Graphitic Foam/Cu Composite for Thermal Management

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.