Tungsten Copper Thermal Conductivity

As the speed and degree of integration of semiconductor devices increases, more heat is generated, and the performance and lifetime of semiconductor devices depend on the dissipation of the generated heat. Tungsten copper alloys have high electrical and thermal conductivity, low contact resistances, and low coefficients of thermal expansion, thus allowing them to be used as a shielding material for microwave packages, and heat sinks for high power integrated circuits (ICs). In this study, the thermal conductivity and thermal expansion of several types of tungsten–copper (W–Cu) composites are investigated, using compositions of 5–30 wt.% copper balanced with tungsten. The tungsten–copper powders were produced using the spray conversion method, and the W–Cu alloys were fabricated via the metal injection molding. The tungsten–copper composite particles were nanosized, and the thermal conductivity of the W–Cu alloys gradually decreases with temperature increases. The thermal conductivity of the W–30 wt. % Cu composite was 238 W/(m K) at room temperature.

We present the temperature dependence of the thermophysical properties for tungsten–copper composite from room temperature to 400 °C. The powders of tungsten–copper were produced by the spray conversion method and the W–Cu alloys were fabricated by the metal injection molding. Thermal conductivity and thermal expansion of tungsten–copper composite was controllable by volume fraction copper.