Heat pipe embedded AlSiC plates for high conductivity - low CTE heat spreaders

• Published in: 2010 12th IEEE Intersociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems pp. 1 - 6
• Main Authors: Weyant, J, Garner, S, Johnson, M, Occhionero, M
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 01.06.2010
• Subjects: Aluminum; Conducting materials; Copper; Electronic packaging thermal management; Electronics cooling; Heat Pipe; Heat Spreader; High Thermal Conductivity; Low Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE); Silicon carbide; Thermal conductivity; Thermal expansion; Thermal management; Thermal stresses; Vapor Chamber
• ISBN: 9781424453429; 1424453429
• ISSN: 1087-9870; 2577-0799
• DOI: 10.1109/ITHERM.2010.5501376

Heat pipe embedded aluminum silicon carbide (AlSiC) plates are innovative heat spreaders that provide high thermal conductivity and low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). Since heat pipes are two phase devices, they demonstrate effective thermal conductivities ranging between 10,000 and 200,000 W/m-K, depending on the heat pipe length. Installing heat pipes into an AlSiC plate dramatically increases the plate's effective thermal conductivity. AlSiC plates alone have a thermal conductivity of roughly 200 W/m-K and a CTE ranging from 7-12 ppm/°C. Silicon alone has a thermal expansion coefficient of 3 ppm/°C, which makes AlSiC a much closer CTE match than tradition copper (17ppm/°C) and aluminum (25 ppm/°C) heat spreaders. An equivalent sized heat pipe embedded AlSiC plate has effective thermal conductivity ranging from 400 to 500 W/m-K..