Monolithic Carbonaceous Materials and Carbon Matrix Composites

Abstract

The carbon materials used for electronic packaging and its thermal management system are usually in the form of monolithic carbonaceous materials, such as graphite or diamond, as well as carbon matrix composites, which may be combined with metals or other materials to give the complex materials that are easier to process into manufactured components. The graphitic materials, for instance, are lower density than metallic materials such as copper or aluminum, and can offer higher thermal conductivities. Furthermore, the carbonaceous materials can also be processed to form low-density thermal insulators to protect electronics from heat sources, or to shield parts of the assembly from excessive temperature rising, for example, in laptop computers and telephone handsets. Carbon matrix composites have combined properties including high thermal conductivity, high stiffness, and low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). This chapter will give a brief review about carbon materials for electronic packaging thermal management applications, including natural and industrial graphite, pyrolytic graphite, graphite/carbon foams, carbon fibers, diamond, carbon nanotube and nanofiber, graphene and buckypaper, as well as carbon matrix composites.