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Tuesday, April 10, 2012

#CHIPS: "Graphene Beats Copper At Cooling"

Carbon will replace semiconductors, conductors and even insulators in super lightweight, ultra-low-power electronic devices in the future, according to researchers at RPI, Rice and lately at North Carolina State University, which reports that pure crystalline carbon--graphene--is a more efficient and less expensive way of cooling electronic devices than copper. R. Colin Johnson


Heat spreader (green) made from graphene-copper composite dissipates heat 25 percent better at lower cost.

Here is what EETimes says about carbon as a cooler: Carbon is predicted to replace semiconductors, conductors and even insulators in future electronic devices and its already happening one application at a time. The most recent conquest by pure crystalline carbon--graphene--is a new composite material that offers a more efficient and less expensive way of cooling electronic devices than copper alone.

By fabricated heat spreaders from a unique copper-graphene composite and connecting it to microchips using an indium-graphene interface film, heat is dissipated 25 percent faster than with the pure copper heat spreaders used today. The techniques is also cheaper to produce, since it uses less copper that conventional heat spreaders, and will be particularly useful for electronic devices that generate a lot of heat, such as lasers and power semiconductors.


Transmissioin elecrtrron microcope (TEM) shows matrix of copper prepared by electrochemical codeposition from CuSO4 solution with graphene oxide suspension.

The researchers also creating a blueprint for manufacturers wishing to quickly retool for fabrication of the graphene-copper heat spreader using an electrochemical deposition process.
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