SBIR-STTR Award

Major obstacles to TMD and NMD system implementation are the current limitations of thermal management materials and cooling technologies. An innovative thermal management material concept providing high thermal conductivity and improved coefficient of thermal expansion matching for high power electronic cooling applications is proposed. The improved material system provides higher heat flux operation, yet maintains the junction temperature of the critical electronic components and provides a robust material design. Devices such as laser diodes, T/R modules and high-power electronic components can utilize this innovative material system to significantly improve performance. The new material system provides enhanced thermal capability for a broad range of military systems as well as commercial components. The material concept provides a mass-efficient and highly effective thermal management approach to address critical technology needs. A composite of copper and high thermal conductivity graphite foam can be tailored to approach the thermal expansion of any semiconductor, and to exceed the thermal conductivity of even pure copper. The proposed study will establish feasibility by fabricating test articles using different types of high conductivity graphite foams and infiltrating them with molten copper. The thermal conductivity and thermal expansion of the resulting composite materials will be measured. Anticipated Benefits/Commercial Applications: The high heat flux material system will have immediate application for ballistic missile systems, ground and space-based radar systems and high-energy laser directed energy weapon systems. High system payoffs include higher heat flux operation, reduced component mass, lower temperatures and improved integrity of the electronic components. The technology can be applied to other high heat flux applications including: commercial power devices, advanced avionics, electric vehicles and high performance supercomputers.

Keywords:
Thermal Management Carbon Foam Materials/Processes Electronics Composites

Major obstacles to TMD and NMD system implementation are the current limitations of thermal management materials and cooling technologies. An innovative thermal management material concept providing high thermal conductivity and improved matching of the coefficient of thermal expansion for high power electronic cooling applications is proposed. The improved material system provides higher power operation, yet maintains the junction temperature of the critical electronic components and provides a robust heat sink design. Devices such as laser diodes, T/R modules and high-power electronic components can utilize this innovative material system to significantly improve performance. The new material system provides enhanced thermal capability for a broad range of military systems as well as commercial components. The proposed concept provides a mass-efficient and highly effective thermal management approach to address critical technology needs. This new type of metal-matrix composite material can be tailored to approach the thermal expansion of any semiconductor, and to exceed the thermal conductivity of even pure copper. The proposed study will demonstrate the potential for commercialization by fabricating and testing prototype electronic packages.