Thermal Characteristics of Cu Matrix-SiC Filler Composite Using Nano-Sized Cu Powder

A Cu metal-ceramic filter composite with high thermal conductivity and a suitable thermal expansion coefficient was designed to be applied to high performance heat dissipation materials. The purpose of using the ceramic filler was to decrease the high coefficient of thermal expansion of Cu matrix utilizing the high thermal conductivity of Cu. In this study, a SiC ceramic filler powder was added to the Cu sol including Zn as a liquid phase sintering agent. The final complex was produced by applying a PVB polymer to prepare a homogeneous precursor followed by sintering in a reducing atmosphere. The pressureless sintered composite showed lower thermal conductivity than pure bulk Cu due to the some residual pores. In the case of the Cu-SiC composite in which 10 wt% of SiC filler was added, it showed a thermal conductivity of 100 W/m·°C and a thermal expansion coefficient of 13.3×10^-6/°C. The thermal conductivity showed some difference from the theoretical calculated value due to the pores in the composite, but the thermal expansion coefficient did not show a significant difference.