Researchers have developed a new type of polymer-based thermal gel designed to improve heat dissipation and mechanical reliability in high-performance electronic chips. The study introduces a poly(ionic liquid) (PIL)-based thermal interface material , offering a potential alternative to conventional silicone gels used in chip packaging.
Published in the open-access journal Thermo-X , the work addresses a growing challenge in modern electronics: as AI chips become larger and more powerful, their heat output increases dramatically, creating stricter demands on materials that transfer heat away from the chip.
Thermal interface materials (TIMs) are used between semiconductor devices and heat sinks to facilitate heat transfer. Polymer-based TIMs, particularly silicone gels, are widely used because they provide mechanical flexibility and can accommodate the deformation of large chip packages.
However, these materials also have limitations. Weak adhesion at interfaces and the volatilization of siloxane compounds can reduce long-term reliability in high-performance computing environments.
To overcome these issues, the researchers designed a non-silicone thermal gel based on poly(ionic liquids).
The newly developed material is fabricated by dispensing a mixture of ionic-liquid monomers, aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) thermal fillers, and an initiator, followed by thermal curing. The process is compatible with common semiconductor packaging techniques such as flip-chip ball grid array (FCBGA) dispensing.
The resulting thermal gel combines mechanical compliance with strong interfacial adhesion. Experiments showed adhesion strengths of approximately 0.95 MPa to copper and 0.91 MPa to silicon, two key materials in semiconductor devices.
In addition to mechanical stability, the material demonstrated promising thermal performance. The intrinsic thermal resistance was measured at 2.4 × 10⁻⁵ m²·K/W, comparable to conventional silicone-based systems.
More importantly, the interfacial contact thermal resistance between the gel and silicon was about an order of magnitude lower than that typically observed in silicone TIMs, indicating improved heat transfer across chip interfaces.
Reliability testing also showed stable performance after multiple accelerated aging tests, with more than 98% coverage and no leakage or volatilization observed .
As chip architectures continue to scale and power densities increase, efficient thermal management becomes critical for maintaining device performance and reliability.
The authors suggest that poly(ionic liquid)-based thermal gels may offer a promising pathway toward next-generation thermal interface materials for high-performance computing systems and AI processors.
Further optimization of the material system may enable broader applications in advanced electronic packaging and thermal management technologies.
Thermo-X
Experimental study
Not applicable
Poly(ionic liquid) thermal gels enabling compliant and adhesive interfaces for chip-scale thermal management
23-Feb-2026
The authors declare no potential conflict of interest exists.