Compound semiconductors are powering modern life, from backlighting TVs to high brightness LEDs and harnessing the sun's energy. The CS Industry awards recognise the biggest breakthroughs and the pioneering companies who have created the best opportunities for the industry.
Cambridge Nanotherm’s unique thermal management solutions have been recognised as one of the stand out innovations for semiconductor packaging. Up until now semiconductor manufacturers have been limited to using expensive and difficult to work with substrates such as Aluminium Nitride (AIN) to achieve the thermal performance required to keep their semiconductors cool.
Nanotherm offers a radical alternative: Using a patented electrochemical process the surface of Aluminium can be converted into a nanoceramic layer that acts as an electric insulator – a dielectric. This nanoceramic dielectric can be applied as thin as 3µm – an order of magnitude thinner than conventional dielectrics. The combination of the thinnest dielectric layer in the industry with the highest thermal conductivity yields the lowest thermal resistance of any Aluminium substrate.
By applying thin-film techniques that atomically bond a copper track to the nanoceramic surface the composite thermal conductivity is comparable to that of AIN, but at a fraction of the cost.
Not only does Nanotherm offer comparable thermal and dialectic properties to AIN, as it is primarily Aluminium it is far more robust and can be manufactured in much larger sizes. This in turn brings the scale and cost advantages of the PCB industry to bear on packaging compound semiconductors – potentially transforming the industry.
Cambridge Nanotherm says: "The vote is open to the public and we need your support! If you can spare a couple of minutes please vote using the online form here. All votes are very much appreciated!"
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