Thermal Interface Materials – Transition to High-Performance Materials

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IDTechEx forecasts that the market size of thermal interface materials (TIMs) will exceed US$7 billion, covering multiple industries including EV batteries, EV power electronics (TIM1 and TIM2), data centers, advanced semiconductor packaging (TIM1 and TIM1.5), ADAS sensors, consumer electronics, and 5G. IDTechEx estimates that the market size of TIMs in 2036 will be 2.6x larger than 2026. TIMs can have a number of forms including gap pads, thermal greases, thermally conductive adhesives, and phase change materials.

Drivers of TIM adoption in these industries are varied, ranging from demand for high thermal conductivity for TIMs in the semiconductor and data center industries to the lower cost per unit of TIMs used in EV batteries. For more details on the market size split by industries and TIM1/TIM2/TIM1.5, please refer to IDTechEx’s latest research, “Thermal Interface Materials 2026-2036: Technologies, Markets and Forecasts”.

Market size forecast of TIMs. Source: IDTechEx

TIMs are commonly used in the electronics industries, they are often applied between heat sources and heat sinks to accelerate heat transfer in the vertical and horizontal dimaterirections. Therefore, when it comes to evaluating TIMs, thermal conductivity plays a critical role.

In addition to thermal conductivity, mechanical properties, such as recovery rate under vibration, fatigue resistance, and warpage, all should be thoroughly evaluated, depending on the target uses. This article provides an overview of IDTechEx’s market report “Thermal Interface Materials 2026-2036: Technologies, Markets and Forecasts”, the most comprehensive version of the report to date, including TIM1, TIM1.5, and TIM2 across 7 areas, along with an evaluation of TIM fillers.

TIMs for EV batteries and EV power electronics

Driven by the increasing energy density and power requirements of EV batteries and EV power electronics, along with the fast adoption of electric vehicles, the adoption of TIMs in the EV industry is anticipated to rise quickly.

The three main TIM forms in EV batteries are gap pads, gap fillers, and thermally conductive adhesives (TCAs). There is no universal choice, selection depends on battery design. Currently, gap fillers dominate due to their high automation efficiency. However, EV battery design is shifting from modular to cell-to-pack, which will significantly affect TIM use.

Modular designs require separate TIMs for each cell’s casing, while cell-to-pack integrates cells into one large module, eliminating individual casings and reducing TIM volume per vehicle. In cell-to-pack systems, the TIM sits directly between cells and the cooling plate, making its performance more critical. It must efficiently transfer heat, match the cold plate’s CTE, resist coolant degradation, and provide strong adhesion to hold cells and cooling plates together.

Within EV power electronics, the mega trend is using SiC MOSFETs instead of traditional Si IGBTs. Unlike Si IGBT with maximum junction around 150ºC, SiC MOSFETs’ junction temperatures can go up to 175ºC or even over 200ºC, bringing challenges to heat dissipation.

For EV power electronics, depending on where the TIMs are used, they can be split into TIM1 (die-attach materials) and TIM2 (materials used between power electronics baseplate and heatsinks). To facilitate thermal dissipation, many EV power electronics players are exploring novel materials, such as Ag sintered pastes as TIM1 to replace traditional solders, with potential extension to Cu sintered pastes to reduce costs. More details are included in “Thermal Interface Materials 2026-2036: Technologies, Markets and Forecasts”.

TIMs in data center and advanced semiconductor packaging

Data centers and advanced semiconductor packaging have gained significant attractions over the past two years. As thermal design power of advanced chips (e.g., GPUs, ASICs, etc.) continue to increase, the requirements for TIMs’ thermal conductivities also rise significantly. Within data centers, a notable trend is the transition to liquid cooling, specifically direct-to-chip (D2C) cooling that is underway.

In D2C architecture, TIMs become an important thermal bottleneck as the liquid cooling performance improves. The challenge is to discover a material that has very high thermal conductivity, while at the same time being very pliant and soft so it can follow the topology of different components. Most highly conductive materials are rigid, so they do not conform and may increase stress. Therefore, research and developments are happening to address this issue. Data center components and cooling are rapidly expanding sectors in 2024 and 2025 and expected to continue growing over the next few years, creating significant opportunities for TIM suppliers.

In addition to data centers, semiconductor packaging is another fast-growing area. With the transition to 2.5D and 3D packaging for advanced semiconductors, the thermal challenges inside the packaging become unprecedently high, leading to innovations in TIM1 and TIM1.5s.

IDTechEx’s market report  “Thermal Interface Materials 2026-2036: Technologies, Markets and Forecasts” provides an extensive analysis of various TIM1s and TIM1.5s, such as indium foil, liquid metal, silver-filled gel, and graphene sheet, evaluating their characteristics, challenges, and usage in the semiconductor packaging industry by leading players.

TIMs in 5G, ADAS, and consumer electronics

IDTechEx’s report also includes a comprehensive assessment of TIMs in 5G, ADAS sensors, and consumer electronics, with trends identified. With autonomous driving and robotaxis being deployed on the road, the power demand for automotive components such as LiDAR, cameras, radar, and ECUs also gets higher, thereby requiring TIMs with high thermal conductivity. Similar trends happen in 5G too because of the increased heat dissipation required to support the capacity and connectivity for future traffic growth.

The consumer electronics industry continues to experience steady growth amid a saturated market. With the development of smartphones aimed at gaming, IDTechEx predicts that new materials, including liquid metal, may be introduced in certain consumer electronics.