The crucial influence of thermal interface material in power electronic design

Thermal interface material (TIM) is a key component in the majority of power electronic systems. Heat, generated by the semiconductors, has to be transferred to a heat sink and finally dissipated to ambient. The solutions available today focus on applications like computer processors, mobile applications and discrete electronic devices. Though similar local power densities need to be handled, power electronics for industrial inverter applications based on power modules have different needs. The present paper deals with these needs and describes the steps in developing a thermal interface material, especially dedicated for the use in power electronics.