Summary of So Deus sabe o que e isso

Increasingly stringent demands are being made on electronic packaging, which is

impacting on the choice of materials. The need for efficient heat removal represents
one critical aspect, and the problem is growing more acute as the density of circuitry
on boards and in packages steadily increases. To promote good thermal management,
heat-sinks made of materials with high thermal conductivity, or cold plates, are
frequently incorporated into packaging to conduct away heat dissipated by active
devices and prevent hot spots from developing. The ideal material for most electronic
packages is metallic to provide effective electrical screening. It should also be easily
machinable and plateable by an industry-standard method, such as electroplating.
High silicon Si-Al alloys were identified as an attractive materials system on which to
base a new packaging technology. These alloys, being rich in silicon, all have a low
density and contain cheap and widely available constituents, aluminium and silicon in
the form of electronic scrap. They are also environmentally fiendly, being perfectly
safe from a health point of view and not posing any disposal problems. They are up to
15% lighter than pure aluminium and more so than the high strength aluminium
engineering alloys. Their CTEs do not vary greatly with temperature, making them
compatible with alumina and GaAs in this respect.
Machining of these high silicon alloys is possible using titanium nitride. Care must be
taken to ensure that the cutting tools and drills are always kept sharp to avoid surface
damage and achieve crisp edges and also avoid break-out at the edge of drilled holes.
Diffusion soldering has also been used with success. This process involves melting a
solder in the joint, which then reacts with and diffuses into the metallisation on both
sides of the joint, such that the joint solidifies isothermally to provide a higher remelt
temperature than the joining temperature. Diffusion soldering enabIes the joining
operation to be carried out at a temperature below 4OOOC but the joint that forms
will withstand much higher temperatures without melting and they have the additional
benefit over conventional soldering of being virtually void-free when the process is
operated under optimum conditions.
The new silicon-aluminium alloys are also attracting interest in several other electronic
applications. One area of application is heat-spreaders, particularly in multichip
modules. Electro-optical modules can also benefit from the new Si-Al alloys. The high
stiffness and good mechanical stability of these alloys, combined with their high
thermal conductivity make them attractive as an alternative to kovar for this area of
application, where optical alignment needs to be maintained to a high precision
throughout the service life. Spray-deposition, by the Osprey Process, has been used to
develop a series of silicon-aluminium alloys rich in silicon with beneficial physical
properties, like controlled coefficients of thermal expansion, high electrical
conductivity and low porosity.
Reference:

D.M. Jacobson, A.J.W. Ogilvy, A. Leatham, A New Light-Weight Electronic
Packaging Technology Based on Spray-Formed Silicon-Aluminium
Osprey Metals Ltd, Red Jacket Works, Millands, Neath, UK