Overview

Meet Growing Thermal Challenges in Mobile Devices Using GORE® Thermal Insulation
GORE Thermal Insulation can help you beat the heat!
See three ways to improve your existing solution … with no compromises.

The demand for greater performance, functionality, and smaller form factors is increasing thermal challenges in mobile devices, particularly as many powered components are generating more heat in smaller spaces. More heat generation requires advanced thermal conductivity designs to spread heat more evenly across the surface of the device.

 

 

 

 

 

GORE Thermal Insulation x DELL XPS 13
DELL uses GORE Thermal Insulation to improve performance and slim the design of its laptops.

GORE Thermal Insulation is an innovative thermal management solution that increases design flexibility and the designer’s ability to direct heat through greater control of z-axis thermal conductivity.

Improved z-axis control means superior spreading options that enable components to:

  • perform at higher levels for longer periods,
  • accommodate shrinking form factors,
  • meet surface temperature requirements.

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Application Areas

GORE® Thermal Insulation can be Used in all Kinds of Mobile Devices
A top view of a table with mobile devices to which GORE® Thermal Insulation material can be applied.
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Tablets

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Wearables

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AR/VR Devices

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Smartphones

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Laptops

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Experience and extensive testing confirm the effectiveness of GORE Thermal Insulation materials for electronics: Your customers will benefit from improved performance and an overall better user experience.

Learn more about GORE Thermal Insulation in smartphones and in laptops.

How We Help You Beat the Heat

Effective Thermal Management With Enhanced Thermal Spreading
The Effect Insulation Has on Heat Transfer
Crayons — with and without GORE Thermal Insulation — melt at different rates.

Thermal engineers use graphite, heat pipes and vapor chambers to spread and dissipate heat across a larger area to improve device performance. As thermal spreading requirements increase, these thermal designs can still fail to reduce hot spots due to insufficient thermal resistance in the z-direction, which reduces the spreading ratio and increases prevalence of hot spots.

 

 

 

 

With GORE Thermal Insulation, you can now improve the effectiveness of your thermal spreading solutions. Our insulating laminates for electronics have a through-plane thermal conductivity (kz) significantly lower than that of air. Enabled by premium aerogel technology, GORE Thermal Insulation will enhance the heat-spreading ratio and outperform system-level air gaps. It can be used independently or in conjunction with heat spreaders to create a higher-performing thermal design.

 

 

 

 

 

Comparison: Effectiveness of Thermal Spreading With and Without GORE Thermal Insulation

GORE Thermal Insulation increases the designer’s ability to direct heat by enabling greater control of z-axis thermal conductivity. More control means superior spreading options and more design flexibility. Combining GORE Thermal Insulation with graphite for example — one of many possible configurations — allows for more graphite to be included, as a thinner amount of insulation can be used to provide the same thermal resistance as a thicker air gap. Added graphite capacity in the system allows for components to be utilized at higher power outputs, as the additional generated heat can be directed away from the component.

A graphic compares the structure of thermal solutions without (left) and with (right) GORE® Thermal Insulation. Below, thermal imaging of two smartphones compares the solution’s heat spreading properties.

Heat spreading effectiveness of a basic thermal design using graphite and air (left) compared to a thermal design using graphite and GORE Thermal Insulation (right). The basic thermal design fails to reduce hot spots because, while the heat is conducted through graphite in the xy-direction, it is also conducted in the z-direction of graphite, resulting in a hot spot. Using GORE Thermal Insulation instead of an air gap reduces z-axis conductivity, increases the spreading ratio and reduces hot spots.

Performance and Design Benefits

Improve Your Existing Solution With GORE Thermal Insulation: No More Compromises

Thanks to GORE Thermal Insulation, you can improve your existing thermal design without compromise. Incorporating this innovative heat spreading solution not only enhances the thermal management of your device, but also opens up new opportunities for your company to achieve peak performance and design excellence.

Increase Performance with GORE Thermal Insulation Reduce Hotspot Temperature with GORE Thermal Insulation Thinner Product Design with GORE Thermal Insulation
  • With a kz lower than air, thinner GORE Thermal Insulation can replace the air gap, allowing for more graphite to be included
  • Delay throttling of performance by moving heat away from the heat source and blocking heat from the device surface
  • Enable components to operate at higher power for longer time
  • Reduce surface temperatures by 1– 6 °C (depending upon system power and insulation thickness)
  • Enable thinner designs while maintaining performance by replacing an air gap with Gore's thinner, compressible thermal insulation
A graphic of a cross section of a mobile device that contains a thin layer of GORE® Thermal Insulation.

 

A legend illustrating that GORE® Thermal Insulation is marked as blue, the hear spreader is marked as gray and the heat source is marked as red in the information graphics above.
Additional Benefits of using GORE Thermal Insulation
Electrically Insulative
  • Provides a physical barrier between device components
  • Does not create electrical short circuits
  • Has minimal interference with EM/RF interference
  • Superior thermal conductivity of electrical insulator: outperforms all others tested*
Ease of Integration
  • Can be combined with graphite or heat pipes to optimize performance
  • Easy to install with 6 thickness options and ability to customize shape
  • Conformable thermal and electrical insulator fits into tight, non-flat spaces
Development Support
  • Gore engineers are available to support you with design guidance, modeling and integration from early design cycle through commercialization

* Data available upon request

Interested in GORE Thermal Insulation and need more detailed information? Simply get in touch with our experts!

Product Information

Technology Expertise in Thermal Management for Mobile Devices
  • High loading of aerogel to obtain low conductivity
  • Consistent distribution of aerogel enables consistent conductivity
  • Consistent thickness across a range of thicknesses from 100-530 μm
PROPERTIES OF THERMAL INSULATION

GORE Thermal Insulation contains aerogel particles suspended in a PTFE matrix to deliver conductivity lower than that of air. This thermal insulation material for electronics can be used to reduce hot spots by replacing air gaps. It can also be paired with graphite to enhance thermal spreading in-plane without increasing thermal transfer through-plane.

GORE Thermal Insulation is a compressible thermal insulation. With compression levels up to 13% under a 100 kPa load, it can be used for tolerance take-up or to assist with impact resistance. It also has the ability to adhere to curved or stepped surfaces without negatively affecting performance.

GORE Thermal Insulation is a thermal and electrical insulator. With thermal conductivity lower than that of air, this insulation is also an effective electrical insulator, with a volume resistivity > 10^15 ohm-cm.

The typical thermal conductivity of electrical insulators is low, in the range of 0.03-0.8 W/m·K. However, GORE Thermal Insulation is far better, with conductivity as low as 0.020 W/m·K, while also delivering good electrical insulation.

Material Data*
Characteristic
Insulation thickness availablea 0.10 mm 0.12 mm 0.23 mm 0.28 mm 0.38 mm 0.53 mm
Adhesive encapsulation width (minimum)b 1 mm 1 mm 1 mm 1 mm 1 mm 1.5 mm
Thermal conductivity (k)c 0.021 W/m•K 0.020 W/m•K
Compression @ 100 kPa (14.5 psi) 13% 8%
Specific heat capacityd 1.8 J/g °C
Bulk density 0.37 g/cc
Operating temperaturee -40°C to 100 °C
Protective cover film Black PET
Adhesive type Acrylic
RoHSf Meets threshold requirements
Max part size 100 mm x 200 mm

a Nominal thickness based on reported values of thickness of each component of the stack-up.
b Nominal minimum width.
c Nominal conductivity value based on a modified version of ASTM C518.
d Nominal heat capacity measured according to ASTM E2716 Method B at 75 °C.
e Alternate adhesives required to exceed 100 °C.
f To the best of our knowledge, the product listed above does not have any restricted substances above the maximum concentration values listed in RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU and meets the substance restrictions of Article 4 of RoHS Recast including Commission Delegated Directive 2015/863.

*All values are based on nominal characteristics and do not represent the specification and tolerance.

 

Working with Gore

By Your Side from Design to Manufacture

Leading OEMs select Gore because our products and services help develop differentiated and innovative products — with low development risk and a stable supply chain — in a fast-paced, highly competitive market.

GLOBAL MOBILE SUPPLIER

GLOBAL MOBILE SUPPLIER
Decades as a preferred venting partner of global top OEMs in a wide range of applications — from smartphones and smart watches to tablets, earphones, Bluetooth speakers to and cameras.

FAST RESPONSE DESIGNS

FAST RESPONSE DESIGNS
Gore supports the need of the mobile electronics industry with quick turnaround of designs and prototypes, to ensure that engineering teams can meet their project timelines.

SUPPLY SECURITY

SUPPLY SECURITY
Years of experience in the challenging field of mobile electronics have made us experts at supplying high-volume, fast-ramp products with the timing and quality required for success.

RELIABLE PERFORMANCE

RELIABLE PERFORMANCE
Every Gore product must meet the highest standards of quality, performance and reliability. Through a deep understanding of end-use applications and demands, our products deliver what we promise.

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FOR INDUSTRIAL USE ONLY

Not for use in food, drug, cosmetic or medical device manufacturing, processing, or packaging operations.