Heat conduction pad, heat dissipation device, and communication apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a heat conduction pad, a heat dissipation device, and a communication apparatus. The heat conduction pad may comprise an elastic support and a heat conduction film. The elastic support comprises: a first section, a second section, and an elastic connecting section which are formed by continuously bending a sheet, wherein the elastic connecting section is connected between the first section and the second section, and the first section and the second section are arranged opposite to each other; and the heat conduction film is wound around the periphery of the elastic support, and the heat conduction film is attached to the first section and the second section. In this way, on the one hand, heat dissipation can be achieved by means of the heat conduction film; and on the other hand, the elastic support having the special structure has high resilience, good creep resistance, and low rebound stress, and the high resilience and creep resistance can remain stable over a long period of time, so that contact failure caused by resilience attenuation or creep can be avoided, and rebound stress borne by a heat source can also be reduced, avoiding damage to the heat source, thereby improving the performance of the heat conduction pad and improving the heat dissipation effect.

Description

A thermal pad, a heat sink, and a communication device

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411433729.8, filed on October 14, 2024, entitled "A Thermal Pad, Radiator and Communication Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to the field of electronic equipment technology, and more particularly to a thermal pad, a heat sink, and a communication device. Background Technology

[0004] Currently, commonly used thermal pads are generally composed of graphite and organic foam, with graphite wrapped around the surface of the organic foam. Because organic foam undergoes creep and its resilience gradually diminishes over long-term use, when the device to be cooled (also known as the heat source) and the heat sink are connected through such a thermal pad, contact failure may occur after prolonged use, significantly reducing the thermal performance of the pad. Furthermore, some heat sources cannot withstand large rebound stresses; if the rebound stress is too high, it can damage the heat source and prevent it from functioning properly. When using organic foam to make thermal pads to improve creep resistance, the cross-linking strength of the polymers in the foam is further increased, and the porosity is reduced, leading to a significant increase in the rebound stress of the organic foam. This severely limits the effectiveness of thermal pads made from organic foam in reducing rebound stress. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a thermal pad, a heat sink, and a communication device to improve the performance of the thermal pad and enhance heat dissipation.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a thermally conductive pad, which may include an elastic support and a thermally conductive film. The elastic support includes a first segment, a second segment, and an elastic connecting segment formed by continuously bending a sheet. The elastic connecting segment connects the first segment and the second segment, and the first segment and the second segment are positioned opposite each other. The thermally conductive film is wrapped around the outer periphery of the elastic support and is attached to the first segment and the second segment. Thus, on the one hand, heat dissipation can be achieved through the thermally conductive film; on the other hand, this specially structured elastic support has high resilience, good creep resistance, and low rebound stress. This high resilience and creep resistance can remain stable over a long period, thereby avoiding contact failure due to resilience decay or creep, and reducing the rebound stress on the heat source, preventing damage to the heat source, thereby improving the performance of the thermally conductive pad and enhancing the heat dissipation effect.

[0007] Optionally, the elastic connecting section has a hollow structure, which can reduce the rebound stress of the elastic support, thereby further reducing the rebound stress.

[0008] Optionally, the first and second segments are planar and arranged in parallel. Taking the thermal pad placed on the surface of the cold plate of the heat sink as an example, assuming that the first segment is in contact with the cold plate and the second segment is in contact with the heat source, when both the first and second segments are planar, the contact area between the thermal conductive film in the thermal pad and the cold plate and the heat source can be increased, thereby increasing the heat transfer effect of the thermal conductive film and thus increasing the heat dissipation effect of the thermal pad.

[0009] Optionally, one second segment and two first segments are provided, with each first segment located in the same plane; two elastic connecting segments are provided, corresponding to the first segments; or, one first segment and two second segments are provided, with each second segment located in the same plane; two elastic connecting segments are provided, corresponding to the second segments. In this way, the first segment, the second segment, and the elastic connecting segments form a continuously bending structure, thereby forming an elastic support and increasing its stability.

[0010] Optionally, the thermal conductive film can be a single-layer structure, and the material used to make the thermal conductive film includes any one of graphite film, graphene film, and boron nitride film.

[0011] Alternatively, the thermally conductive film can be a multi-layer structure, comprising: N first thermally conductive layers and N+1 second thermally conductive layers, with the first and second thermally conductive layers alternately arranged, where N is a positive integer; the materials used to make the first thermally conductive layers include at least one of thermally conductive adhesive and thermally conductive metal; the materials used to make the second thermally conductive layers include at least one of graphene, graphite, and boron nitride. Thus, a thermally conductive film including first and second thermally conductive layers can be called a composite thermally conductive film. Compared with a single-layer thermally conductive film, this composite thermally conductive film can improve the thermal conductivity of the normal phase while maintaining the thermal conductivity within its surface, resulting in lower thermal resistance and further improving the heat transfer effect of the thermally conductive film and the heat dissipation effect of the thermal pad.

[0012] Furthermore, the first thermal conductive layer is respectively set corresponding to the first segment and the second segment, so that the first thermal conductive layer is only set in a partial position between any two adjacent second thermal conductive layers. In other words, when the part of the thermal conductive film that is attached to the first segment and the second segment is called the first orientation region, and the part that is not attached to the first segment and the second segment is called the second orientation region, in the second orientation region, adjacent second thermal conductive layers do not need to be connected by the first thermal conductive layer. Since the thermal conductive film in the second orientation region is unsupported, while the thermal conductive film in the first orientation region can be supported by the first segment and the second segment, removing the first thermal conductive layer in the second orientation region can reduce the bending stress of the thermal conductive film, thereby reducing the rebound stress of the thermal pad.

[0013] Furthermore, the thermally conductive film has a porous structure extending along its thickness direction, and the porous structure is filled with at least one of thermally conductive adhesive and metal. The thermally conductive adhesive or metal in the porous structure can further improve the thermal conductivity of the normal phase of the thermally conductive film. In addition, by setting the porous structure, the interlayer bonding force of the composite thermally conductive film can be increased, making the first and second thermally conductive layers bond more tightly, preventing the separation or detachment of the first and second thermally conductive films during use, and improving the reliability of the thermal pad.

[0014] Optionally, at least one of the side surface, the beginning end, and the end end of the thermal conductive film is provided with an encapsulation layer. The encapsulation layer can protect the edge of the thermal conductive film, prevent debris from falling off the edge of the thermal conductive film, and also avoid affecting the thermal resistance of the thermal conductive film in other locations, thereby improving the performance of the thermal pad.

[0015] Optionally, the material for the elastic support includes metal or metal alloy. This not only reduces the manufacturing difficulty of the elastic support, but also allows for free compression and rebound in the height direction. It has the characteristic of not easily yielding under high compression, thus further improving the resilience and creep resistance of the elastic support, thereby further improving the performance of the thermal pad.

[0016] Secondly, embodiments of this application also provide a heat sink, which may include: a cold plate and a thermal pad as described in the first aspect and any of the embodiments described above, the thermal pad being disposed on the surface of the cold plate. Thus, by improving the performance of the thermal pad, the performance of the heat sink can be improved, because the thermal pad has compressive resilience, enabling the heat sink to have a floating function. It should be understood that cold plates generally do not have compressive resilience; when a thermal pad with compressive resilience is disposed on the surface of the cold plate, the heat sink can possess compressive resilience, thereby facilitating assembly. Therefore, the floating function in this paragraph refers to the heat sink having compressive resilience.

[0017] Furthermore, when the heat sink is applied to a pluggable heat source such as an optical module to dissipate heat from the optical module, a casing can be provided to protect the thermal pad and prevent damage to the thermal pad when the heat source is plugged in or unplugged. The casing can be located on the surface of the thermal pad facing away from the cold plate, or it can be located on the side of the thermal pad. It should be understood that if the surface of the thermal pad in contact with the cold plate is called the first surface, and the surface of the thermal pad facing away from the cold plate is called the second surface, then the side of the thermal pad refers to any surface located between the first and second surfaces and connected to both the first and second surfaces respectively.

[0018] It should be understood that since the principle of heat sink in solving the problem is similar to that of thermal pad in solving the problem, the implementation and technical effect of this heat sink can be referred to the implementation and technical effect of the aforementioned thermal pad, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0019] Thirdly, embodiments of this application also provide a communication device that may include the heat sink described in the second aspect above. When the communication device is an optical network device, it may further include an optical module, which directly contacts the encapsulation shell containing the thermal pad within the heat sink. When the communication device is a base station, it may further include circuit components, the thermally conductive surface of which contacts the thermal pad of the heat sink.

[0020] It should be understood that since the principle of communication equipment in solving problems is similar to that of the aforementioned heat sink in solving problems, the implementation and technical effects of this communication equipment can be found in the implementation and technical effects of the aforementioned heat sink, and the repetition will not be repeated. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a thermal pad provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0023] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of another thermal pad provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0024] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another thermal pad provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0025] Figure 5 is a three-dimensional structural diagram of an elastic support provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of another thermal pad provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of another thermal pad provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0028] Reference numerals: 01-Optical module, 02-Heat sink, 0201-Cold plate, 04-Optical cage, 10-Elastic bracket, 11-First section, 12-Second section, 13-Elastic connection section, 20-Heat conductive film, 21-First heat conductive layer, 22-Second heat conductive layer, 23-Hole structure, m0-Hollow structure, G0-Hollow structure, Q1-First orientation area, Q2-Second orientation area. Detailed Implementation

[0029] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the application will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0030] It should be noted that the same reference numerals in the accompanying drawings of this application denote the same or similar structures, and therefore repeated descriptions of them will be omitted. Terms expressing position and direction described in this application are illustrative based on the accompanying drawings, but may be modified as needed, and all such modifications are included within the scope of protection of this application. The accompanying drawings of this application are for illustrating relative positional relationships only and do not represent actual scale.

[0031] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application, the application scenarios will be explained first below.

[0032] The thermal pad provided in this application embodiment can be widely used in communication equipment, which may include, but is not limited to, base stations, optical network equipment, etc. Taking optical network equipment as an example, optical network equipment typically includes an optical module 01 and a heat sink 02, as shown in Figure 1. Figure 1 only shows the optical module 01 and the heat sink 02. The optical module 01 is usually installed in the optical cage 04 of the optical network equipment in a pluggable manner. The optical cage 04 not only provides the necessary installation space for the optical module 01, but also provides a certain degree of electromagnetic shielding to prevent the optical module 01 from being adversely affected by electromagnetic interference and other factors. The heat sink 02 can be fixed to the upper end of the optical cage 04. When the optical module 01 is inserted into the optical cage 04, an effective dry contact can be formed between the optical module 01 and the heat sink 02. It should be understood that dry contact means that the thermally conductive surface of the optical module 01 and the thermally conductive surface of the heat sink 02 are in close contact, and there is no filling material between the two contact surfaces.

[0033] The optical module 01 may include: a housing (not shown in Figure 1) and an optical circuit assembly (not shown in Figure 1), the optical circuit assembly being disposed within the housing; for example, the optical circuit assembly may include an optical emitting component and an optical receiving component, the optical emitting component being used to convert an electrical signal into an optical signal and then transmit it, and the optical receiving component being used to receive the optical signal and convert it back into an electrical signal; of course, the optical circuit assembly may also include other structures, which can be configured according to actual conditions, and are not specifically limited here.

[0034] The lower surface of the cold plate 0201 of the heat sink 02 is sequentially provided with a thermal pad and a package shell (not shown in Figure 1). The optical module 01 contacts the package shell, and then the heat is transferred to the cold plate through the thermal pad to achieve heat dissipation. For pluggable heat sources such as the optical module 01, the package shell can prevent the thermal pad from being damaged during the insertion and removal of the optical module 01. The package shell can be made of metal, with a wear-resistant thermally conductive material coated or attached to the outer layer of the metal shell. For stationary heat sources, the thermal pad can be in direct contact with the heat source without the need for an external protective package layer, thus simplifying the structure and reducing the manufacturing cost of the heat sink 02.

[0035] It should be understood that optical network equipment can be various types of devices such as fiber optic transceivers, switches, fiber optic routers, or fiber optic network interface cards, and is not specifically limited here. Of course, the thermal pads provided in this application can be used not only in communication equipment, but also in various devices that require heat conduction through dry contact, such as, but not limited to, pluggable storage hard drives, etc. This application does not limit the specific application scope of the thermal pads.

[0036] Currently, commonly used thermal pads are generally composed of graphite and organic foam, with graphite wrapped around the surface of the organic foam. Because organic foam undergoes creep over long-term use and its resilience gradually diminishes, when the device to be cooled (also known as the heat source) and the heat sink make dry contact through such a thermal pad, long-term use may lead to dry contact failure, significantly reducing the heat dissipation performance of the thermal pad. Furthermore, some heat sources cannot withstand large rebound stresses; if the rebound stress is too high, it can damage the heat source and prevent it from functioning properly. When using organic foam to make thermal pads to improve creep resistance, the cross-linking strength of the polymers in the foam is further increased, and the porosity is reduced, resulting in a significant increase in the rebound stress of the organic foam. This severely limits the effectiveness of thermal pads made from organic foam in reducing rebound stress.

[0037] Based on this, embodiments of this application provide a thermally conductive pad, which may include an elastic support and a thermally conductive film. The elastic support includes a first segment, a second segment, and an elastic connecting segment formed by continuously bending a sheet. The elastic connecting segment connects the first segment and the second segment, and the first segment and the second segment are positioned opposite each other. The thermally conductive film is wrapped around the outer periphery of the elastic support and is attached to the first segment and the second segment. Thus, on the one hand, heat dissipation can be achieved through the thermally conductive film; on the other hand, this specially structured elastic support has high resilience, good creep resistance, and low rebound stress. This high resilience and creep resistance can remain stable over a long period, thereby avoiding contact failure due to resilience decay or creep, and reducing the rebound stress on the heat source, preventing damage to the heat source, thereby improving the performance of the thermally conductive pad and enhancing the heat dissipation effect.

[0038] The following will provide a detailed description with reference to specific embodiments.

[0039] Figure 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of a thermal pad provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 2, the thermal pad may include: an elastic support 10 and a thermal conductive film 20; the elastic support 10 includes: a first segment 11, a second segment 12 and an elastic connecting segment 13 formed by continuous bending of a sheet, the elastic connecting segment 13 being connected between the first segment 11 and the second segment 12, the first segment 11 and the second segment 12 being opposite to each other; the thermal conductive film 20 is wrapped around the outer periphery of the elastic support 10 and is attached to the first segment 11 and the second segment 12.

[0040] Thus, because the elastic connection between the first segment 11 and the second segment 12 is elastic, when pressure is applied to the elastic support 10, the elastic connection will be compressed. After the pressure is removed, the elastic connection will automatically return to its original shape before compression due to its own elasticity, thereby achieving rebound. The elastic support 10 is formed by continuously bending a sheet. When the sheet has a certain hardness, it can form and maintain the shape of the elastic support 10. The elastic support 10 can be regarded as a hollow support structure, as shown by the hollow structure m0 in Figure 2. Therefore, this special elastic support 10 has good stability during long-term use, and thus has more stable and higher resilience, better creep resistance and lower rebound stress. It can avoid contact failure between the heat source and the heat sink due to the decay of resilience or creep, and can also reduce the rebound stress on the heat source, avoiding damage to the heat source, thereby improving the performance of the thermal pad. Furthermore, the thermal conductive film 20 disposed on the outer periphery of the elastic support 10 can realize the thermal conductive function of the thermal pad, thereby transferring the heat emitted by the heat source to the heat sink and realizing heat dissipation of the heat source.

[0041] In addition, there may be assembly errors when the thermal pad is assembled into the heat sink. Due to the special structure of the thermal pad, it can absorb such assembly errors and can be assembled into the heat sink well, thus giving the thermal pad a high tolerance characteristic.

[0042] I. The specific configuration of the elastic support 10 is described below.

[0043] The material for the elastic support 10 can include metal or metal alloy. When using metal, suitable metals include iron, copper, aluminum, and other metals with a certain degree of hardness and flexibility. When using metal alloy, suitable metal alloys include stainless steel, copper alloys (such as, but not limited to, beryllium copper), aluminum alloys, and other metal alloys with a certain degree of hardness and flexibility. The specific choice can be made according to actual needs and is not specifically limited here. Using metal or metal alloy to make the elastic support 10 not only reduces the manufacturing difficulty of the elastic support 10 but also allows for free compression and rebound in the height direction, exhibiting the characteristic of not easily yielding under high compression. Therefore, it can further improve the resilience and creep resistance of the elastic support 10, thereby further improving the performance of the thermal pad.

[0044] It is worth noting that although metals and metal alloys themselves do not have elasticity, after the elastic support 10 is formed by continuously bending metal sheets and metal alloy sheets, the elastic support 10 is in a stable state when no external force is applied; when an external force is applied, the part connecting the first segment 11 and the second segment 12 is compressed and deformed; after the external force is removed, the deformed state is not stable, and the elastic support 10 will automatically return to the stable state before the external force was applied, thus making the elastic support 10 resilient.

[0045] Referring again to Figure 2, both the first segment 11 and the second segment 12 can be planar, and they are arranged in parallel. Taking the thermal pad as an example placed on the surface of the cold plate of the heat sink, assuming that the first segment 11 is in contact with the cold plate and the second segment 12 is in contact with the heat source, when both the first segment 11 and the second segment 12 are planar, the contact area between the thermal conductive film 20 in the thermal pad and the cold plate and the heat source can be increased, thereby increasing the heat transfer effect of the thermal conductive film 20 and thus increasing the heat dissipation effect of the thermal pad.

[0046] Of course, the first segment 11 and the second segment 12 are not limited to being both planar. They can also be configured as follows: the first segment 11 is planar and the second segment 12 is curved (not shown); or the first segment 11 is curved and the second segment 12 is planar, as shown in Figure 3(d); or both the first segment 11 and the second segment 12 are curved (not shown). Regardless of how the first segment 11 and the second segment 12 are configured, when the first segment 11 and the second segment 12 are placed opposite each other, assuming that the first segment 11 is in contact with the cold plate and the second segment 12 is in contact with the heat source, heat can still be transferred from the heat source to the cold plate, thereby achieving heat dissipation from the heat source. However, the degree of heat dissipation is slightly different compared to when the first segment 11 and the second segment 12 are both planar.

[0047] For example, the number of the first segment 11, the second segment 12, and the flexible connection segment 13 can be configured in the following ways:

[0048] Method 1: One segment 11 and one segment 12 can be provided. In this case, one elastic connecting segment 13 is also provided, as shown in Figure 2. The elastic connecting segment 13 connects the first segment 11 and the second segment 12 to form an elastic support 10. Since the first segment 11, the second segment 12, and the elastic connecting segment 13 are formed by continuous bending of sheet material, they can be considered as integrally formed, which increases the stability of the elastic support 10. Of course, when one segment 11 and one segment 12 are provided, the shape of the elastic support 10 is not limited to that shown in Figure 2. Figure 2 is only used as an example for illustration. In practice, any shape of elastic support 10 satisfying Method 1 falls within the protection scope of this application.

[0049] Method 2: There is one first segment 11 and two second segments 12, as shown in Figure 3(a), Figure 3(b), Figure 3(d) and Figure 4(b). Each second segment 12 is located in the same plane, which allows the thermal conductive film 20 on the surface of both second segments 12 to make effective contact with other structures, increasing the contact area and thus increasing the heat dissipation effect. At this time, there can be two elastic connecting segments 13. One elastic connecting segment 13 (such as the elastic connecting segment 13 on the left side shown in Figure 4(b)) is used to connect the first segment 11 with one of the second segments 12 (such as the second segment 12 on the left side shown in Figure 4(b)). The other elastic connecting segment 13 (such as the elastic connecting segment 13 on the right side shown in Figure 4(b)) is used to connect the first segment 11 with another second segment 12 (such as the second segment 12 on the right side shown in Figure 4(b)). That is, the elastic connecting segments 13 and the second segments 12 are set in correspondence, so that the first segment 11, the second segment 12 and the elastic connecting segment 13 form a continuous bending structure, thereby forming the elastic support 10 and increasing the stability of the elastic support 10. Of course, when there is one first segment 11, two second segments 12, and two elastic connecting segments 13, the shape of the elastic bracket 10 is not limited to that shown in Figure 3(a), Figure 3(b), Figure 3(d), and Figure 4(b). These figures are just examples for illustration. In practice, any shape of elastic bracket 10 that satisfies this method 2 is within the protection scope of this application.

[0050] Method 3: Two first segments 11 and one second segment 12 are provided, as shown in Figure 3(c). Each first segment 11 is located in the same plane, which allows the heat-conducting film 20 on the surface of both first segments 11 to effectively contact other structures, increasing the contact area and thus improving the heat dissipation effect. In this case, two elastic connecting segments 13 can be provided. One elastic connecting segment 13 (such as the elastic connecting segment 13 on the left in Figure 3(c)) is used to connect the second segment 12 to one of the first segments 11 (such as the first segment 11 on the left in Figure 3(c)), and the other elastic connecting segment 13 (such as the elastic connecting segment 13 on the right in Figure 3(c)) is used to connect the second segment 12 to the other first segment 11 (such as the first segment 11 on the right in Figure 3(c)). That is, the elastic connecting segments 13 are correspondingly provided to the first segments 11, so that the first segment 11, the second segment 12 and the elastic connecting segments 13 form a continuously bent structure, thereby forming an elastic support 10 and increasing the stability of the elastic support 10. Of course, when there are two segments 11, one segment 12, and two elastic connecting segments 13, the shape of the elastic bracket 10 is not limited to that shown in Figure 3(c). This is just an example of the structure shown in Figure 3(c). In practice, any shape of elastic bracket 10 that satisfies this method 3 is within the protection scope of this application.

[0051] Method 4: In this method 4, the number of the first segment 11, the second segment 12, and the elastic connecting segment 13 differs from that in methods 1 to 3 above. For example, there may be two first segments 11 and three second segments 12, in which case there may be four elastic connecting segments 13 (not shown in the figure); or, there may be two first segments 11 and two second segments 12, in which case there may be three elastic connecting segments 13 (not shown in the figure); or there may be more than two first segments 11 and more than three second segments 12, and the number of elastic connecting segments 13 can be determined based on the number of first segments 11 and second segments 12, so as to connect each first segment 11 and each second segment 12; correspondingly, the shape of the elastic bracket 10 can also be other special shapes set according to actual needs.

[0052] In summary, when setting the number of the first segment 11 and the second segment 12, any one of the above methods 1 to 4 can be used according to actual needs to meet the needs of different application scenarios and improve the flexibility of the design.

[0053] For example, taking Figure 4(a) as an example, which is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the elastic support 10 shown in Figure 4(b), the sheet forming the elastic support 10 can be a solid sheet, which can increase the operability of bending the sheet, reduce the manufacturing difficulty of the elastic support 10, and thus reduce the manufacturing difficulty of the thermal pad.

[0054] Referring again to Figure 4(a), the dimensions of the elastic support 10 can be set as follows: the length along the x-direction (i.e., the length of the elastic support 10) is ≥0.2mm, the length along the y-direction (i.e., the width of the elastic support 10) is ≥0.2mm, the length along the z-direction (i.e., the thickness of the elastic support 10) is ≥0.3mm, and the thickness of the sheet is ≥0.1mm. The specific dimensions of the elastic support 10 can be set according to actual needs and are not specifically limited here. For example, if the thermal pad is placed in the heat sink and a high heat dissipation effect is required, the dimensions of the elastic support 10 can be set larger to increase the contact area between the thermal conductive film 20 and the cold plate in the heat sink, thereby increasing the heat transfer effect. If the thermal pad is placed in the heat sink, but the size of the cold plate in the heat sink is required to be smaller, the dimensions of the elastic support 10 can be set smaller to ensure that the thermal pad is securely placed on the cold plate.

[0055] II. The specific configuration of the thermal conductive film 20 is described below.

[0056] The thermally conductive film 20 can be a single-layer structure. In this case, the material used to fabricate the thermally conductive film 20 can include any one of graphene, graphite, or boron nitride. This simplifies the structure of the thermally conductive film 20, reduces its manufacturing cost, and consequently lowers the manufacturing cost of the thermal pad. Furthermore, the high thermal conductivity of the materials used to fabricate the thermally conductive film 20, as listed above, results in lower thermal resistance, which in turn leads to lower thermal resistance in the thermal pad, thus achieving low thermal resistance and improving the thermal conductivity of the thermal pad.

[0057] For example, when the thermal conductive film 20 is attached to the first segment 11 and the second segment 12, the thermal conductive film 20 can be bonded to the first segment 11 and the second segment 12 respectively. This can increase the stability of the thermal conductive film 20 and prevent the thermal conductive film 20 from shifting or even falling off during the use of the thermal conductive pad, thereby improving the reliability of the thermal conductive pad.

[0058] Furthermore, the thermal conductive film 20 can be in the form of a strip before being wrapped around the outer periphery of the elastic support 10. The strip-shaped thermal conductive film 20 is easy to roll around the outer periphery of the elastic support 10, wrapping the outer periphery of the elastic support 10 and adhering to the first segment 11 and the second segment 12, thereby creating a thermal conductive pad. The strip-shaped thermal conductive film 20 has a head end and a tail end that are placed opposite each other. When the head end and the tail end are on the same first segment 11 (or second segment 12), the head end and the tail end can be connected, so that the thermal conductive film 20 wrapped around the outer periphery of the elastic support 10 forms a closed structure, as shown in the dashed box s1 in Figure 3(b); or, the head end and the tail end... When the ends are on the same first segment 11 (or second segment 12), there can be a gap between the beginning and the end, as shown in the dashed box s2 in Figure 2; or, when the beginning and the end are on different second segments 12 (or different first segments 11), the beginning and the end can be connected, as not shown in the figure; or, when the beginning and the end are on different second segments 12 (or different first segments 11), there can be a gap between the beginning and the end, as shown in the dashed box s3 in Figure 3(a); in short, the beginning and the end can be connected or not connected, and the specific settings can be made according to the actual situation, without specific limitations here. Furthermore, the cases described above all involve the strip-shaped thermal conductive film 20 being wound around the outer periphery of the elastic support 10 once or less than once. In addition to this case, there can be other cases, such as when the first end and the last end are on the same first segment 11 (or second segment 12), the first end and the last end can overlap, that is, the strip-shaped thermal conductive film 20 is wound around the outer periphery of the elastic support 10 multiple times, so that the thermal conductive film 20 on the first segment 11 has at least two layers, and the thermal conductive film 20 on the second segment 12 has at least one layer, as shown in Figure 3(e). Of course, the number of layers of the thermal conductive film 20 on the first segment 11 and the number of layers of the thermal conductive film 20 on the second segment 12 are not limited to those shown in Figure 3(e), and can be other numbers, which are not specifically limited here.

[0059] It is worth noting that, assuming the thermal pad is applied to a heat sink, the thermally conductive film 20 on the first section 11 is in contact with the cold plate, and the thermally conductive film 20 on the second section 12 is in contact with the heat source. If the thermally conductive film 20 attached to the first section 11 is not connected to the thermally conductive film 20 attached to the second section 12, then the thermally conductive film 20 in contact with the heat source cannot transfer the heat emitted by the heat source to the thermally conductive film 20 in contact with the cold plate, and thus cannot transfer the heat from the heat source to the heat sink. If the thermally conductive film 20 attached to the first section 11 is connected to the thermally conductive film 20 attached to the second section 12, a heat conduction path can be formed. The thermally conductive film 20 in contact with the heat source can then transfer the heat emitted by the heat source to the thermally conductive film 20 in contact with the cold plate, and the thermally conductive film 20 in contact with the cold plate can then transfer the heat to the cold plate, thereby transferring the heat from the heat source to the heat sink, thus achieving heat dissipation for the heat source, i.e., the heat-generating electronic component. Of course, the thermal conductive film 20 does not necessarily have to be a closed structure that wraps around the outer periphery of the elastic support 10. As long as the thermal conductive film 20 wraps around the outer periphery of the elastic support 10 and is attached to the first segment 11 and the second segment 12, the thermal conductive film 20 attached to the first segment 11 and the thermal conductive film 20 attached to the second segment 12 can be connected to achieve the purpose of heat dissipation.

[0060] Furthermore, when the strip-shaped thermal conductive film 20 is not wound around the elastic support 10, the thickness of the thermal conductive film 20 in its flat state can be set from 40μm to 200μm, such as, but not limited to, other thicknesses such as 40μm, 60μm, 80μm, 100μm, 120μm, 140μm, 160μm, 180μm, and 200μm; as shown in Figure 3(e), after the strip-shaped thermal conductive film 20 is wound around the elastic support 10, the thermal conductive film 20 located on the first segment 11 The overall thickness d3 of 0 and the overall thickness d4 of the thermal conductive film 20 located above the second segment 12 can be set from 100μm to 600μm, such as, but not limited to: 100μm, 130μm, 150μm, 180μm, 200μm, 250μm, 300μm, 350μm, 400μm, 430μm, 490μm, 500μm, 600μm and other thicknesses. The specific thickness can be set according to the actual situation and is not limited here.

[0061] For example, in specific applications of thermal pads, the thermal pad can be directly assembled into the gap to be installed, or silicone grease, adhesive, or solder can be applied to the corresponding positions of the first and second sections of the thermal pad before installation, so as to fix the thermal pad and prevent it from shifting or falling off during use. It can also help reduce the contact thermal resistance of the thermal pad and has a better heat dissipation effect in application.

[0062] Figure 5 exemplarily illustrates a structural schematic diagram of another thermal pad provided in an embodiment of this application. Referring to Figure 5, the structure of the thermal pad provided in this embodiment is basically similar to the structure of any of the thermal pads described in Figures 2 to 4 of the aforementioned embodiments. The difference includes: the elastic connecting section 13 has a hollow structure G0, which can reduce the rebound stress of the elastic support 10, thereby further reducing the rebound stress. The specific form of the hollow structure G0 is not limited to that shown in Figure 5; it is only illustrated here as an example. The specific form of the hollow structure G0 can be set according to the actual situation and is not specifically limited here.

[0063] It should be understood that the structure of the thermal pad provided in this embodiment is similar to the structure of the thermal pad described in Figures 2 to 4 of the foregoing embodiments. Please refer to the relevant descriptions in the foregoing embodiments. Repeated descriptions will not be repeated.

[0064] Figure 6 exemplarily illustrates a structural schematic diagram of another thermal pad provided in an embodiment of this application. Referring to Figure 6, the structure of the thermal pad provided in this embodiment is basically similar to the structure of any of the thermal pads described in Figures 2 to 5 of the aforementioned embodiments, with the following differences: the thermal conductive film 20 is a composite thermal conductive film, making the thermal conductive film 20 a multi-layer structure. Exemplarily, the thermal conductive film 20 may include: N first thermal conductive layers 21 and N+1 second thermal conductive layers 22, with the first thermal conductive layers 21 and the second thermal conductive layers 22 alternately arranged, and N being a positive integer; the material used to manufacture the first thermal conductive layer 21 includes at least one of thermally conductive adhesive and thermally conductive metal; the material used to manufacture the second thermal conductive layer 22 includes at least one of graphene, graphite, and boron nitride; wherein the thermally conductive metal may include, but is not limited to, copper, aluminum, titanium, nickel, silver, tin, indium, bismuth, etc., and can be selected according to actual needs, without specific limitations here. It should be understood that the value of N can be a larger integer such as 1, 2, 3, 4, etc., and can be set according to actual needs, without specific limitations here. Thus, the thermally conductive film 20, including the first thermally conductive layer 21 and the second thermally conductive layer 22, can be called a composite thermally conductive film. Compared with the single-layer structure of the thermally conductive film 20, this composite thermally conductive film can improve the thermal conductivity of the normal phase of the thermally conductive film 20, while maintaining the thermal conductivity within its surface. This results in the composite thermally conductive film having a lower thermal resistance, thereby further improving the heat transfer effect of the thermally conductive film 20 and further improving the heat dissipation effect of the thermal pad.

[0065] When the first thermally conductive layer 21 and the second thermally conductive layer 22 are alternately arranged, if the material of the first thermally conductive layer 21 includes thermally conductive adhesive, each of the second thermally conductive layers 22 can be bonded through the first thermally conductive layer 21 to improve the stability of the composite thermally conductive film structure. For example, the thermally conductive adhesive can be selected from: thermally conductive double-sided adhesive and post-curing thermally conductive adhesive. According to the resin system, post-curing thermally conductive adhesives can include, but are not limited to: acrylic type, silicone type, epoxy resin type, epoxy resin-silicone hybrid system, etc., and can be selected according to actual needs, without specific limitations here. Furthermore, the thermal conductivity of the thermally conductive adhesive can be set to ≥10W / m*k, so that the first thermally conductive layer 21 has a high thermal conductivity, thereby further improving the heat transfer effect of the thermally conductive film 20.

[0066] If the material of the first thermally conductive layer 21 includes a thermally conductive metal, a first metal layer with a thickness of micrometers can be deposited on the surface of the second thermally conductive layer 22 firstly, and then a metal solder layer can be coated on the first metal layer. Then, another second thermally conductive layer 22 can be laid on the metal solder layer. The first metal layer and the metal solder layer between the two second thermally conductive layers 22 can be referred to as the first thermally conductive layer 21. After the first thermally conductive layer 21 and the second thermally conductive layer 22 are stacked, the first thermally conductive layer 21 and the second thermally conductive layer 22 are welded together, thereby improving the stability of the composite thermally conductive film structure. The first metal layer and the metal solder layer can both be made of thermally conductive metal to improve the thermal conductivity of the normal phase of the thermally conductive film 20.

[0067] Furthermore, the thickness d1 of the first thermally conductive layer 21 can be set to ≤100μm, and the thickness d2 of the second thermally conductive layer 22 can be set to ≥20μm, so that the thickness d0 of the composite thermally conductive film can be from 100μm to 500μm. However, the specific thicknesses of the first thermally conductive layer 21 and the second thermally conductive layer 22 can be set according to actual needs, and are not specifically limited here.

[0068] For example, when assembling the thermal conductive film 20 around the outer periphery of the elastic support 10, it can be wound sequentially around the elastic support 10, for example, but not limited to: as shown in Figure 6, the strip-shaped thermal conductive film 20 is first attached to the left half of the first segment 11, then bent downwards to the second segment 12 on the left and attached to the second segment 12 on the left, then attached to the second segment 12 on the right, and then bent upwards to the right part of the first segment 11 and attached to it, so that the thermal conductive film 20 is wrapped around the outer periphery of the elastic support 10; or, the strip-shaped thermal conductive film 20 is first attached to the second segment 12 on the left, then bent upwards to the first segment 11 and attached to the first segment 11, and then bent downwards to the second segment 12 on the right and attached to it, so that the thermal conductive film 20 is wrapped around the outer periphery of the elastic support 10; and other winding sequences, the specific winding sequence can be designed according to actual needs, and will not be listed here.

[0069] Wherein, assuming that the portion of the thermal conductive film 20 that is attached to the first segment 11 and the second segment 12 is referred to as the first orientation region Q1, and the portion that is not attached to the first segment 11 and the second segment 12 is referred to as the second orientation region Q2, then the second orientation region Q2 in the thermal conductive film 20 is the portion marked by dashed boxes s4 and s5 in Figures 6 and 7, and the first orientation region Q1 of the thermal conductive film 20 is the portion other than the portion marked by dashed boxes s4 and s5 in Figures 6 and 7, then the following configuration methods can be included:

[0070] Setting method 1: As shown in Figure 6, the first heat-conducting layer 21 can be set in both the first orientation region Q1 and the second orientation region Q2, so that the first heat-conducting layer 21 is set at any position between two adjacent second heat-conducting layers 22. This allows for effective heat transfer between two adjacent second heat-conducting layers 22 and avoids the effect of heat transfer when there is air in some positions where there is no first heat-conducting layer 21.

[0071] Furthermore, the thermally conductive film 20 may contain a hole structure 23, which extends along the thickness direction of the thermally conductive film 20 (as shown in direction F1 in Figure 6). The hole structure 23 can be a through-hole penetrating the thermally conductive film 20 along the thickness direction, or a blind hole not penetrating the thermally conductive film 20 along the thickness direction. There may be at least one hole structure 23. When multiple hole structures 23 are provided, these hole structures 23 may all be through-holes (as shown in Figure 6), or all be blind holes (not shown), or some may be through-holes and others blind holes (not shown). The specific configuration can be determined according to actual needs and is not specifically limited here. Furthermore, the hole structure 23 is filled with at least one of thermally conductive adhesive and metal. Thus, by setting the pore structure 23, the thermal conductivity of the composite thermal conductive film phase can be improved, the interlayer bonding force of the composite thermal conductive film can be increased, and the first thermal conductive layer 21 and the second thermal conductive layer 22 can be bonded more tightly, avoiding the separation or detachment of the first thermal conductive film 20 and the second thermal conductive film 20 during use, thereby improving the reliability of the thermal pad.

[0072] Of course, the thermal conductive film 20 can also have a non-porous structure 23, which can simplify the structure of the thermal conductive film 20, reduce the manufacturing cost of the thermal conductive film 20, and thus reduce the manufacturing cost of the thermal pad.

[0073] Configuration Method 2: As shown in Figure 7, the first heat-conducting layer 21 can be set only in the first orientation region Q1, and not in the second orientation region Q2. That is, the first heat-conducting layer 21 is set corresponding to the first segment 11 and the second segment 12 respectively, so that the first heat-conducting layer 21 is only partially set between any two adjacent second heat-conducting layers 22. In other words, in the second orientation region Q2, adjacent second heat-conducting layers 22 do not need to be connected by the first heat-conducting layer 21. Since the heat-conducting film 20 in the second orientation region Q2 is unsupported, while the heat-conducting film 20 in the first orientation region Q1 can be supported by the first segment 11 and the second segment 12, removing the first heat-conducting layer 21 in the second orientation region Q2 can reduce the bending stress of the heat-conducting film 20, thereby reducing the rebound stress of the heat-conducting pad. Furthermore, when assembling the heat-conducting film 20, the heat-conducting film 20 can be pre-bent to a certain angle using a jig before being assembled on the outer periphery of the elastic bracket 10. This can further reduce the bending stress of the heat-conducting film 20 and improve the ease of assembly.

[0074] In this configuration 2, the size of the first thermally conductive layer 21 located in the first orientation region Q1 can be close to the size of the first segment 11 and the second segment 12, in order to improve the thermal conductivity of the thermally conductive film 20 in the normal phase. Furthermore, in this configuration 2, a porous structure 23 can also be provided, and the configuration of the porous structure 23 can refer to the configuration of the porous structure 23 in the above-described configuration 1, and will not be detailed here. Of course, in this configuration 2, the thermally conductive film 20 can also be without a porous structure 23, which simplifies the structure of the thermally conductive film 20, reduces the manufacturing cost of the thermally conductive film 20, and thus reduces the manufacturing cost of the thermal pad.

[0075] In summary, in practice, you can choose either setting method 1 or setting method 2 based on the specific circumstances to meet the needs of different application scenarios and improve design flexibility.

[0076] It should be understood that the structure of the thermal pad provided in this embodiment is similar to the structure of the thermal pad described in Figure 2 or Figure 3 of the aforementioned embodiments. Please refer to the relevant descriptions in the aforementioned embodiments. Repeated descriptions will not be repeated.

[0077] This application provides another schematic diagram of a thermal pad structure. The structure of the thermal pad provided in this embodiment is basically similar to that of any of the thermal pads described in Figures 2 to 7 of the aforementioned embodiments, except that an encapsulation layer is also provided in the thermal pad. For example, during use, debris may fall from the sides, beginning, and end of the thermal conductive film. This debris may adversely affect the normal operation of the heat source or radiator. Therefore, to prevent debris from falling, an encapsulation layer can be provided at least one of the sides, beginning, and end of the thermal conductive film. The encapsulation layer can protect the edges of the thermal conductive film, preventing debris from falling from the edges, and can also prevent the thermal resistance of the thermal conductive film in other locations from being affected, thereby improving the performance of the thermal pad. It should be understood that the sides of the thermal conductive film refer to the surface of the thermal conductive film parallel to the paper in Figure 2.

[0078] The encapsulation layer can be made of adhesive, such as, but not limited to, using a curing low-modulus adhesive. During the manufacturing process, the adhesive can be sprayed onto the edge of the thermally conductive film using a spraying method, and then cured and formed. The specific materials and manufacturing methods for the encapsulation layer can be set according to actual needs, and no specific limitations are made here.

[0079] It should be understood that the structure of the thermal pad provided in this embodiment is similar to the structure of the thermal pad described in Figure 2 or Figure 3 of the aforementioned embodiments. Please refer to the relevant descriptions in the aforementioned embodiments. Repeated descriptions will not be repeated.

[0080] The performance of the thermal pad is tested below with reference to the embodiments.

[0081] Example 1: The structure of the elastic support is shown in Figure 5. The elastic support is made of beryllium copper, and the thickness of the sheet used to make the elastic support is 0.5 mm. The thermal conductive film is a graphene film with a planar thermal conductivity of 1800 W / m*k. The thickness of the graphene film and the thermal conductive film are both 80 μm. The thermal conductive film is rolled around the outer periphery of the elastic support. Double-sided adhesive is used between the thermal conductive film and the first and second sections of the elastic support to achieve bonding and fixation. The thickness of the double-sided adhesive is 10 μm, and the thermal conductivity of the double-sided adhesive is ≥1 W / m*k. The thermal conductive film corresponding to the second orientation region is pre-bent to a certain angle (e.g., ≥5°) before being assembled.

[0082] Example 2: The difference from Example 1 is that the thermal conductive film is rolled up three times around the outer periphery of the elastic support, so that there are four layers of thermal conductive film corresponding to the first segment and three layers of thermal conductive film corresponding to the second segment.

[0083] Example 3: The differences from Example 1 include: the thermal conductive film is formed by overlapping three layers of graphene film and two layers of thermal conductive adhesive, and the thermal conductive adhesive is only placed in the first orientation region; the thermal conductive adhesive is an organosilicon thermal conductive adhesive with a thermal conductivity of 20 W / m*k and a thickness of 20 μm; the total thickness of the thermal conductive film is 430 μm.

[0084] Example 4: The differences from Example 1 include: the thermally conductive film is formed by overlapping six layers of graphene film and five layers of first thermally conductive adhesive, the first thermally conductive adhesive is only placed in the first orientation region, and the thickness of the first thermally conductive adhesive is 20 μm; the thickness of the graphene film is 65 μm; the total thickness of the thermally conductive film is 490 μm; a second thermally conductive adhesive with a thickness of 20 μm and a thermal conductivity of 13 W / m*k is pre-applied to the first and second segments of the elastic support; when the thermally conductive film is assembled on the outer periphery of the elastic support, pressure is applied and it is heated and cured, so that the thermally conductive film is bonded and fixed to the first and second segments of the elastic support by the second thermally conductive adhesive; both the first and second thermally conductive adhesives are silicone-type thermally conductive adhesives, and the thermal conductivity of both the first and second thermally conductive adhesives is 20 W / m*k.

[0085] Example 5: The differences from Example 1 include: the thermally conductive film is formed by overlapping three layers of graphene film and two layers of first thermally conductive adhesive, the first thermally conductive adhesive is only disposed in the first orientation region, and the thickness of the first thermally conductive adhesive is 20 μm; the total thickness of the thermally conductive film is 430 μm; a second thermally conductive adhesive with a thickness of 20 μm is pre-applied to the first and second sections of the elastic support; when the thermally conductive film is assembled on the outer periphery of the elastic support, pressure is applied and it is heated and cured, so that the thermally conductive film is bonded and fixed to the first and second sections of the elastic support by the second thermally conductive adhesive; both the first and second thermally conductive adhesives are silicone-type thermally conductive adhesives, and the thermal conductivity of both the first and second thermally conductive adhesives is 20 W / m*k; the thermally conductive film has through holes extending through its thickness direction in the first orientation region, the diameter of the through holes is 100 μm, and the porosity is 20%.

[0086] Example 6: The differences from Example 1 include: the thermally conductive film is formed by overlapping three layers of graphene film and two layers of indium, with the indium layer only located in the first orientation region; a 2-3 μm thick copper layer is pre-deposited on the surface of the graphene film; the thickness of the indium layer is 20 μm; the total thickness of the thermally conductive film is 430 μm; a 20 μm thick thermally conductive adhesive with a thermal conductivity of 13 W / m*k is pre-coated on the first and second sections of the elastic support; when the thermally conductive film is assembled on the outer periphery of the elastic support, pressure is applied and it is heated and cured, so that the thermally conductive film is bonded and fixed to the first and second sections of the elastic support by the thermally conductive adhesive; the thermally conductive film has through holes extending through its thickness direction in the first orientation region, the diameter of the through holes is 50 μm, the porosity is 20%, and the through holes are filled with metallic indium.

[0087] Example 7: The difference from Example 1 includes: the thermally conductive film is formed by overlapping three graphene films and two copper layers. The specific fabrication process may include: forming multiple through holes penetrating the thickness direction in the first orientation region of each graphene film, with a pore diameter of 50 μm and a porosity of 20%; depositing a first copper layer with a thickness of about 5 to 10 μm in the corresponding first orientation region on the surface of the graphene film using physical vapor deposition or chemical deposition, and the copper will fill the through holes; then forming a solder layer on the surface of the first copper layer, so that the first copper layer and the solder layer constitute an alloy layer; then placing a graphene film on the thermally conductive metal layer and repeating the above process to form a graphene / metal composite film. The total thickness of the thermally conductive film is 430μm. A thermally conductive adhesive with a thickness of 20μm and a thermal conductivity of 20W / m*k is pre-applied to the first and second sections of the elastic support. When the thermally conductive film is assembled on the outer periphery of the elastic support, pressure is applied and it is heated and cured so that the thermally conductive film is bonded and fixed to the first and second sections of the elastic support by the thermally conductive adhesive.

[0088] Example 8: The difference from Example 7 is that an extremely thin and narrow silicone coating is applied to the sides, beginning, and end of the thermally conductive film to form an encapsulation layer.

[0089] The performance test results are shown in Table 1 below. In Table 1, the unit of surface thermal resistance is ℃*cm. 2 The surface thermal resistance (FRT) test conditions are as follows: Under a rebound stress of 10 psi, the test indenter size is 25.4 mm * 25.4 mm, the thermal pad length is 2.5 mm, width is 0.6 mm, and thickness is 3.4 mm. Four test samples are used, and the average of the four sample test results is taken as the surface thermal resistance. Here, surface thermal resistance has the same meaning as the thermal resistance mentioned earlier and the two can be used interchangeably. Rebound stress refers to the stress tested at 50% compression. Resilience refers to the rebound ratio tested at 50% compression. Resilience after long-term aging refers to the rebound ratio tested at 50% compression.

[0090] Table 1

[0091] The test results in Table 1 above show that:

[0092] 1. By comparing Example 1 with Examples 3-8, it was found that using a composite thermal conductive film can reduce the surface thermal resistance of the thermal pad, thereby improving the heat transfer effect and thus improving the heat dissipation effect.

[0093] 2. By comparing Example 1 and Example 2, it was found that when a single-layer strip thermal conductive film is wound around multiple times, it has a certain effect on reducing the surface thermal resistance and can further improve the heat dissipation effect.

[0094] 3. By comparing Examples 4 and 5, it was found that the composite thermal conductive film in Example 4 includes a higher number of film layers than in Example 5. On the basis of the same type of film layers, by increasing the number of film layers, the surface thermal resistance of the thermal conductive pad can be reduced, thereby further improving the heat transfer effect.

[0095] 4. By comparing Examples 5 with Examples 6-8, it was found that using metal to make composite thermal conductive film can result in a lower surface thermal resistance for thermal conductive pad compared to using thermal conductive adhesive. This is because the thermal resistance of metal is lower than that of thermal conductive adhesive, and its heat transfer performance is better. Therefore, when using metal to make composite thermal conductive film, a lower surface thermal resistance can be obtained, thereby further improving the heat transfer effect.

[0096] 5. By comparing Examples 7 and 8, it was found that the presence or absence of an encapsulation layer has little impact on surface thermal resistance, and has little impact on rebound stress, resilience, rebound rate, and resilience after long-term aging. This indicates that the presence of an encapsulation layer does not have a significant impact on the surface thermal resistance of the thermal pad. Therefore, it can prevent debris from falling off while ensuring that the thermal pad has a good heat transfer effect, thereby improving the reliability of the thermal pad.

[0097] 6. By comparing the test results of the eight embodiments, it was found that the thermal pad provided in this application has the characteristics of low thermal resistance, low rebound stress, high resilience, and creep resistance, resulting in better performance of the thermal pad. It should be understood that since the resilience is still greater than 80% after long-term aging, it indicates that it has good creep resistance.

[0098] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the embodiments of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments of this application. Therefore, if these modifications and variations to the embodiments of this application fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A heat-conductive pad, characterized by, Includes a flexible support and a thermally conductive film; The elastic support includes: a first segment, a second segment, and an elastic connecting segment formed by continuous bending of a sheet, wherein the elastic connecting segment connects the first segment and the second segment, and the first segment and the second segment are positioned opposite each other; The thermally conductive film is wrapped around the outer periphery of the elastic support, and the thermally conductive film is attached to the first segment and the second segment.

2. The thermal pad of claim 1, wherein The elastic connecting segment has a hollow structure.

3. The thermal pad of claim 1 or 2, wherein The first segment and the second segment are planar and are arranged in parallel.

4. The thermal pad of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, There is one second segment and two first segments, each located in the same plane; there are two elastic connecting segments, each corresponding to one of the first segments. Alternatively, there may be one first segment and two second segments, each located in the same plane; and two elastic connecting segments, each corresponding to one of the second segments.

5. The thermal pad according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The thermally conductive film includes: N first thermally conductive layers and N+1 second thermally conductive layers, wherein the first thermally conductive layers and the second thermally conductive layers are alternately arranged, and N is a positive integer; The materials used to make the first thermally conductive layer include at least one of thermally conductive adhesive and thermally conductive metal; The materials used to fabricate the second thermally conductive layer include at least one of graphene, graphite, and boron nitride.

6. The thermal conductive pad as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The first thermal conductive layer is respectively set to correspond to the first segment and the second segment.

7. The thermal pad as described in claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The thermally conductive film has a porous structure that extends along the thickness direction of the thermally conductive film, and the porous structure is filled with at least one of thermally conductive adhesive and metal.

8. The thermal pad according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, An encapsulation layer is provided on at least one of the side surface, the beginning end, and the end surface of the thermal conductive film.

9. The thermal pad according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The materials used to manufacture the elastic support include metal or metal alloy.

10. A radiator, characterized in that, include: The cold plate and the thermal pad as described in any one of claims 1-9, wherein the thermal pad is disposed on the surface of the cold plate.

11. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes the heat sink as described in claim 10.

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