials can achieve
relatively good performance, and some make aggressive claims that can only be
achieved by clamping pressures of as much as 80psi or the use of unrealistically
thin bond lines. Because Indigo uses a low melt alloy desirably thin bond lines
can be readily achieved. Due to its superior wetting, and hence low contact
resistance, Indigo achieves great performance with low clamping pressures; and
modest increases in clamping pressure can yield additional performance gains.
Applications & Installation
The Indigo System is ideal as a TIM1 between die and heat spreader and is readily deployed,
for example, in a BGA package with integrated heat spreader (IHS).
Indigo can be adapted quickly to accommodate nearly any customer package design. The Indigo
PCMA can also be deployed using Enerdyne Solutions custom enhancements to your existing heat
spreader or package. Indigo is also used as a TIM2 between lid and heat sink
or in other applications requiring high thermal interface conductivity. Contact
us for details.
Availability & Information
Samples are now available. Want more information?
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