Advanced Thermal Management Materials and Applications
Reducing Size, Weight and Power (SWaP) is a key imperative for aerospace/defense electronic systems. It is also critical in many commercial and consumer applications, such as smart phones, laptop computers, base station remote radio heads, and electric vehicles.
Thermal management is a key problem in all applications. In response to the serious deficiencies of traditional thermal materials, new advanced materials are continually being developed.
The first of a new generation of materials—silicon carbide particle-reinforced aluminum (Al/SiC), which was first used in thermal management by the speaker’s group at GE in the 1980s—is now well established.
There is now an increasing number of new materials with thermal conductivities up to 1700 W/m-K—over four times that of copper—that have low densities and low coefficients of thermal expansion (CTEs). Some are cheaper than traditional materials, reportedly including copper. Payoffs include:
- reduced SWaP;
- increased reliability;
- reduced junction temperatures;
- increased power and light output;
- low-CTE, thermally conductive printed circuit boards (PCBs), potentially eliminating the need for underfill (CTE matching allows direct attach with hard solders);
- reducing thermal resistance and solder fatigue;
- and others.
Here is one example of advanced thermal material benefits: by replacing a copper base plate with Al/SiC, a major IGBT supplier “eliminated solder fatigue”, extending guaranteed life from 10 to 30 years.
There are a large and increasing number of microelectronic and photonic applications. The former include; heat spreaders, heat sinks; microprocessor integrated heat spreaders (lids), RF and power modules; PCB constraining layers and heat sinks (also called PCB cold plates and thermal planes); enclosures; and thermoelectric coolers. Photonic applications include LEDs; laser diodes; plasma and LCD displays; detectors; and other devices.
This presentation covers key advanced thermal management materials and applications. We will also look at future advanced thermal materials, such as carbon nanotubes, grapheme, and graphite nanoplatelets.
Speaker
Carl Zweben Ph. D.
Advanced Thermal Materials Consultant
Life Fellow, ASME; Fellow, SAMPE & ASM; Associate Fellow, AIAA
