Thermal Interface Material Characterization Under Thermo-mechanical Stress of Induced Angle of Tilt

abstract: Thermal interface materials (TIMs) are extensively used in thermal management applications especially in the microelectronics industry. With the advancement in microprocessors design and speed, the thermal management is becoming more complex. With these advancements in microelectronics, there have been parallel advancements in thermal interface materials. Given the vast number of available TIM types, selection of the material for each specific application is crucial. Most of the metrologies currently available on the market are designed to qualify TIMs between two perfectly flat surfaces, mimicking an ideal scenario. However, in realistic applications parallel surfaces may not be the case. In this study, a unique characterization method is proposed to address the need for TIMs characterization between non-parallel surfaces. Two different metrologies are custom-designed and built to measure the impact of tilt angle on the performance of TIMs. The first metrology, Angular TIM Tester, is based on the ASTM D5470 standard with flexibility to perform characterization of the sample under induced tilt angle of the rods. The second metrology, Bare Die Tilting Metrology, is designed to validate the performance of TIM under induced tilt angle between the bare die and the cooling solution in an "in-situ" package testing format. Several types of off-the-shelf thermal interface materials were tested and the results are outlined in the study. Data were collected using both metrologies for all selected materials. It was found that small tilt angles, up to 0.6°, have an impact on thermal resistance of all materials especially for in-situ testing. In addition, resistance change between 0° and the selected tilt angle was found to be in close agreement between the two metrologies for paste-based materials and phase-change material. However, a clear difference in the thermal performance of the tested materials was observed between the two metrologies for the gap filler materials.Dissertation/ThesisM.S. Mechanical Engineering 201

A concept study of a remotely piloted vehicle for Mars exploration

Candidate configurations are discussed for shuttle-transported, spacecraft-deployed remotely piloted vehicles having individual aeroshells, parachutes, and scientific payloads for Mars exploration. Topics covered include aerodynamics; powerplants; structural materials; deployment and descent interface systems; payloads; secondary power; thermal control; navigation, guidance and control, communications, weight and center of gravity; performance; and flight testing. The advantages of the recommended electric-powered cruiser/lander configuration are summarized

Thermal Analysis of Bending Under Tension Test

AbstractThe tribological conditions in deep drawing can be simulated in the Bending Under Tension test to evaluate the performance of new lubricants, tool materials, etc. Deep drawing production with automatic handling runs normally at high rate. This implies considerable heating of the tools, which sometimes can cause lubricant film breakdown and galling. In order to replicate the production conditions in bending under tension testing it is thus important to control the tool/workpiece interface temperature. This can be done by pre-heating the tool, but it is essential that the interface temperature during testing is similar to the one in the production tool. A universal sheet tribo-tester has been developed, which can run multiple tests automatically from coil. This allows emulating the temperature increase as in production. The present work performs finite element analysis of the evolution and distribution of temperature in the bending under tension test by making use of boundary conditions and calibration values directly measured from experiments. The overall methodology combines 2D and 3D models of the bending under tension test with steady state and transient thermal and thermo-mechanical procedures. Results show that the proposed methodology applied to a single stroke can effectively and accurately predict the interface temperature in the test tool, thus avoiding the otherwise required thousands of thermo-mechanical FEM analyses of temperature development during testing before thermal steady state has been reached

Carbon nanotubes for thermal interface materials in microelectronic packaging

As the integration scale of transistors/devices in a chip/system keeps increasing, effective cooling has become more and more important in microelectronics. To address the thermal dissipation issue, one important solution is to develop thermal interface materials with higher performance. Carbon nanotubes, given their high intrinsic thermal and mechanical properties, and their high thermal and chemical stabilities, have received extensive attention from both academia and industry as a candidate for high-performance thermal interface materials. The thesis is devoted to addressing some challenges related to the potential application of carbon nanotubes as thermal interface materials in microelectronics. These challenges include: 1) controlled synthesis of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes on various bulk substrates via chemical vapor deposition and the fundamental understanding involved; 2) development of a scalable annealing process to improve the intrinsic properties of synthesized carbon nanotubes; 3) development of a state-of-art assembling process to effectively implement high-quality vertically aligned carbon nanotubes into a flip-chip assembly; 4) a reliable thermal measurement of intrinsic thermal transport property of vertically aligned carbon nanotube films; 5) improvement of interfacial thermal transport between carbon nanotubes and other materials. The major achievements are summarized. 1. Based on the fundamental understanding of catalytic chemical vapor deposition processes and the growth mechanism of carbon nanotube, fast synthesis of high-quality vertically aligned carbon nanotubes on various bulk substrates (e.g., copper, quartz, silicon, aluminum oxide, etc.) has been successfully achieved. The synthesis of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes on the bulk copper substrate by the thermal chemical vapor deposition process has set a world record. In order to functionalize the synthesized carbon nanotubes while maintaining their good vertical alignment, an in situ functionalization process has for the first time been demonstrated. The in situ functionalization renders the vertically aligned carbon nanotubes a proper chemical reactivity for forming chemical bonding with other substrate materials such as gold and silicon. 2. An ultrafast microwave annealing process has been developed to reduce the defect density in vertically aligned carbon nanotubes. Raman and thermogravimetric analyses have shown a distinct defect reduction in the CNTs annealed in microwave for 3 min. Fibers spun from the as-annealed CNTs, in comparison with those from the pristine CNTs, show increases of ~35% and ~65%, respectively, in tensile strength (~0.8 GPa) and modulus (~90 GPa) during tensile testing; an ~20% improvement in electrical conductivity (~80000 S m⁻¹) was also reported. The mechanism of the microwave response of CNTs was discussed. Such an microwave annealing process has been extended to the preparation of reduced graphene oxide. 3. Based on the fundamental understanding of interfacial thermal transport and surface chemistry of metals and carbon nanotubes, two major transfer/assembling processes have been developed: molecular bonding and metal bonding. Effective improvement of the interfacial thermal transport has been achieved by the interfacial bonding. 4. The thermal diffusivity of vertically aligned carbon nanotube (VACNT, multi-walled) films was measured by a laser flash technique, and shown to be ~30 mm² s⁻¹ along the tube-alignment direction. The calculated thermal conductivities of the VACNT film and the individual CNTs are ~27 and ~540 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹, respectively. The technique was verified to be reliable although a proper sampling procedure is critical. A systematic parametric study of the effects of defects, buckling, tip-to-tip contacts, packing density, and tube-tube interaction on the thermal diffusivity was carried out. Defects and buckling decreased the thermal diffusivity dramatically. An increased packing density was beneficial in increasing the collective thermal conductivity of the VACNT film; however, the increased tube-tube interaction in dense VACNT films decreased the thermal conductivity of the individual CNTs. The tip-to-tip contact resistance was shown to be ~1×10⁻⁷ m² K W⁻¹. The study will shed light on the potential application of VACNTs as thermal interface materials in microelectronic packaging. 5. A combined process of in situ functionalization and microwave curing has been developed to effective enhance the interface between carbon nanotubes and the epoxy matrix. Effective medium theory has been used to analyze the interfacial thermal resistance between carbon nanotubes and polymer matrix, and that between graphite nanoplatlets and polymer matrix.PhDCommittee Chair: Wong, C. P.; Committee Member: Graham, Samuel; Committee Member: Hess, Dennis; Committee Member: Jacob, Karl; Committee Member: Wang, Z. L.; Committee Member: Yao, Don

Effect of thermal cycling frequency on the durability of Yb-Gd-Y-based thermal barrier coatings

The effects of thermal cycling frequency and buffer layer on the crack generation and thermal fatigue behaviors of Yb–Gd–Y-stabilized zirconia (YGYZ)-based thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) were investigated through thermally graded mechanical fatigue (TGMF) test. TGMF tests with low- (period of 10 min) and high-frequency (period of 2 min) cycling were performed at 1100 °C with a 60 MPa tensile load. Different cycling frequencies in TGMF test generate two kinds of crack propagation modes. The sample with low-frequency cycling condition shows penetration cracks in the YGYZ top coat, and multiple narrow vertical cracks are generated in high-frequency cycling. To enhance the thermomechanical properties, different buffer layers were introduced into the TBC systems, which were deposited with the regular (RP) or high-purity 8 wt% yttria stabilized zirconia (HP-YSZ) feedstock. The purity of the feedstock powder used for preparing the buffer layer affected the fracture behavior, showing a better thermal durability for the TBCs with the HP-YSZ in both frequency test conditions. A finite element model is developed, which takes creep effect into account due to thermal cycling. The model shows the high stresses at the interfaces between different layers due to differential thermal expansion. The failure mechanisms of YGYZ-based TBCs in TGMF test are also proposed. The vertical cracks are preferentially created, and then the vertical and horizontal cracks will be propagated when the vertical cracks are impeded by pores and micro-cracks

Orbiter thermal protection system

The major material and design challenges associated with the orbiter thermal protection system (TPS), the various TPS materials that are used, the different design approaches associated with each of the materials, and the performance during the flight test program are described. The first five flights of the Orbiter Columbia and the initial flight of the Orbiter Challenger provided the data necessary to verify the TPS thermal performance, structural integrity, and reusability. The flight performance characteristics of each TPS material are discussed, based on postflight inspections and postflight interpretation of the flight instrumentation data. Flights to date indicate that the thermal and structural design requirements for the orbiter TPS are met and that the overall performance is outstanding

Thermal properties of La2Zr2O7 double-layer thermal barrier coatings

La2Zr2O7 is a promising thermal barrier coating (TBC) material. In this work, La2Zr2O7 and 8YSZ-layered TBC systems were fabricated. Thermal properties such as thermal conductivity and coefficient of thermal expansion were investigated. Furnace heat treatment and jet engine thermal shock (JETS) tests were also conducted. The thermal conductivities of porous La2Zr2O7 single-layer coatings are 0.50–0.66 W m−1 °C−1 at the temperature range from 100 to 900°C, which are 30–40% lower than the 8YSZ coatings. The coefficients of thermal expansion of La2Zr2O7 coatings are about 9–10 × 10−6 °C−1 at the temperature range from 200 to 1200°C, which are close to those of 8YSZ at low temperature range and about 10% lower than 8YSZ at high temperature range. Double-layer porous 8YSZ plus La2Zr2O7 coatings show a better performance in thermal cycling experiments. It is likely because porous 8YSZ serves as a buffer layer to release stress

Electricity from photovoltaic solar cells: Flat-Plate Solar Array Project final report. Volume VI: Engineering sciences and reliability

The Flat-Plate Solar Array (FSA) Project, funded by the U.S. Government and managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, was formed in 1975 to develop the module/array technology needed to attain widespread terrestrial use of photovoltaics by 1985. To accomplish this, the FSA Project established and managed an Industry, University, and Federal Government Team to perform the needed research and development. This volume of the series of final reports documenting the FSA Project deals with the Project's activities directed at developing the engineering technology base required to achieve modules that meet the functional, safety and reliability requirements of large-scale terrestrial photovoltaic systems applications. These activities included: (1) development of functional, safety, and reliability requirements for such applications; (2) development of the engineering analytical approaches, test techniques, and design solutions required to meet the requirements; (3) synthesis and procurement of candidate designs for test and evaluation; and (4) performance of extensive testing, evaluation, and failure analysis to define design shortfalls and, thus, areas requiring additional research and development. During the life of the FSA Project, these activities were known by and included a variety of evolving organizational titles: Design and Test, Large-Scale Procurements, Engineering, Engineering Sciences, Operations, Module Performance and Failure Analysis, and at the end of the Project, Reliability and Engineering Sciences. This volume provides both a summary of the approach and technical outcome of these activities and provides a complete Bibliography (Appendix A) of the published documentation covering the detailed accomplishments and technologies developed