heat sink
A material that absorbs heat. Typically made of aluminum, heat sinks are widely used in amplifiers and other electronic devices that build up heat. Small heat sinks are the most economical method for cooling microprocessors and other chips. They are commonly found glued or clipped to the top or the side of the chip package. See heat pipe, CPU cooler and thermal grease.
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| Heat Sink on a Chip |
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| This type of heat sink is glued to the top of the chip, typically a CPU chip, which generates considerable heat. |
| (hardware) | heat sink - /heet sink/ (from "sink", electronics jargon for
something which takes in current) A piece of thermally
conductive metal attached to a semiconductor or other
electronic device and designed to prevent it from overheating
by conducting heat away from it and radiating it to the
environment. Heat sinks often have fins to increase their
surface area. They occasionally have fans attached. Heat
sink compound can be smeared between the device and the heat
sink to improve thermal conduction. | |