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Kuprion Introduces ActiveCopper Filled Thermal Vias
February 12, 2021 | Kuprion, Inc.Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Kuprion, Inc., a spinout of Lockheed Martin, has introduced ActiveCopper™ Filled Thermal Vias, leveraging a patented technology breakthrough that addresses the increased reliability demands of heat and power dissipation for complex, advanced high performance systems.
Lead-free and RoHs-compliant, ActiveCopper is a flowable, engineered copper paste—a dense and sticky form of copper, which is safe to handle in air. To enhance heat and power dissipation, ActiveCopper Filled Thermal Vias provide a more efficient heat dissipation path directly incorporated into PCBs with placement directly under a surface-mounted IC ‘heat source’ that allows direct surface mount bonding for maximum heat transfer using Kuprion’s surface mount copper material. Placing the large 3-5mm diameter thermal vias directly underneath an IC allows direct bonding to such a via, and enables significant reduction in thermal resistance. This facilitates efficient heat dissipation not only on the top surface, but through the PCB to the back side.
“The heat generated by integrated circuits poses great challenges, especially given today’s faster speeds, reduced board real estate and the multitude of devices being populated on PCBs. These demands require more efficient methods of heat and power dissipation to ensure product performance and life for increasingly complex electronic systems,” stated Nick Antonopoulos, CEO at Kuprion. “The PCB by nature, like common FR4 material, is not a good thermal conductor. It’s made of substrate materials that are insulating electrical interconnections between components, but ActiveCopper Filled Thermal Vias provides an ideal solution.”
Kuprion’s Active Cu (ActiveCopper) Thermal Via paste is easily applied by printing, or squeegeeing into these vias, where it is converted into bulk copper during processing. This allows for thermal conductivity of at least 150 W m-1 K-1, and fills holes from micro vias to 4+ mm diameter vias while sintering at approximately 200°C. Additionally, there is no re-melting after sintering, allowing for unlimited reflow sequences.
ActiveCopper Filled Thermal Vias are ideal for advanced high power/high performance applications such as 5G transreceivers/power amplifiers, industrial LEDs, graphics cards, data servers, routers, and automotive lighting with the following advantages:
- Lead-free, RoHs-compliant; nearly 100 percent densified bulk copper after sintering
- No re-melting after sintering; converts to bulk copper (m.p. 1084°C)
- Enables unlimited reflow sequences
- Thermal conductivity: 150 - 160 W m-1 K-1
- Rapid processing: 20 - 40 minutes; no-clean material system
- Proven solution backed by 12+ years of R&D
- Cost-effective and ready for immediate use for a range of global customer applications
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