Quantification of thermal contact conductance in electronic packages

Results of an investigation are presented in which a numerical technique was used to predict interface pressures. Combining these predicted pressures and the results of previous investigations, the individual thermal contact resistances and overall package resistance were determined for an 18 plastic dual-in-line package (PDIP) constructed from typical, commercially available materials. The results indicate that the summation of the contact resistances can comprise as much as 43% of the total package thermal resistance for the packages investigated.<<ETX>>