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heat sink
(redirected from heat sinks)

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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.

Heat Sink on a Chip
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.
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To make computers chill, manufacturers typically outfit hot chips with heat sinks, whose fins release heat into a stream of air.
The little chill: tiny wind generator to cool microchip hot spots by Weiss, P. / Science News
Heat sinks for hybrid cars (for control of power generation using waste heat from engine, brake, etc.
Showa Denko K.K. (SDK) Heat Exchangers Adopted in Honda's New Civic ... by JCN Newswires
This compound is designed to provide physical bonding and heat transfer between electrical/electronic components and their heat sinks.
Silicone compounds. (Materials) by Rubber World
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