The Facts on Heat Sink Compounds...Keeping Electronics Cool

This article is based on an original publication by Kevin Pawlowski, Sr. Product Manager, Techspray.

Considering the number of transistors in dense, integrated circuits continues to double about every two years as noted by Moore's law, proper thermal management is paramount. Processors are running hotter in smaller devices with more densely populated boards.

Heat sink compound or thermal grease is often used to help keep electronics cool. Once a mechanical heat sink, made of a conductive metal, is placed over the heat generating component such as a central processing unit (CPU), a gap typically forms between them because the two surfaces are not perfectly flat. Heat sink compound fills in the gap to increase thermal efficiency. Heat is drawn into the mechanical heat sink, and the excess heat is dissipated by its fan.