In the small business community millions are spent yearly to maintain and correct system anomalies. When Servers are down, this can break a company over a period of hours. 100% stability and reliability is the cornerstone of the Server market. Something as inexpensive as Thermal Interface Material or TIM (albeit just a fraction of your budget) can in and of itself, determine your company's profitability, or potential failure. How and Why? Every Microprocessor, albeit the CPU or Chipset upon which this device communicates with the system, produces a tremendous amount of heat.

If this heat isn't rapidly and effectively dissipated your system will experience errors. These errors will continue to occur growing exponentially if the problem is left unresolved. And if left unresolved a processor will cook itself to death. The number one reason processors experience errors is not necessarily software related, but temperature related. You may spend millions bringing in System Analyst's, who are unequipped to fix the problem. They may find ad hoc work-arounds, but that is exactly what they are. You cannot circumvent the problem of heat.

Thermal paste due to its low cost is often overlooked, and underdeveloped. That is, many companies are producing TIM's from obsolete formulas for today’s microprocessors. Today’s processors are packing ever larger amounts of circuits into smaller silicon real-estate, and therefore generating more heat then ever before. It's a very dangerous practice to cool a 2003 processor using a TIM formula invented in the 80's. Save your company, save yourself.

Look at the expression on your next System Specialist's face, when you ask what type of TIM he/she is using? If he doesn't mention either silver particles (which in itself still isn't adequate) or Nanotherm, find another specialist.

The cooling of microelectronics is no longer an associated field, but an intrgal design consideration in manufacturing. As the number and proximity of electronic circuits scale ever smaller, so the problem of static current leakage becomes ever larger. It's a foregone conclusion these devices need to be cooled. Currently there are three primary methods for cooling computer circuits, air-cooling, water-cooling, and phase-change and/or heat-pipe technology. Although each method is unique, there remains one common principle, or component, Thermal Interface Material or TIM. Nanotherm (ESG Associates) has recently become an R&D leader in this field with their introduction of PCM+.



The concept behind Nanotherm's Phase Change Material is twofold. It is of course a TIM transferring heat between electronic package, and heatsink plate or water block. Where it differs from every other product on the market, is in its ability to phase-change itself. While performing its primary purpose, it also acts as an exponential catalyst, rapidly absorbing and dissipating thermal energy to the heat sink, and undergoing a transformation in the process. In a phase change environment, the coolant or catalyst changes phase after absorption, but must return to that state once the energy which transformed it is dissipated. Usually this is accomplished in a radiator where the gas condenses to liquid as it's pumped through the air cooled radiator fins.

In a TIM application, the material would have to undergo this process without the mechanical processing stages. In other words, in one TIM there needs to a substance capable of phase-change, and a substance to act as an encapsulate, which itself must have the ability to transfer heat. This is asking quite a lot from any substance, let alone one under high pressure, and heat. Yet this is where Nanotherm has accomplished this. The key being the environment. While phase-change is accomplished due to a vacuum which immediately removes the coolant in its gaseous stage, Nanotherm simply exploits the pressure under which the compound must function.

In addition to its many benefit's the liquidity of the substance allows it to more effectively fill every microcosm, and pore in the treated surfaces. This is why one must apply PCM+ to both surfaces.


The Nanotherm products tested

Due to its "encapsulate" or paraffin element, it's not recommended for colder temps, such as those found in Prometeia systems (although I doubt it'll be long before they overcome that obstacle). In fact when removing a processor treated with PCM+ one should have just powered down the system, so the material is still malleable. Another added benefit, is the amount required.

Only a few drops (literally two or three) will adequately cover a P4 IHS. One drop for an Athlon core. Nanotherm suggests applying PCM+ to both the core, and heat sink. I've had great success with this product, and will continue to use it. Stay tuned for my article which will compare Nanotherm to several of the top contenders in the field. You'll clearly see how a lapse in R&D quickly establishes a new leader; Nanotherm is now in that position.

I foresee a trend emerging; in fact not to replicate Nanotherm's success would be foolhardy. If it's patented, then Nanotherm will remain the coolest, in many ways. Below are screen shots of Winbond's Dr-Hardware, one of the more accurate thermistor/diode reading programs. Using Nanotherm's PCM+, on a P4 2.4C @ 3.6GHz, the temps were simply astounding:




In the chart below you'll see the differences using AS3, Artic Alumina, Nanotherm Blue, Nanotherm Silver XTC, and finally Nanotherm PCM+.

Idle temperature was my 2.4C at 2.4GHz (1.525Vcore)

Load temperature was my 2.4C @ 3.0GHz (1.550Vcore)

All tests were done over the last 3 days between 1:00AM and 3:00AM, with AC on, and the room is at its coolest. The outside temps over these 3 evenings was a constant 65F



We would like to thank Nanotherm for providing us with some test-samples.

//Liquid3D

Any comments and/or questions? This way please