Interfacial design of Cu/SiC composites prepared by powder metallurgy for heat sink applications

In order to dissipate the heat generated in electronic packages, suitable materials must be developed as heat spreaders or heat sinks. Metal matrix composites (MMCs) offer the possibility to tailor the properties of a metal (Cu) by adding an appropriate reinforcement phase (SiC) to meet the demands for high thermal conductivities in thermal management applications. Copper/SiC composites have been produced by powder metallurgy. Silicon carbide is not stable in copper at the temperature needed for the fabrication of Cu/SiC. The major challenge in development of Cu/SiC is the suppression of this reaction between copper and SiC. Improvements in bonding strength and thermo-physical properties of the composites have been achieved by a vapour deposited molybdenum coating on SiC powders to control the detrimental interfacial reactions.