Tunable coefficient of thermal expansion of Cu-B/diamond composites prepared by gas pressure infiltration

Abstract

Cu-B matrix composites reinforced with diamond particles (Cu-B/diamond) were prepared by gas pressure infiltration (GPI). The effect of boron addition in the range of 0–1.0 wt% on the thermal expansion behavior of the Cu-B/diamond composites was evaluated. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the Cu-B/diamond composites initially decreases and then increases with increasing boron content. The minimum CTE value of 4.88 × 10−6/K is obtained at 0.5 wt% B addition, which satisfies the requirement of CTE of semiconductors (range of 4–8 × 10−6/K) for electronic packaging applications. The variation of CTE of the Cu-B/diamond composites is attributed to the formation of interfacial carbides and their morphological evolution. The interface structure evolves from discrete triangular carbides into continuous carbide layer with increasing boron content. The increase in the quantity of discrete carbides enhances the interface, but the formation of continuous carbides impairs the interfacial bonding of the Cu-B/diamond composites. The results suggest that alloying B to Cu matrix is an effective route to tune the coefficient of thermal expansion of Cu/diamond composites.