On the Efficacy of Thermal Grease across Copper-Copper Junctions

Alex Ditter and Jacob Pittman

University of Minnesota

Methods of Experimental Physics Spring 2012

Abstract

We sought to answer the question of whether the use of thermal grease such as Apiezon actually succeeds in increasing the thermal conductance across a junction between two blocks of metal. Our method was to dissipate a controlled amount of power across a copper-copper junction at liquid helium temperatures (~4.2 Kelvin), and to measure the resulting temperature gradient once the system reached thermal equilibrium. We found that, due to major systematic uncertainties including inconsistent calibration of our temperature sensors, we were unable to conclude that Apiezon grease is any more effective at conducting heat than bare metal surfaces.