Thermoconductive tapes & pastes

Thermal tape or thermal paste?

Thermal paste allows you to control the thickness of the layer applied, and also more accurately fills the microscopic irregularities on the surface of the heatsink for better thermal conductivity. However, paste is more difficult to apply precisely than thermal tape, and does not work very well when you need to fill a larger space. In this case, it will be more practical to use tape or thermal pads, which are special pads of varying thickness designed to be placed between more distant components. The conductive substance is usually silicone, silver or ceramic.

What to pay attention to when shopping?

The basic parameter should be the selection of the appropriate value of thermal conductivity - a higher value usually means a more effective product, although it is difficult to unequivocally compare the thermal conductivity values of, for example, thermal paste and thermally conductive tape. When choosing a tape or thermopad, it is also worth paying attention to the compressibility (what is the minimum and maximum gap between the elements where the tape is to be placed), as well as the presence of an adhesive and its composition. It is very important to determine the parameters of conductivity - most pastes and tapes are insulators, but it is worth checking this before buying to avoid a possible short circuit. In the case of using paste for connection with a heat dissipating element it is also necessary to pay attention to its composition, as some pastes may cause corrosion of individual heat sinks (for example, pastes with copper particles should not be applied to aluminum parts).