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Fabrication of Non-Toxic and Thermally Conductive Ceramic Components--CC Components, LLC., 629 Bross Street, Longmont, CO  80501-4417; 214-321-3054

Dr. John Freim, Principal Investigator

Mr. Jay Duke, Business Official

DOE Grant No. DE-FG03-00ER82968

Amount:  $100,000

Thermally conductive ceramic components are an important part of advanced computing and other high-tech electronic systems.  Historically, beryllium oxide ceramic materials have been used for applications where a high rate of heat removal is required.  However, an alternate material is needed due to the grave health problems that are associated with the ingestion of beryllium containing powder or dust.  Specifically, chronic beryllium disease (CBD) is a sometimes-fatal disease that acts upon the exposed person’s lungs.  The annualized cost to the DOE to prevent CBD is in excess of $31 million dollars.  An attractive replacement candidate for beryllium oxide is aluminum nitride whose electrical and physical properties are comparably favorable.  Fundamental technological advances have allowed for the manufacture of simple AlN substrates and related devices.  However, the development of a cost-effective procedure in which complex shape AlN components can be assembled has been elusive.  CC Components proposes, in a collaborative effort with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, to demonstrate the proof of concept that state of the art ceramic processing procedures can be used to make high quality, complex shape, and thermally conductive ceramics at a low cost.  The project, if successfully developed, will allow for a non-toxic source of these technologically important components.

 

Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee:  Aluminum nitride’s unique combination of thermal conductivity, electrical resistance, and non-toxicity are ideally suited for the needs of the Advanced Scientific Computing Research.  Applications that have been identified for AlN components include: heat sinks, microwave tubes, conductive substrates and packages, laser diode sub-mounts, DBC substrates, crucibles for crystal growth and evaporation, high power laser bores, microwave and millimeter wave windows, and sputtering targets.