I-Corps: Nanomaterials for Thermal Management of Power Electronics

大功率电子技术在能源生产、存储和传输、混合动力汽车、国防和航空航天技术的快速发展中发挥着至关重要的作用。宽带隙半导体（WBGS）器件是高功率电子器件的主要竞争者，但它们在高电流密度下工作，需要快速散热。目前的电力电子设备的热管理策略由于依赖于通过具有高热界面电阻的多个界面的庞大的多组分热提取策略而具有有限的功效。因此，迫切需要一种简化的商业热管理技术，该技术将能够从操作的电力电子设备直接提取热量。这种技术的缺乏限制了WBGS电力电子系统的操作条件、可靠性和效率。该团队建议通过将基于纳米晶金刚石（NCD）的新型热管理策略商业化来解决这一技术差距，纳米晶金刚石是一种优秀的热导体。所提出的技术背后的原理是：NCD具有高导热性和电阻率，使其非常适合WBGS电力电子设备的热管理，直接从器件提取热量（与通过衬底提取热量相反）将导致效率的显著提高，并且更高的热量提取效率导致更长的工作寿命，使得能够实现更高的器件密度，并且降低了工作成本。由实验和模拟研究组成的初步研究已经证明了所提出的技术的原理。

High power electronics is playing a vital role in rapid advancements in energy generation, storage and transmission, hybrid automobile vehicles, defense, and aerospace technologies. Wide bandgap semiconductor (WBGS) devices are the leading contenders for high power electronics, but they operate at high current densities requiring the rapid dissemination of heat. Current strategies for thermal management of power electronics have limited efficacy due to their reliance on bulky, multicomponent heat extraction strategies via multiple interfaces with high thermal interface resistances. Therefore, there is a critical need for a simplified commercial thermal management technology which will enable direct extraction of heat from operating power electronics devices. The lack of such a technology limits the operating conditions, reliability, and efficiency of WBGS power electronic systems. This team proposes to address this technological gap by commercializing a novel thermal management strategy based on nanocrystalline diamond (NCD), which is an excellent thermal conductor.The rationale behind the proposed technology is that: NCD possess high thermal conductivity and electrical resistivity making it well-suited for thermal management of WBGS power electronics, extraction of heat directly from a device (as opposed to heat extraction through a substrate) will result in significant enhancements in efficiency, and higher heat extraction efficiency leads to longer operating lifetimes, enables higher device density, and reduced operating costs. The preliminary research consisting of experimental and simulation studies has demonstrated proof-of-principle for the proposed technology.