Carbon-Nanofiber Reinforced Cu Composites Prepared by Powder Metallurgy for Thermal Management of Electronic Devices

Abstract:

Electronic packaging involves interconnecting, powering, protecting, and cooling of semiconductor circuits for the use in a variety of microelectronic applications. For microelectronic circuits, the main type of failure is thermal fatigue, owing to the different thermal expansion coefficients of semiconductor chips and packaging materials. Therefore, the search for matched coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) of packaging materials in combination with a high thermal conductivity is the main task for developments of heat sink materials electronics, and good mechanical properties are also required. The aim of this work is to develop copper matrix composites reinforced with carbon nanofibers. The advantages of carbon nanofibers, especially the good thermal conductivity, are utlized to obtain a composite material having a thermal conductivity higher than 400W/mK. The main challenge is to obtain a homogeneous dispersion of carbon nanofibers in copper. In this paper, a technology for obtaining a homogeneous mixture of copper and nanofibers will be presented and the microstructure and properties of consolidated samples will be discussed. In order to improve the bonding strength between copper and nanofibers, different alloying elements were added. The microstructure and the properties will be presented and the influence of interface modification will be discussed.

• Periodical: Materials Science Forum (Volumes 534-536)
• Pages: 853-856
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.534-536.853
• Online since: January 2007
• Authors: Hendrik Weidmueller, Thomas Weissgaerber, Thomas Hutsch, R. Huenert, T. Schmitt, K. Mauthner, J. Schulz-Harder
• Keywords: Carbon Nanofiber, Composite, Copper (Cu), Thermal Conductivity (TC), Thermal Management

References

[1] J. Heremans, C. B. Beetz, Jr., Physical Review B 32 (1984), (1981).

[2] S. Arai, M. Endo, Electrochemistry Communications 5 (2003), 797.

[3] S. Arai, M. Endo, Electrochemistry Communications 7 (2005), 19.

[4] Subramanian, Laughlin, Binary Alloy Phase Diagrams Vol. 1 SE - Massalski (1990), 839.