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a heat spreader is typically a solid or liquid filled chamber that disperses the heat on a surface that is larger than the heat source size. a heat spreader is generally used when the heat source tends to have a high heat-flux density, (high heat flow per unit area), and its size is much smaller than the contact area to the heat exchanger or heat sink.

a typical example is a plate between a small component and the base of a larger footprint heat sink. the heat sink’s performance can be improved with a heat spreading plate. the plate, e.g. made of copper, has a high thermal conductivity and heat from a smaller source will spread out over the plate and more effectively transfer into the secondary heat exchanger. 

along with copper, heat spreaders are made from different high thermal conductivity materials and in some designs feature an internal vapor chamber for added thermal spreading.  our review considers what's leading in the industry today. 

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