Ice Pad^®

Electronic devices experience an increasing number of heat management challenges:

• Smaller and more powerful electronics lead to thermal expansion mismatch
• Thermal expansion mismatch causes electronic malfunction and shortens lifespan
• Conventional TIMs fail to dissipate heat over time due to dry-out, pump-out, and formation of air voids
• Electronics de-rate, degrade, and are disposed as e-waste after a short time

High-Performance Grease C-SAM Analysis
Grease was applied only at the center of the interface (within the dotted circle).

Takeaway:
After only ~50 cycles, the grease has completely dried out.
 

High-Performance PCM C-SAM Analysis
PCM was applied over the entire interface.

Takeaway:
Air voids migrate around interface with PCM.
 

Carbice Ice Pad C-SAM Analysis
Ice Pad IP150 was applied over the entire interface.

Takeaway:
Ice Pad cause no interface degradation throughout the 2000 test cycles. 

Coupon thermal resistance change due to thermal cycling
 

Thermal cycling performed from -55 °C to 110 °C for 2000 cycles, according to modified JEDEC standard JESD22-A104F condition L. Thermal conductance measured using ASTM D5470 standard testing method.

Thermal interface quality degrades with increasing cycles for conventional TIMs:

• After 2000 cycles the thermal resistance of grease is 2.6 times that of Ice Pad
• After 2000 cycles the thermal resistance of PCM is 1.4 times that of Ice Pad
   

Using Ice Pad, customers are able to:

• Remove heat effectively and reliably over time
• Expect less de-rating of electronics over time
• Build higher performance electronics that last longer
• Generate less e-waste and be more sustainable

The challenge of GPU heat management

GPUs are incorporated by data centers to handle increasingly intensive workloads:

• They are affected by large thermal variances during operation
• Heat buildup reduces GPU’s performance, stability and lifespan
• Reliability of data centers will be compromised
   

Meet Ice Pad

Ice Pad provides high thermal conductivity of a solid TIM and low thermal resistance of a liquid TIM, with reliable long-term performances and high volume manufacturability. For this study, we used IP90 with 2-sided assembly tack.

Carbice Ice Pad demonstrated immediate better cooling and long-term gains to GPU performance compared to POR Grease:

• 2℃ cooler upon initial installation
• > 6℃ cooler after extended use

Over time, grease pumps-out and develops dry-cracks, causing its thermal resistance to double after extended use. On the contrary, Carbice Ice Pad wets the interface even better with time and cycling.
 

Takeaway:
Ice Pad provides better lifetime cooling performance than grease.

Using Carbice Ice Pad, customers are able to:

• Lower GPU temperature 
• Boost GPU performance
• Extend GPU lifespan 
• Increase data center reliability