High Conductivity Composite Material for Power-Electronic Building Blocks

Power Electronic Building Blocks are envisioned to allow large amounts of power to be controlled by small, modular blocks, with similar blocks being used for both military and commercial applications. In order to accommodate the large amounts of heat generated by the electronic switches within the modules, they should be soldered or brazed onto a high conductivity substrate with the same coefficient of expansion as the switch. This research will develop a new composite material consisting of high conductity graphite fiber preforms in a copper matrix. Because the preform is similar to materials currently being produced, it will be substantially less expensive that current "tow" based materials. The composite will be prepared using a casting process, allowing the package potentially to be produced in a near-net shape. The thermal conductivity and CTE of the composite will be measured and adjusted to meet the requirements of the switches.