Power supplies are key components that convert other forms of energy into usable power for electronic devices, and their power and volume requirements continue to increase as electronic products are miniaturized and integrated. However, high temperatures can negatively impact high-power-density power supplies, including issues such as reduced performance reliability, shortened lifetime, and increased safety concerns. Therefore, in power supply design, heat dissipation becomes an important consideration, and selecting a suitable thermal interface material is the key to improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the power module.

In power adapters, common heat sources include electronic components such as MOS tubes, transformers, and transistors/diodes. In order to improve the heat dissipation efficiency inside the power supply, a thermal interface material can be used to fill the gap between the heating components and the aluminum heat sink to achieve heat conduction. In addition, in order to improve the stability of the power supply, a heat-conducting silicone gasket can be attached to the pin surface of the electronic components on the back of the PCB. It not only plays the role of insulation, cushioning and anti-puncture protection, but also solves safety regulations.

In power supply design, thermally conductive silicone insulating sheets are often used between power MOS tube packaging and heat dissipation devices, such as standard parts such as TO-220, TO-247 and TO-218. The MOS tube and the aluminum plate radiator are fixed together by screws, and the thermal conductive silicone insulating sheet is filled in the gap between them to achieve better thermal conductivity.

In addition, there are usually irregular concave-convex structures inside the power supply, which requires selection of a suitable thermal interface material for potting. Potting compound is a common choice, which can completely wrap the transformer and fix it inside the power supply, while providing good thermal conductivity. In specific scenarios, you can choose partial potting or overall potting. Partial potting is suitable for large and concentrated heat generation, while overall potting is often used in outdoor power supplies to solve multiple problems such as heat dissipation, waterproofing and sealing.

Therefore, it is very important to choose a suitable thermal interface material in the design of the power supply. It can effectively improve the heat dissipation efficiency, enhance the stability and reliability of the power supply, and at the same time ensure the safe operation of the power supply in a high temperature environment.