Wear-resistant thermal interface material (TIM) for quad/octal small form factor pluggable (QSFP/OSFP) modules
Patil, Parth Sandip
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/130202
Description
Title
Wear-resistant thermal interface material (TIM) for quad/octal small form factor pluggable (QSFP/OSFP) modules
Author(s)
Patil, Parth Sandip
Issue Date
2025-07-21
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Sinha, Sanjiv
Department of Study
Mechanical Sci & Engineering
Discipline
Mechanical Engineering
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Level
Thesis
Keyword(s)
Thermal Interface Material
Diamond Like Carbon
Osfp/qsfp Modules
Fabrication
Thermal Contact Resistance
Interface
Mechanical Characterization
Thermal Characterization
Silver Dendrites
Language
eng
Abstract
The rapid growth in data throughput and power density in the optical transceiver modules used in modern data centers presents challenges to thermal management that are fast becoming a critical bottleneck for the future. A unique aspect of this thermal management challenge is the development of novel wear-resistant thermal interface materials (TIMs) for pluggable modules that can withstand multiple (>200) insertion/removal events. This thesis presents the design, fabrication, and simulation of a composite TIM comprising diamond-like carbon (DLC) thin-film infilled with patterned silver. The proposed TIM is specifically engineered to simultaneously satisfy the requirements of a relatively high thermal conductivity and high wear resistance and shear strength. We discuss a customized process for a prototype TIM. Materials characterization reveals a hardness of ~21.3 , at a hydrogen content of 30−45%, as well as favorable tribological properties, including low friction and superior wear resistance. Steady-state finite-volume simulations of heat conduction using the ANSYS software show that the effective thermal contact resistance using the TIM ranges from 6.6×10^−4 − 3.3×10^-3 ²/, depending on the fraction of silver coverage. The simulated effective thermal conductivity of the system was found to be between 3 − 16 / confirming its potential to outperform many state-of-the-art TIMs. This work offers a compelling solution for integrating advanced TIMs into next-generation data center optical modules, satisfying both thermal and mechanical requirements.
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