Instructor: Dr. Carl Zweben

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Course Overview

Advanced materials are becoming critical for today’s microelectronic systems. As new, more powerful chip designs are introduced, they consume more power. This has made thermal management an important concern in today’s high performance systems. Systems ranging from active electronically scanned radar arrays to web servers require components that can dissipate heat efficiently. This requires materials capable of dissipating heat and maintaining compatibility with the package and die. In response to critical needs, there have been revolutionary advances in thermal management materials in the last few years. There are now over 15 low-CTE, low-density materials with thermal conductivities ranging between 400 and 1700 W/m-K, and many others with somewhat lower conductivities. Some are low cost; others have the potential to be low cost in high-volume. Production applications include servers, laptops, PCBs, PCB cold plates/heat spreaders, cellular telephone base stations, hybrid electric vehicles, power modules, phased array antennas, thermal interface materials (TIMs), optoelectronic telecommunication packages, laser diode and LED packages, and plasma displays. Advanced Thermal Management and Packaging Materials is a 2 to 3 day course that covers the increasing number of advanced thermal management materials and provides an in-depth discussion of properties, manufacturing processes, applications, cost, lessons learned, typical development programs, and future directions. Traditional materials are discussed for reference. Participants are invited to bring their thermal management problems for discussion. This course is designed for every manager, engineer, and technician concerned with packaging materials, using semiconductor components, or supplying tools to the industry.

What Will I Learn By Taking This Class?

At the end of this seminar, participants will be able to determine which materials will be best for a given application and will know how to test for them, develop models for them, and implement them in the product.

1. Overview of Composite Materials. Participants learn the materials systems being used in the industry today.
2. Thermal Materials Properties. Participants learn the thermal, mechanical, and interfacial properties of both traditional packaging materials and advanced composite packaging materials.
3. Manufacturing Methods. Participants learn the manufacturing methods behind these materials and cost issues associated with manufacturing.
4. Applications. Participants learn the applications of the materials for both the system and package levels.

Course Objectives

1. The seminar will provide participants with an in-depth understanding of the advanced materials.
2. Participants will be able to identify appropriate materials for a wide variety of packaging applications.
3. The seminar will identify the major materials properties of both traditional and newer composite materials.
4. The seminar offers the opportunity to ask specific questions to one of the world’s leading experts on thermal management materials.
5. Participants will be able to understand manufacturing methods for composite and traditional materials.
6. Participants will be able to understand the costs and implementation issues associated with a variety of materials.

Course Outline

1. Introduction
   1. Thermal Management Problem and Packaging Problems
      1. Heat Dissipation, Thermal Stresses, Warping
      2. Weight
      3. Microprocessors
      4. Power Modules
      5. High-Power RF
      6. Layer Diodes
      7. Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs)
      8. Plasma Displays
      9. Liquid Crystal Displays
      10. Mobile Electronics
      11. MEMS Packages
      12. High-Power Laser and RF Weapons
   2. Solutions
      1. Advanced Thermal Materials
      2. Thermally-Conductive, Low-CTE PCBs
      3. Combined Cooling Architectures
   3. Packaging Functions
   4. Key Trends
   5. Packaging Design Drivers
   6. Material Requirements
   7. What’s Wrong with Traditional Materials?
   8. Classes of Advanced Materials
   9. History of Composites in Packaging
   10. Example of Successful Advanced Thermal Management Material—Al/SiC
2. Overview of Composite Materials
   1. Basic Characteristics of Composite Materials
      1. Definitions
      2. Terminology
      3. Classes of Composites
      4. Types of Reinforcements
      5. Thermally Conductive Carbon Fibers
      6. Types of Laminates
      7. Thermally Conductive Carbonaceous (Carbon) Reinforcements
      8. Discontinuous vs. Continuous Reinforcements
3. Material Property and Test Method Issues
   1. Examples of Variability in Reported Material Properties
   2. Sources of Reported Property Variability
4. Properties of Traditional Packaging Materials
   1. Ceramics and Semiconductors
   2. Monolithic Metals
   3. Polymers
   4. Metal/Metal Composites—Alloys
      1. Tungsten/Copper
      2. Molybdenum/Copper
      3. Silver/Nickel-Iron
      4. Silicon/Aluminum
      5. Beryllium/Aluminum
   5. Multimaterial Laminates
      1. Hysteresis in Multimaterial Laminates
      2. Copper/Invar/Copper
      3. Copper/Molybdenum/Copper
   6. Printed Circuit Board Materials
   7. Brief Overview of Thermal Interface Material Properties
   8. Brief Overview of Solder Properties
5. Properties of Advanced Materials
   1. Overview of Advanced Materials
      1. Moderate-Thermal-Conductivity, Low-CTE Materials (k < 300)
      2. High-Thermal-Conductivity, Low-CTE Materials (300 < k < 400)
      3. Ultrahigh-Thermal-Conductivity, Low-CTE Materials (k > 400)
   2. Advanced Material Payoffs
   3. Disadvantages of Advanced Materials
   4. Electromagnetic Interference Shielding and Emissions
   5. Abbreviations
   6. Monolithic Carbonaceous Materials
      1. Industrial Graphite
      2. Natural Graphite
      3. Thermal Vias
      4. Natural Graphite/Epoxy Laminates
      5. Highly-Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite (HOPG)
         1. Thermal Pyrolytic Graphite
         2. Annealed Pyrolytic Graphite
      6. Encapsulated HOPG
      7. Graphite/Carbon Foams
      8. Thermally Conductive Carbon Fibers
      9. Diamond Particles and Fibers
      10. Carbon Nanotubes
      11. “ThermalGraph” Panels
   7. Polymer Matrix Composites (PMCs)
      1. Unidirectional Carbon/Epoxy
      2. Quasi-Isotropic Carbon/Epoxy
      3. PMCs Reinforced with Discontinuous Carbon Fibers
      4. Aramid/Epoxy (Low-CTE Thermal Insulator)
   8. Fiber-Reinforced Thermal Interface Materials
      1. “Gelvet”
      2. Carbon Nanofiber-Reinforced Epoxy
      3. Nickel Fiber/Epoxy
   9. Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) and Advanced Alloys
      1. Boron/Aluminum
      2. Continuous Carbon Fiber/Aluminum
      3. Continuous Carbon Fiber/Copper
      4. Hysteresis in Metal Matrix Composites
      5. Al/SiC (Silicon Carbide Particle-Reinforced Aluminum)
         1. Powder Metallurgy
         2. Pressure Infiltrated
         3. Pressureless Infiltrated
         4. Stir-Cast
         5. Press and Sinter
      6. Beryllium Oxide/Beryllium
      7. Copper-Impregnated Industrial Graphite
      8. Copper-Impregnated Graphite/Carbon Foam
      9. “ThermalGraph”/Copper
      10. Discontinuous Carbon Fiber/Aluminum
      11. Discontinuous Carbon Fiber/Copper
      12. Carbon Nanofiber/Copper
      13. Carbon Flake/Aluminum
      14. Diamond Particle/Aluminum
      15. Diamond Particle/Magnesium
      16. Diamond Particle + Silicon Carbide Particle/Aluminum
      17. Silicon Carbide Particle/Copper
      18. Diamond Particle/Copper
      19. Diamond Particle/Silver
      20. Diamond Particle/Cobalt
      21. Silicon/Aluminum
      22. Silicon Carbide Fiber/Copper
      23. Low-CTE MMC Solder
   10. Advanced Multimaterial Laminates
       1. Copper/Copper-Molybdenum/Copper
   11. Carbon Matrix Composites (CAMCs)
       1. Carbon/Carbon Composites
   12. Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs)
       1. Diamond Particle/SiC
       2. Carbon Fiber/SiC Composites
       3. Reaction-Bonded SiC
       4. Aluminum-Toughened SiC
6. Manufacturing Methods for Composite Materials
   1. Overview of Composite Manufacturing Processes
   2. Thermoset Polymer Matrix Composites
   3. Thermoplastic Polymer Matrix Composites
   4. Metal Matrix Composites
   5. Carbon Matrix Composites
   6. Ceramic Matrix Composites
7. Using Composites to Improve Manufacturing Yield
   1. Warping and Thermal Stresses
   2. Tailoring Composite Properties to Reduce Warping and Thermal Stresses
   3. Example: Using Composites to Save US $60 Million
8. Cost Considerations
   1. General Considerations
   2. Reinforcement Costs
   3. PMC Costs
   4. MMC Costs
   5. CAMC Costs
   6. CMC Costs
9. Applications
   1. System Applications
      1. Servers
      2. Notebook Computers
      3. Mobile Telephone Base Stations
      4. Mobile Telephone Handsets
      5. Hybrid and Electric Automobiles
      6. Trains
      7. Wind Turbine Generators
      8. Plasma Displays
      9. Liquid Crystal Displays
      10. Telecommunications Equipment
      11. Numerous Military Aircraft and Spacecraft Electronic Systems
      12. Solid State Illumination (LEDs)
      13. Laser Diode Systems
   2. Component Applications
      1. Carriers
      2. Microprocessor Heat Spreaders and Lids
      3. Power Modules
      4. RF Modules
      5. Thermoelectric Cooler Substrates
      6. Pin-Fin and Plate-Fin Heat Sinks
      7. Light Emitting Diode (LED) Packages
      8. Laser Diode Packages
      9. Printed Circuit Boards
      10. Printed Circuit Board Cold Plates (Heat Sinks, Thermal Planes)
      11. Enclosures
      12. Support Structures
10. Typical Development Plan for Introduction of Advanced Materials in Products
    1. Establishing Requirements
    2. Selection of Candidate Materials
    3. Material Property Database
    4. Design Trades
    5. Development of Processes
    6. Prototype Fabrication
    7. Qualification
    8. Production
11. Future Trends
    1. General Trends
    2. Monolithic Materials
    3. Reinforcements, Including Carbon Nanotubes
    4. Matrix Materials
    5. Polymer Matrix Composites
    6. Metal Matrix Composites
    7. Carbon Matrix Composites
    8. Ceramic Matrix Composites
    9. Solders
    10. Thermal Interface Materials
    11. Smart Composites and Multifunctional Materials
    12. Processes
12. Summary and Conclusions
13. Open Discussion

Course Outline

In response to critical needs, there have been revolutionary advances in thermal management materials in the last few years. There are now over 15 low-CTE, low-density materials with thermal conductivities ranging between 400 and 1700 W/m-K, and many others with somewhat lower conductivities. Some are low cost, while others have the potential to be low cost in high-volume. Production applications include servers, laptops, PCBs, PCB cold plates/heat spreaders, cellular telephone base stations, hybrid electric vehicles, power modules, phased array antennas, thermal interface materials (TIMs), optoelectronic telecommunication packages, laser diode and LED packages, and plasma displays.

This course covers the large and increasing number of advanced thermal management materials, providing an in-depth discussion of properties, manufacturing processes, applications, cost, lessons learned, typical development programs, and future directions. Traditional materials are discussed for reference. Participants are invited to bring their thermal management problems for discussion.

Instructional Strategy

By using a combination of instruction by lecture, problem solving and question/answer sessions, participants will learn practical approaches to choosing the appropriate materials. From the very first moments of the seminar until the last sentence of the training, the driving instructional factor is application. Our instructors are internationally recognized experts in their fields and have years of experience (both current and relevant). The course notes offer hundreds of pages of reference material the participants can use back at their daily activities.

Instructor Profile

Dr. Carl Zweben

Dr. Carl Zweben, now an independent consultant, directed development and application of advanced thermal management and packaging materials for over 30 years. He was formerly Advanced Technology Manager and Division Fellow at GE Astro Space, where he directed the Composites Center of Excellence, where he worked on low-CTE PCBs, and was the first to use Al/SiC in microelectronic and optoelectronic packaging. Other affiliations have included Du Pont, where he worked on aramid printed circuit board materials, Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Georgia Institute of Technology NSF Packaging Research Center. Dr. Zweben was the first, and one of only two winners of both the GE One-in-a-Thousand and Engineer-of-the-Year awards. He is a Life Fellow of ASME, a Fellow of ASM and SAMPE, an Associate Fellow of AIAA, and has been a Distinguished Lecturer for AIAA and ASME. He has published and lectured widely on advanced thermal management and packaging materials.