Enhanced cooling properties of radar antenna electronics using novel materials

Paper in proceeding, 2016

Thermal interface materials (TIM) of polymer networks and boron nitride were infiltrated with indium and investigated in parallel in order to produce drastically improved thermal properties of thermal interface material. The materials were composed of electrospun polymer or BN fiber network and infiltrated indium. The mechanical tensile and shear test showed that the electrospun polymer network has superior reliability properties. The materials were also investigated in terms of adherence to a surface. Practical tests showed that the indium infiltrated thermal interfae materials best adhere to a Sn coated surface. As a final benchmark the best interface material, polymer fiber-indium TIM (NanoTIM), was benchmarked against a state-of-The-Art interface material on the commercial market, using a demonstrator in a laser housing from Saab. The thermal resistance over a thermal joint was almost halfed by using the NanoTIM material.