POWDER-METALLURGY PROCESSING OF THERMAL MANAGEMENT MATERIALS FOR MICROELECTRONIC APPLICATIONS

Thermal management materials are needed to dissipate heat associated w ith high performance microelectronic circuits. Challenges arise both w ith the material selection and the component fabrication. Powder metal lurgy techniques provide a means of fabricating high quality composite systems with tailored thermal properties. Mathematical analysis has i dentified several candidate P/M materials, many already familiar to th e P/M community, including W-Cu and SiC-Al. In the near term, W-Cu is a viable heat sink and packaging material while SiC-Al will be the pri mary composite for avionic applications. However, major opportunities are apparent in systems such as AIN-Cu and SiC-Cu, but these will requ ire novel fabrication routes. This presentation outlines the design of thermal management materials, identifies the possible property combin ations, and isolates processing options for some target applications.