Wear-resistant thermal interface material (TIM) for quad/octal small form factor pluggable (QSFP/OSFP) modules

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.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Mechanical Engineering

Grantor

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2025

Author dc:creator

• Patil, Parth Sandip

Contributors dc:contributor

• Sinha, Sanjiv

• Thermal Interface Material
• Diamond Like Carbon
• Osfp/qsfp Modules
• Fabrication
• Thermal Contact Resistance
• Interface
• Mechanical Characterization
• Thermal Characterization
• Silver Dendrites

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2025 Parth Sandip Patil

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/130202

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F130202