Example 4: Processor Heat Sink

Context:

As a thermal management engineer specializing in the electronics industry, your mission is to design an efficient heat sink specifically for high-performance microprocessors. These processors are known to generate substantial amounts of heat during operation, thus making effective heat dissipation a vital priority. Proper management is essential to prevent "thermal throttling," a condition where excessive heat causes the processor to reduce speed to avoid damage. The goal is to maintain optimal performance to ensure both the processor's longevity and reliability over time.

The choice of heat sink material is of utmost importance. It must possess a high thermal conductivity to efficiently draw heat away from the processor's integrated heat spreader and transfer it to the cooling fins. This process is crucial for maintaining a consistent processor temperature. Additionally, the material should have a low coefficient of thermal expansion. This attribute is critical to minimize stress and potential damage caused by continuous thermal cycling, thereby offering stability and enhancing the operational durability of the heat sink.

Moreover, the design must comply with RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) directives, ensuring that the part adheres to specified environmental and safety standards. By concentrating on these key elements, you are tasked with engineering a heat sink that not only delivers superior thermal performance but also stands in line with industry regulatory requirements.

Objective:

Identify a material that offers superior thermal conductivity, low thermal expansion and compliant with electronic regulatory requirement (RoHS)

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1

Select Total Materia Mode

Begin your search among the 500,000 materials in Total Materia to find the perfect match for your requirements.

2

Source Locally

Adding a criterion for regional availability is crucial for sourcing materials locally, particularly within North America. By prioritizing materials that adhere to US standards, it ensures compatibility with industry regulations while also supporting regional suppliers. This approach not only minimizes transportation costs and delivery times but also reduces the carbon footprint associated with long-distance shipping. Moreover, using materials that comply with established US standards can enhance quality control and streamline coordination between manufacturers and suppliers, fostering a more efficient and sustainable supply chain.

3

Define the Thermal Conductivity

Establish a Thermal Conductivity criterion of 150 W/(m.°C) to ensure that the material is sufficiently heat conductive for this application. This threshold guarantees that selected materials can enable the processor to run in normal load conditions. Setting the target to "higher is better" will allow to better rate materials with higher values. Marking this criterion as mandatory will ensure that the resulting materials reach the minimum threshold. As thermal conductivity is critical setting the importance to a high level (10), will ensure it is made the prominent component of the final score.

4

Low Thermal Expansion

Incorporate a criterion for a maximum Thermal Expansion Coefficient of 25 E-06/°C, emphasizing a "lower is better" perspective. Mandatory with a low importance level (1), this criterion ensures that the chosen material will not exert excessive mechanical stress on the processor as it heats up. By maintaining controlled thermal expansion, the risk of structural strain or damage is minimized, supporting the longevity and reliability of the heat sink and processor interface.

5

RoHS compliance

Incorporating RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) compliance as a Green Line Compliance criterion is essential for every electronic device. This ensures that the selected material is permissible for use in the end product, adhering to environmental standards that limit hazardous substances. Although this criterion is mandatory to meet regulatory requirements, its importance can be set to a minimal level of 0.1, ensuring the final score primarily reflects the material's performance characteristics while still maintaining compliance.

6

Cost

Considering cost is crucial in any project, regardless of its focus on performance. For large-scale endeavors, even minor variations in cost per kilogram can significantly impact the budget. To maintain financial viability, include a cost criterion with a "lower is better" approach, and assign it a high importance level, ideally around (5). This strategy ensures that cost-effectiveness is a primary focus during the material selection process, thereby supporting the project's overall financial health.

7

Modulate your parameters

Adjust the importance of the different criteria, and visualize how your results are varying.

Going Further

You can add other criteria, such as carbon footprint, or adjust the configuration of existing parameters to see how these changes influence the final scores. For instance, try reducing the importance of cost and removing its mandatory status; you may observe that while materials like aluminum or copper are generally preferred, the absolute best performance can be achieved with silver. However, silver is not financially viable for most applications, demonstrating how parameter adjustments can balance performance with budgetary constraints.