May 2010

LORD Corp. Develops Thermal Conductivity Adhesive
LORD Corp., a supplier of thermal management materials, adhesives, coatings and encapsulants to the electronics, LED and solar industries, has announced the availability of a new, low-modulus, high thermal conductivity adhesive.

Created in response to a market need for a more flexible, high thermal conductivity adhesive, MT-815 can be used in a variety of applications including as a thermal adhesive for large die, in die attach applications or as a solder replacement. The first in a series of new, low-modulus, thermal conductivity adhesives from LORD Corporation, MT-815 has a modulus of <1 GPa , allowing it to be more flexible and therefore less likely to crack or delaminate under the stresses of temperature cycles. MT-815 also was formulated to achieve thermal conductivity of >10 W/m-K, creating a new class of flexible adhesives with high thermal conductivity.

According to Sara Paisner, Staff Scientist for Thermal Management Technology at LORD Corporation, MT-815 builds on a long tradition of innovation in thermal management materials, including GeleaseTM thermal conductive gels, as well as high-performance thermal conductivity adhesives like MT-315 and TC-501 no pump-out grease.

“Most thermal adhesives are either flexible with low thermal conductivity (i.e. silicones) or highly rigid with higher adhesion (epoxies). As a result, their uses are limited in microelectronic packages,” said Paisner. “However, this thermal conductive adhesive combines the advantages of high adhesion and thermal conductivity with the need for lower modulus to accommodate the large stresses experienced by electronic packages.”

“LORD is responding to interest from customers who require a low-modulus thermal adhesive to accommodate higher stresses from larger die sizes but cannot sacrifice thermal conductivity,” said Adam Conklin, LORD Global Market Manager for Electronic Materials.

Laird Technologies Releases Low-Cost, High-Performance Thermal Substrate Specifically Designed for LED Module Applications
Laird Technologies, Inc., a designer and supplier of customized performance-critical components and systems for advanced electronics and wireless products, has announced the release of its enhanced Tlam SS LLD for use as a thermally conductive printed circuit board (PCB) substrate.

The Tlam SS LLD is a versatile, thermally-enhanced PCB substrate system specifically designed for heat dissipation in bright and ultra-bright LED module applications. The thermally conductive PCB substrate provides 8 to 10 times the heat dissipation as conventional FR4-based PCBs; a key ability in keeping components cool.

A copper circuit layer and aluminum or copper base plate are bonded together with an LLD dielectric, which is essential to the high-performance of the PCB substrate. The dielectric can fit, and is processed through, standard FR4 print-and-etch operations without various parameter modifications. These dielectrics provide electrical isolation, thermal transfer and an adhesion layer for the substrate.

“The enhanced Tlam SS LLD substrate improves thermal transference from the heat source to the heat sink through PCBs, reducing the thermal stress placed on the PCB,” said Jeffrey Chuang, Laird Technologies Tlam Product Manager. “These new improvements benefit the LED market by providing a higher-performing, lower-cost thermal interface that extends operational life to the LED apparatus.”

The Tlam SS LLD boards are processed through standard pick-and-place surface mount technology (SMT) and manual wire bond operations. Standard constructions are made with 1-ounce or 2-ounce copper and 0.040 or 0.059 inch thick aluminum, grade 5052; 0.040 or 0.062 inch thick aluminum, grade 6061; with a copper base available.

Selco's Custom Thermistor Probe Assemblies Feature Turn-Key Readiness
Selco Products' CP Series and CS Series thermistor probe assemblies can be customized to meet unique demands for specialized application requirements. These negative (NTC) temperature coefficient thermistors can be modified from Selco's standard product line or completely custom designed. With virtually unlimited options in materials, configurations, connections, lead types and lengths, these versatile packaging options provide labor savings and convenience for OEMs.

Examples of customization include adhesive backing for mounting to temperature-sensitive PCB components, corrosion-resistant or high-pressure rated probe housings, moisture-resistant assemblies,  plastic over-molded assemblies and high temperature (+220°C) rated probes assemblies.

"Working from the OEM's drawing and specifications, Selco can produce application-specific thermistor assemblies that allow for easy integration into the customer's end-product,” said Product Manager Mike Dobson. "If the OEM does not have a drawing, Selco engineering will provide design assistance to develop a cost-effective thermistor solution for the application. OEMs looking for special thermistor probe packaging requirements can request virtually any configuration and obtain a turn-key product that saves labor costs and speeds product time to market. We are happy to cross existing thermistors to provide competitive quotes as well."

Selco's custom NTC thermistors and probes are well-suited for a wide range of applications including commercial and home appliances,  food processing equipment, HVAC, instrumentation and control, pool and spa control, building automation and environmental controls, medical, military, life sciences, automotive and other thermal management controls.

Alpha Releases New Quick Set Series Heat Sink
Alpha has announced the availability of a new series of heat sinks featuring an innovative attachment mechanism.

Electronic components have become faster and more compact, generating more heat and increasing thermal densities. This has led to the use of heat sinks of increased size and mass. One of the biggest challenges for thermal and mechanical engineers is mechanically mounting larger heat sinks while minimizing the amount of board real estate used by the attachment mechanism. Generating sufficient attachment force is also critical with regards to mechanical security and proper performance of thermal interface materials.

Alpha's new Quick Set series heat sinks have been designed to address both issues, providing secure and reliable attachment while requiring the absolute minimum of board real estate.

Quick Set series features include the following features:

Small PCB area: Mounting pins only require .071 inc diameter holes in the PCB. The small footprint greatly reduces the amount of PCB space sacrificed for heat sink attachment, minimizing or eliminating the need to move board traces.

Stability and strength: Heat sinks are mechanically attached to the PCB instead of the chip package or substrate. Shock and vibration loads are transferred to the PCB instead of the chip and solder balls.

Location guide: Heat sink location and orientation is precisely set by anchor and pin. The possibility of damaging the chip, heat sink or thermal interface material during installation is greatly reduced as well as the possibility of installing the heat sink in the wrong orientation or location.

Adjustable attachment force: Heat sink attachment force can be adjusted depending on application.

Get Connected with Fujipoly’s Series 2005 Zebra Carbon Connector
One of the best ways to connect an LCD to a circuit board is through the use of a high-density, low-resistance elastomeric interconnect device. With 500 conductive layers per inch, Fujipoly’s Series 2005 Zebra Carbon Connector is well-suited for densely packed boards typically found in smaller consumer and hand-held commercial electronics.

The highly reliable and economical electronic connector exhibits a resistance of 2.37 ohms/inch typical and operates across a broad temperature range of -58°F (-50°C) to 257°F (125°C).

Free samples and a complete product catalog can be requested at www.fujipoly.com.

Coolcentric Opens New Briefing and Demonstration Center
Coolcentric, a new division of Vette Corp., has announced the opening of its new state-of-the-art Briefing and Demonstration Center (BDC) in Marlborough, Mass. The BDC will be used to showcase to customers, prospects and business partners how Coolcentric’s LiquiCool solutions can be used in a variety of visitor-selected architectures and operating conditions. Based on Vette patents, LiquiCool data center cooling solutions can help data center owners and operators reduce data center cooling costs by 90 percent and reduce white space requirements by 80 percent while allowing a 5x increase in rack computing power.

“We recognized that it is challenging to visualize how a new cooling solution can be integrated into an existing data center environment,” said Joe Capes, general manager of Coolcentric. “With that in mind, we designed our new Briefing and Demonstration Center to help visitors see how Coolcentric’s solutions can be easily applied in a variety of typical operating environments. This innovative facility will help us educate others about the full energy- and cost-saving benefits that our solutions provide.”

Coolcentric’s LiquiCool system includes a LiquiCool RDHx, which replaces the standard rear door of an IT enclosure and uses a low-impedance fin and tube coil through which chilled water is circulated. The hot exhaust air ejected by rack-mounted IT equipment passes through the LiquiCool coil and is cooled before re-entering the data center. LiquiCool offers several advantages:
• Open architecture – Available for deployment on the majority of industry-standard IT enclosures.
• Passive – No electrical connections are used for indoor cooling units.
• No fans – No additional air movement, energy consumption or noise.
• Scalable – Cools individual hot spots or an entire data center providing a “pay as you grow” benefit.
• Localized – Provides cooling at the source, the rack-mounted IT equipment, resulting in the ultimate containment approach to provide highly predictable cooling.
• Free Cooling – Additional efficiency gains and seamless integration to chillers with water-side economizer.
• Eliminates unnecessary infrastructure – No need for ducting, chimneys, end of row doors, pressurized raised floors or hot aisle/cold aisle arrangements.

Indium Corp. Announces High-Melting, Lead-Free Solder Alternatives Agreement with Ormet Circuits
Indium Corp. has announced the signing of a joint marketing and technical support agreement for high-temperature, lead-free electronics assembly materials patented and manufactured by Ormet Circuits, Inc.

This agreement enables Indium Corp. to offer a line of high-temperature, lead-free assembly materials that addresses the requirements of many power semiconductor and semiconductor packaging applications. When lead-free is a requirement, the only suitable high-temperature solder that exists is the AuSn eutectic alloy. These transient liquid phase sintering (TLPS) materials, which offer an alternative technology to solder, provide many of the assembly process advantages of a low-melting, lead-free solder combined with high-temperature joint stability.

Indium Corp. Global Product Manager Dr. Andy Mackie said, "Ormet is leveraging Indium Corp.'s global sales and technical support capabilities to offer these products into the electronics assembly, passive component assembly and semiconductor assembly markets. Indium Corp. is leveraging Ormet’s unique materials set. This combination ultimately benefits our customers and the marketplace.”

Andrews Space Develops New High-Temperature Material
Andrews Space, Inc. has announced that it has recently completed its third round of Arc Jet testing on a new high-temperature material for high-speed and re-entry applications

Andrews has been developing and testing new high temperature materials since 2007 under multiple government contracts. The Andrews material family has unique properties that allow them to remain flexible at both room and cryogenic temperatures but then become rigid in the presence of heat. Once rigid, the materials have steady state operating temperatures up to 1,100°C and have tensile strengths comparable to aluminum alloys.

Under these government contracts, Andrews has completed three rounds of Arc Jet testing at NASA Ames Research Center to evaluate and fine-tune the thermal and mechanical properties of the material family.

 "There are many applications that this material can enable, ranging from large curved thermal protection panels for next-generation reusable vehicles to deployable surfaces for re-entry or high-speed vehicles," said Jason Andrews, President and CEO of Andrews Space. "Because of the material's unique properties, it can be stowed in a small volume and then deployed into a high-temperature structural member, or formed into a complex shape and then cured to create high temperature structure, such as leading edges or exhaust ducts."

Andrews Space Materials eEngineer Dr. Michael Beerman said, "This is a multi-functional, phase-change material that provides structural solutions, as well as thermal management, for extreme aerothermal environments."

Data and test results from the material programs are being used to refine material designs for specific vehicle applications. Andrews is also talking to several companies and government organizations about how the material can enable their product and mission requirements.

Thermal Management & Technology Symposium 2010 Announces New Speakers
Limited speaking slots still available

The 2010 Thermal Management & Technology Symposium conference committee is pleased to announce several new speakers for this year's event, part of a steadily expanding program that will focus on the latest advancements in thermal management for electronics, thermal sensing and thermal materials. Slated for October 19 and 20 in Dallas, Texas, the conference will cover next-generation thermal technology, heat transfer and worldwide technology trends. Confirmed presentations include:

Synthetic Jet:  Extremely Reliable, Efficient and Flexible Thermal Management Solutions for Chip and LED products
Brandon Noska, Applications Engineering Manager, Nuventix

Advanced Nano-particle Coolant for Electronics and Battery Cooling
D. Patrick McMullen, Business Development Manager, Dynalene, Inc.

Thermal Efficiency Study of Heat Shield Materials in Automotive Applications
Venugopal Vengala, Design Engineer, Cummins, Inc.

Thermal Management by Alumina – A 'New' Old Material
Dr. Wolfgang Tschanun, Head Micro Systems Technologies activities, Reinhardt Microtech

Thermal Management in Today’s PCB Design and Fabrication for the Emerging LED Lighting Markets
Pratish Patel, President and CEO, Electronic Interconnect

Upcoming and Emerging Technologies for Thermal Management
Nathan Muoio, Mechanical Engineer, Purcell Systems

Copper Foam Wicks and Their Influence on the Performance of High-Powered, Ultra-Thin Heat Pipes for Thermal Management of Consumer Electronics
Dominic Pilon, Founder and CTO, Metafoam Technologies, Inc.

More speakers will be announced in the coming weeks. For more information on these presentations or to see the latest program lineup, visit http://www.thermalnews.com/conf_10/TN10_program.php

There are still limited speaking slots available. Contact Aaron Butzen or visit the Call for Presentations page for more information.

May
23-28 SID Display Week, Seattle, Wash.
25-29 Interop, Las Vegas, Nev.

June
7-9 Sensors Expo & Conference, Rosemont, Ill.
7-10 MDM East, New York, N.Y.

July
13-15 SemiconWest 2010, San Francisco, Calif.

August
1 - 5 SPIE Optics + Photonics 2010, San Diego, CA

September
8-10 SEMICON Taiwan 2010
21-23 Atlantic Manufacturing Technology Show (AMTS), Halifax, Nova Scotia
28-30 Design & Manufacturing Midwest, Rosemont, Ill.

SEMICON West 2010
July 13-15, 2010
Moscone Center, San Francisco, Calif.

SEMICON West 2010 will be the hub of activity for products and technologies for the design and manufacture of microelectronics,themicroelectronics supply chain and emerging markets and technologies. Hear keynote speakers from Intel, Applied Materials, IBM andLAM.  Attend the Extreme Electronics mini-conferences on MEMS, photovoltaics, flexible electronics and displays, nano-electronics and solid state lighting (LEDs). Spend time at the TechXPOTs, which feature sessions on key industry segments, technologies and trends, or the new TechSITEs with short sessions on a wide variety of topics and invited technical presentations and non-commercial exhibitor demonstrations. Stop by the exhibitor booths. Be part of the excitement. Join the thousands of semiconductor professionals this year at SEMICON West. For more information, visit www.semiconwest.org.

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