Properties of the environmental-friendly Si/Al composite for electronic packages fabricated by squeeze casting technology

High reinforcement-content aluminum matrix composite, with a high thermal conductivity, the adjustable coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), low density and costs, have been extensively applied in electronic package. The Sip/Al composites were fabricated by squeeze casting technology. The microstructure observation showed that the composites were dense and macroscopically homogeneous, with no micro-holes and obvious defects. The linear CTEs of Sip/Al composites lay between (7.6-8.1) × 10^-6°C^-1, and the thermal conductivity was larger than 100 W/(m·°C). The composites also had lower density (2.4 g/cm³), higher special strength and special modulus. The electroless nickel method was used to deposit a continuous and uniform layer on the composites surface, which can meet the reliability testing demands of the diodes with Sip/Al composite baseplate.