Characterization of interfacial thermal resistance by acoustic micrographyimaging

In high-power electronics modules, the heat generated by the power devices is transferred to the ambient environment by attaching a heat spreader to t he semiconductor package to ensure efficient thermal management. Typical at tachment materials introduce interfaces and/or interlayers of finite thickn ess. Using a scanning acoustic microscope (SAM) a non-destructive inspectio n tool, we can detect the cracks, voiding, porosity, coplanarity and delami nation in the interface layer, which correlate to the measured thermal resi stance of an interface. This investigation would result in optimizing the b onding process of the selected interface material, minimizing the void-cont ent to ensure enhanced thermal management of power modules. (C) 2000 Elsevi er Science Ltd. All rights reserved.