Optical module heat dissipation: High-performance thermal conductive gel is the key

In the field of optical module heat dissipation, high-performance thermal conductive gel has become a key material for ensuring the stable operation of optical modules due to its three core advantages: effective heat dissipation, strong structural adaptability, and reliable long-term stability. The optical module integrates high-power density components such as lasers, modulators, and photodetectors, and there are numerous microscopic uneven surfaces in its heat dissipation path. Thermal conductive gel achieves effective heat dissipation through mechanisms.

The thermal conductive gel is made with silicone as the base material, filled with high thermal conductivity particles such as alumina and boron nitride, forming a viscous paste. Its fluidity enables it to precisely fill the tiny gaps of 0.1-0.5mm between components and heat sinks, eliminating air (the thermal resistance of air is over 100 times that of silicone grease), and creating continuous heat conduction channels. The thermal conductive gel has excellent thixotropic properties. Under pressure, it can be compressed to a very thin thickness while maintaining structural stability, avoiding the pumping effect of silicone grease. The thermal conductivity coefficient of the thermal conductive gel ranges from 1.5 to 8W/mK, meeting the requirements of different power densities. In scenarios where optical modules frequently start and stop or power is dynamically adjusted, the viscoelasticity of the thermal conductive gel can adapt to the deformation of the heat source and heat sink in real time, maintaining the stability of the contact thermal resistance. The thermal conductive gel can operate for a long time in an environment ranging from -45℃ to 200℃ and is resistant to thermal cycling.

In high-density computing scenarios such as AI training clusters and cloud computing nodes, the power consumption of optical modules reaches 15-30W. Heat needs to be quickly dissipated through thermal conductive gel to prevent the laser from exceeding 85℃, which could lead to performance degradation. In laser radars and on-board Ethernet optical modules in new energy vehicles, they need to withstand vibrations and impacts. The softness and anti-pumping-out properties of the thermal conductive gel can maintain the long-term contact thermal resistance stability.