This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project seeks to develop an unique hot press die casting technology to be used to produce graphite-metal materials. These materials will be used to produce packaging components for use in high power electronics packaging. There is a critical need for advanced materials with improved thermal properties capable of meeting the thermal management requirements of current and future high power electronic systems. The heat dissipation rate of electronic systems has increased dramatically, as a result of ongoing advances in semiconductor materials, compression of circuit physical architecture, size reduction of packaging envelops and faster switching speed. The technology developed in this project will enable the manufacture of cost effective graphite-metal packaging that offers improved thermal properties critical to thermal management solutions for next generation power electronics.
The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will be the development of the hot press die casting technology for use in producing graphite-metal billet materials. The adoption and wide-spread use of the graphite-metal packaging products for electronic systems will enable commercial electronic devices based upon more efficient higher power semiconductor materials that will provide benefit to society in the form of more efficient, longer life electronics; reduced energy consumption; and improved environmental quality.
This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project was focused on the development of a unique pressure casting technology to be used to produce graphite-metal composite materials for use in high power electronics packaging. The heat dissipation rate of electronic systems has increased dramatically as a result of ongoing advances in semiconductor materials, compression of circuit physical architecture, size reduction of packaging envelops and faster switching speed. The current heat issipation level of high power electronic devices is from 600 to 800 W/cm2 and is projected to increase further as semiconductor technology advances. At this level of heat dissipation, current packaging technology cannot maintain electronic devices at or below their safe operating temperature limit. The research objective of this project was the development of a casting technology to support the manufacture of cost effective power electronics packaging products that incorporates high performance graphite-metal composite components. Under the effort, a low-cost pressure casting process to produce graphite-metal components has been demonstrated. There is a critical need for advanced materials with improved thermal properties in order to meet the packaging and thermal management requirements of current and future high power electronic systems. The graphite-metal components produced via the pressure casting technology have a thermal conductivity of from 500 to 600 W/m-oK and a coefficient of thermal expansion that can be adjusted between 5 and 9 ppm/oC in order to match that of the semiconductor materials that would be attached to it. The technology developed in this research effort will enable the manufacture of cost effective graphite-metal packaging that offers improved thermal properties critical to thermal management solutions for next generation power electronics. This manufacturing technology will support the commercialization and widespread use of packaging products based upon graphite-metal composite materials that will benefit a broad spectrum of commercial, industrial, and military high power electronics end users. The adoption and wide-spread use of the graphite-metal packaging products for electronic systems will enable commercial electronic systems based upon more efficient higher power semiconductor devices that will provide benefit to society in the form of more efficient, longer life electronics; reduced energy consumption; and improved environmental quality. The market for packaging products that would be based upon the graphite-metal packaging technology include: (1) power amplifiers for communication and radar systems; (2) insulated gate bipolar transistor switching devices for power conversion systems; (3) light emitting diode devices for solid state lighting and (4) high power commercial and medical laser devices.
