Q: What are the best applications for using thermal bridge technology?
A: This solution was developed to dissipate heat in applications that use cold plates with liquid cooling or heat pipes, ganged heatsinks or direct chassis conduction applications with little to no airflow. It is a mechanical alternative to the traditional gap pad or thermal interface material (TIM).
Q: How does the thermal bridge technology work?
A: Our new, innovative thermal bridge technology replaces the traditional gap pad or thermal interface material (TIM) with integrated mechanical springs to provide interface force and 1.0mm of compression travel. This interleaved series of parallel plates allows heat to pass from the I/O module to the cooling area.
Q: How does this new technology compare to traditional thermal pad performance?
A: Thermal bridge is a mechanical version of the thermal pad that provides a low, consistent compression force that is resistant to set and relaxation over time. Thermal pads are not reusable and need to be replaced with servicing, while the thermal bridge technology is long-lasting, reducing your need to replace components during servicing.
Q: How does the thermal bridge work with fixed heat sink and cooling applications?
A: The thermal bridge solution is optimized for applications where the heat sink or cold plate is at a fixed location. For these types of applications, normally TIMs or gap pads are used and require a high level of compression to bring the thermal resistance down. These TIMs and gap pads tend to relax or set over time, decreasing the performance. TE’s thermal bridge technology replaces the gap pad in these applications with a mechanical, compressible gap pad, providing low-compression force and low thermal resistance, making this solution more reliable over time.
Q: What form factors can the thermal bridge technology be used with?
A: Thermal bridge technology can be used with any I/O form factor. We currently offer samples for SFP, SFP-DD, QSFP and QSFP-DD. Other form factors with thermal bridge technology are available upon request.
Q: What is the overall size of the thermal bridge?
A: For SFP and SFP-DD, the overall size is 42.7mm x 13.9mm x 4.3mm. QSFP and QSFP-DD is 45.7mm x 18.3mm x 4.3mm.
