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Thermal materials provide the best of both worlds

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team Jan 30, 2003

Engineered to provide a solution for thermal management and structural problems in severe environments, the Ixion range of thermal materials combines the best properties of both metals and ceramics.

Engineered to provide a solution for thermal management and structural problems in severe environments, the Ixion range of thermal materials from Atek Technology combine the best properties of both metals and ceramics.

Enabling the final product to be tailored to meet multiple performance requirements including thermal expansion, weight, stiffness and thermal conductivity, without the compromises often associated with traditional material solutions, they are ideal for use in aerospace, avionic, defence, power, traction, telecomms, PCB, automotive and high-end commercial applications.

Two product types have been designed for: systems requiring low to moderate thermal dissipation through direct-contact conduction cooling; and for systems requiring high-thermal dissipation through active air or liquid cooling.

Low to moderate thermal dissipation through direct-contact conduction cooling can be provided through power module baseplates and sinks, microprocessor lids and heat spreaders, printed wiring board cores, electronic chassis and enclosures, and carriers and hybrid package bases.

High-thermal dissipation through active air or liquid cooling can be achieved via a host of components such as rugged, one-piece Al/SiC heat exchangers with internal pin or fin cooling features.

Particularly suited to applications where maximum performance, design flexibility and economy are required, these components incorporate Al/SiC pins only, as opposed to moulded-in aluminium parts.

Offering thermal conductivities (TC) in the 170 region similar to aluminium, densities of 3 or less (copper is 8.9) and thermal coefficient of expansion (TCE) down to 6.4 (copper is 17), the material can, depending on the application, be supplied as finished components or base material for post processing.