A copper-based composite material and a method for producing the same

Abstract

This disclosure provides a copper-based composite material and its preparation method. The copper-based composite material comprises, by weight percentage: greater than 0 and less than 0.1% Ag; 0-0.1% Ca; greater than 0 and less than 0.08% Co; greater than 0 and less than 0.08% Cr; greater than 0 and less than 0.08% Fe; greater than 0 and less than 0.08% Mn; greater than 0 and less than 0.08% Ni; 0-0.08% Pb; 0-0.08% Sn; and the balance Cu. Compared with pure copper SSD metal covers, using the copper-based composite material of this disclosure as a heat dissipation metal cover for SSD surfaces has the following advantages: almost no difference in weight; improved strength and thermal conductivity; and can be processed using existing molding processes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure pertains to the field of metallic materials, specifically relating to a copper-based composite material and its preparation method. Background Technology

[0002] Traditional thermally conductive materials such as copper, while possessing good thermal conductivity, are susceptible to potential difference corrosion under specific high heat loads or electrochemical environments. Furthermore, the electron cloud structure of existing copper-based materials restricts the potential for free electron movement, thus limiting their heat transfer limits.

[0003] As M.2 NVMe SSDs achieve increasingly faster transfer speeds, their heat dissipation capacity also increases. The metal heatsink (or cover) on top helps dissipate heat from the SSD itself. Currently, pure copper is the most common material for these heatsinks (or covers). While copper has good thermal conductivity and can initially dissipate heat, over time, the copper surface gradually oxidizes with increasing temperature, reducing heat conduction (or heat dissipation). Therefore, finding better materials to replace pure copper is becoming increasingly important. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The inventors of this application, through research, discovered that... By altering the electron cloud density and distribution to increase the free electron mobility, the thermal conductivity of materials can be improved, giving them excellent resistance to electrochemical corrosion. This leads to a novel copper-based composite material that combines superior thermal conductivity (surpassing pure copper), excellent resistance to electrochemical corrosion, and stable atomic structure with the ability to inhibit atmospheric intrusion (such as oxygen and water vapor).

[0005] According to this disclosure, a copper-based composite material is provided, the copper-based composite material comprising the following components by weight percentage: Ag is greater than 0 and less than 0.1%, such as 0.01%, 0.03%, 0.05%, 0.08%, etc.; Ca 0.1%, for example 0.01%, 0.03%, 0.05%, 0.08%, etc.; Co is greater than 0 and less than 0.08%, for example, 0.01%, 0.02%, 0.03%, 0.04%, 0.05%, etc.; Cr is greater than 0 and less than 0.08%, for example, 0.01%, 0.02%, 0.03%, 0.04%, 0.05%, etc.; Fe is greater than 0 and less than 0.08%, for example, 0.01%, 0.02%, 0.03%, 0.04%, 0.05%, etc.; Mn is greater than 0 and less than 0.08%, for example, 0.01%, 0.02%, 0.03%, 0.04%, 0.05%, etc.; Ni is greater than 0 and less than 0.08%, for example, 0.01%, 0.02%, 0.03%, 0.04%, 0.05%, etc.; Pb is 0.08%, for example, 0.01%, 0.02%, 0.03%, 0.04%, 0.05%, etc.; Sn 0-0.08%, for example, 0.01%, 0.02%, 0.03%, 0.04%, 0.05%, etc.; Cu balance.

[0006] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, the copper-based composite material comprises the following components by weight percentage: Ag 0.01%-0.1%; Ca 0.01%-0.08%; Co 0.01%-0.05%; Cr 0.01% - 0.05%; Fe 0.01% - 0.05%; Mn 0.01% - 0.05%; Ni 0.01% - 0.05%; Pb 0.01%-0.05%; Sn 0.01%-0.05%; Cu balance.

[0007] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, the copper-based composite material comprises the following components by weight percentage: Ag 0.05%-0.08%; Ca 0.05%-0.08%; Co 0.03%-0.05%; Cr 0.03% - 0.05%; Fe 0.03% - 0.05%; Mn 0.03% - 0.05%; Ni 0.03% - 0.05%; Pb 0.03%-0.05%; Sn 0.03%-0.05%; Cu balance.

[0008] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, the copper-based composite material comprises the following components by weight percentage: Ag 0.08%; Ca 0.08%; Co 0.05%; Cr 0.05%; Fe 0.05%; Mn 0.05%; Ni 0.05%; Pb 0.05%; Sn 0.05%; Cu 99.49%.

[0009] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, the copper-based composite material comprises the following components by weight percentage: Ag 0.08%; Ca 0.05%; Co 0.05%; Cr 0.05%; Fe 0.05%; Mn 0.05%; Ni 0.05%; Cu 99.62%.

[0010] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, the copper-based composite material comprises the following components by weight percentage: Ag 0.08%; Co 0.05%; Cr 0.05%; Fe 0.05%; Mn 0.05%; Ni 0.05%; Pb 0.05%; Sn 0.05%; Cu 99.57%.

[0011] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, the copper-based composite material comprises the following components by weight percentage: Ag0.1%; Ca 0.08%; Co 0.05%; Cr 0.05%; Fe 0.05%; Mn 0.05%; Ni 0.05%; Pb 0.05%; Sn 0.05%; Cu 99.47%.

[0012] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the copper-based composite material has a thermal conductivity of 450 W / (m·K) or higher, for example, up to 480 W / (m·K), 500 W / (m·K), or 520 W / (m·K), and has excellent thermal conductivity, making it suitable for use as a heat dissipation material.

[0013] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a method for preparing the copper-based composite material is provided, comprising: Weigh the raw material powders according to the formula, mix them, and place them in a furnace for melting. The melting temperature is 950–1150℃, and the vacuum degree of the melting is 1×10⁻⁶. -3 ~1×10 -1 Pa (melting under vacuum conditions is beneficial for reducing the gas content in the composite material), and the melting time is 1 to 5 hours; Once the mixture is in a molten state, the molten metal-based composite is repeatedly pressed for 6-8 minutes using a double-roller at a pressure of 180-300 MPa to obtain a copper-based composite material.

[0014] The metal matrix composite (MMC) principle disclosed herein involves adding trace elements such as calcium to copper alloys to alter the thermal conduction mechanism of electron movement on existing metallic bonds, thus preventing restricted electron movement and overcoming potential corrosion problems. The addition of additional silver metal element alters the electron cloud state, as silver's electron conduction is faster than copper's, thereby improving thermal conductivity. Other elements fill the gaps between different atoms and are uniformly distributed within the molten copper alloy under high-temperature, oxygen-free conditions. The addition of trace elements endows copper-based composites with excellent thermal conductivity, durability, and processability.

[0015] Specifically, this disclosure is based on the following configuration and has the following characteristics: 1. By combining two or more dissimilar substances in a physical and chemical manner and then controlling their electron cloud. This disclosed material uses copper as a base (Cu-base) and incorporates trace elements such as calcium (Ca) and other nonmetals and transition elements to adjust the electron cloud distribution density in the metallic bonds. This structure helps to improve the mobility of free electrons, thereby enhancing overall thermal conductivity. 2. Doping with silver (Ag) to improve electronic conductivity By leveraging the low electrical resistance and high electron mobility of silver atoms, the overall electron cloud structure and band density can be further altered to enhance the overall hot electron conduction behavior without significantly increasing costs. 3. High-entropy design and gap compensation It is manufactured by melting under oxygen-free conditions and by designing a multi-element doping strategy (High Entropy Alloy, HEA) to fill the lattice gaps with elements of different atomic radii, thereby improving the stability of the atomic arrangement and effectively suppressing the erosion and diffusion of external atmospheres (such as oxygen and water vapor). 4. Resistance to electrochemical corrosion and stability Because the work function and electrochemical properties of the doping elements are different, an internal potential homogenization effect can be achieved, effectively preventing potential corrosion problems common in multi-metal systems.

[0016] Compared with pure copper SSD metal covers, using the copper-based composite material disclosed herein as the SSD surface heat dissipation metal cover has the following advantages: 1. The weight difference is almost negligible (this disclosure adds additional metals or trace amounts of inorganic elements, resulting in a density similar to that of a pure copper SSD metal cover); 2. Adding trace amounts of inorganic elements can increase strength by 40%~150%. Figure 1 ); 3. The thermal conductivity can be increased by 20% to 200% compared to pure copper and existing materials. Figure 2 ); 4. Retaining existing established processes eliminates the need to develop new processing equipment, making it more suitable for immediate and practical implementation in products. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 The graph showing the relationship between Young's modulus and density of the material is presented, indicating that the density change of the entire copper-based metal composite is very small. Figure 2 The graph shows the relationship between thermal conductivity and coefficient of thermal expansion of metal matrix composites and the corresponding requirements. The left, middle and right graphs respectively show the comparison of thermal conductivity and thermal expansion characteristics of copper matrix composites and aluminum matrix composites. Figure 3 The diagram illustrates the process flow chart (left) and product design image (right) for manufacturing the metal heatsink cover of an SSD Gen 5 (Samsung model: PM9E1) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 Images and dimensions of the metal heat sink obtained from the experiment are shown; Figure 5 The above figure shows the test results of using different materials of metal heat sinks on Lenovo T14 series models (CPU Arrow Lake). The top figure shows the test results using raw pure copper (Comparative Example 1), and the bottom figure shows the test results using the copper-based metal composite material of the present invention (Example 1). Figure 6 shows the surface condition of the SSD metal heat sink after 7 days of sealing following the test. The upper figure shows the original pure copper (Comparative Example 1, with oxidation marks (fingerprints)) and the lower figure shows the copper-based composite material of this disclosure (Example 1, with no obvious oxidation marks). Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a laser flash apparatus (LFA447) is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The technical solutions of this disclosure will be described more clearly and completely below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this disclosure and are used to illustrate this disclosure. This disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0019] Materials and reagents Unless otherwise specified, the raw materials, reagents, equipment, and methods used in this disclosure are conventional in the art.

[0020] Example Weigh the metal and non-metal powders according to the proportions in Table 1, grind and mix them, and then melt them in a furnace. The melting temperature is 950–1150℃, and the vacuum degree of the melting is 1×10⁻⁶. -3 ~1×10 -1 Pa, melting time 1-5h; Once the material is in a molten state, the molten metal or molten metal-based composite is repeatedly pressed for 6 to 8 minutes under a pressure of 180 to 300 MPa using a double-roller to obtain a sheet product. Manufacturing the SSD Gen 5 (Samsung model: PM9E1): It is stamped according to the specifications of the metal heatsink drawing, and the first material is a thin plate measuring 103×28×0.5mm; The same process parameters are used to manufacture copper-based composite material (Cu-MMC material) and the original pure copper SSD surface heat dissipation metal cover (including 1. convex hull forming, 2. bending forming and punching, 3. flatness adjustment, 4. material strip removal).

[0021] Figure 3 The diagram illustrates the process flow (left) of fabricating the metal heatsink cover for an SSD Gen 5 (Samsung model: PM9E1) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and an image of the designed product (right).

[0022] The SSD Gen 5 (Samsung model: PM9E1) metal heatsink, fabricated as described above, was attached to a silicone heatsink and installed in a Lenovo T14 series machine (CPU: Arrow Lake) for SSD performance testing (the size of the metal heatsink is as follows). Figure 4 (As shown).

[0023] Tests and trials Test equipment: Qingsheng THS-E2T-100 constant temperature and humidity test chamber Experimental software: Disk Thermal Info software (used to record and observe temperature changes from the SSD's built-in temperature sensor), IO METER software (provides SSD file writing and reading capabilities, used to test SSD performance data). The entire LAPTOP unit was placed in the Qingsheng THS-E2T-100 constant temperature and humidity test chamber. After starting the chamber, it was placed in the test chamber for 30 minutes. After the temperature reached 35°C and stabilized, a large amount of SSD data was read through the software. At the same time, the temperature of the SSD in the experiment was monitored. The experimental software included Disk Thermal Info software (whose main function is to record and observe the temperature changes of the temperature sensor built into the SSD) and IO METER software (whose main function is to provide SSD file reading for testing SSD Performance data).

[0024] The embodiments of this application are analyzed through testing, as follows: Figure 5 As can be seen, using copper-based metal composite material as the SSD heatsink (Example 1) can delay the throttling time by 23 seconds compared to the SSD heatsink made of pure copper (Comparative Example 1). This means that the SSD can transfer an additional 312GB of data. After throttling, using copper-based metal composite material as the SSD heatsink does not immediately reduce speed. Instead, during the speed reduction process, the SSD itself is under high heat dissipation conditions. Therefore, during the speed reduction process, the speed reduction and speed increase are repeated until heat dissipation is completely impossible, at which point operation stops. The experiment shows that the SSD initially generates high temperature, but the material simultaneously dissipates heat. When the temperature of the metal cover reaches 70°C, data transmission stops, but the temperature drops immediately below 70°C upon stopping, so data transmission resumes, and this process repeats.

[0025] After testing, the SSD heatsink cover was placed in a sealed bag and stored in a drying oven for 7 days. The surface was then observed for oxidation or copper rust. The results were as follows: Figure 6 As shown in the figure, the top image shows a heat sink using the original pure copper of Comparative Example 1, which shows oxidation marks (fingerprints). The bottom image shows a heat sink using the copper-based composite material of Embodiment 1 of this disclosure, which shows no obvious oxidation marks. After heat dissipation, the copper-based metal composite material used as an SSD heat sink still has a brighter surface gloss than the pure copper SSD heat sink, which means that the copper-based metal composite SSD heat sink has stronger anti-oxidation properties.

[0026] Thermal conductivity is measured using a laser flash apparatus (LFA): a short light pulse is used to rapidly heat the lower surface of a sheet-like specimen with parallel upper and lower surfaces. The temperature change of the upper surface of the specimen is measured by an infrared detector at the top of the specimen to obtain a temperature versus time graph, and the thermal diffusivity is calculated from this graph. Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a laser flash apparatus (LFA447) is shown.

[0027] Table 2 shows the physicochemical properties of the copper-based composite metal cap prepared according to the present invention.

[0028] Table 1

[0029] Table 2

[0030] The experimental results show that the thermal conductivity of the copper metal heat sink in Comparative Example 1 is below 400 W / (m·K), while the thermal conductivity of the copper-based composite material in Example 1 of this invention is 480 W / (m·K). This indicates that the copper-based metal composite SSD heat sink prepared in this invention has excellent heat dissipation capabilities. In contrast, the heat sink in Example 2 has slightly poorer durability (with oxidation marks), and Example 3 has a higher melting temperature.

Claims

1. A copper-based composite material, wherein, The copper-based composite material comprises the following components by weight percentage: Ag is greater than 0 and less than 0.1%; Ca 0.1%; Co is greater than 0 and less than 0.08%; Cr is greater than 0 and less than 0.08%; Fe greater than 0 and less than 0.08%; Mn is greater than 0 and less than 0.08%; Ni is greater than 0 and less than 0.08%; Pb 0.08%; Sn0-0.08%; Cu balance.

2. The copper-based composite material according to claim 1, wherein, The copper-based composite material comprises the following components by weight percentage: Ag 0.01%-0.1%; Ca 0.01%-0.08%; Co 0.01%-0.05%; Cr0.01%- 0.05%； Fe 0.01% - 0.05%; Mn 0.01% - 0.05%; Ni 0.01% - 0.05%; Pb 0.01%-0.05%; Sn 0.01%-0.05%; Cu balance.

3. The copper-based composite material according to claim 1, wherein, The copper-based composite material comprises the following components by weight percentage: Ag 0.05%-0.08%; Ca 0.05%-0.08%; Co 0.03%-0.05%; Cr0.03%- 0.05%； Fe 0.03% - 0.05%; Mn 0.03% - 0.05%; Ni 0.03% - 0.05%; Pb 0.03%-0.05%; Sn 0.03%-0.05%; Cu balance.

4. The copper-based composite material according to claim 1, wherein, The copper-based composite material comprises the following components by weight percentage: Ag 0.08%; Ca 0.08%; Co 0.05%; Cr0.05%； Fe 0.05%; Mn 0.05%; Ni 0.05%; Pb 0.05%; Sn 0.05%; Cu 99.49%.

5. The copper-based composite material according to claim 1, wherein, The copper-based composite material comprises the following components by weight percentage: Ag 0.08%; Ca 0.05%; Co 0.05%; Cr0.05%； Fe 0.05%; Mn 0.05%; Ni 0.05%; Cu 99.62%.

6. The copper-based composite material according to claim 1, wherein, The copper-based composite material comprises the following components by weight percentage: Ag 0.08%; Co 0.05%; Cr0.05%； Fe 0.05%; Mn 0.05%; Ni 0.05%; Pb 0.05%; Sn 0.05%; Cu 99.57%.

7. The copper-based composite material according to claim 1, wherein, The copper-based composite material comprises the following components by weight percentage: Ag0.1%; Ca 0.08%; Co 0.05%; Cr0.05%； Fe 0.05%; Mn 0.05%; Ni 0.05%; Pb 0.05%; Sn 0.05%; Cu 99.47%.

8. The copper-based composite material according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, The copper-based composite material has a thermal conductivity of over 450 W / (m·K).

9. The copper-based composite material according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, The copper-based composite material has a thermal conductivity of over 480 W / (m·K).

10. A method for preparing the copper-based composite material according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising: Weigh the raw material powders of each component according to the proportions described in any one of claims 1 to 7, mix them, and place them in a furnace for melting, wherein the melting temperature is 950–1150°C and the melting vacuum degree is 1 × 10⁻⁶. -3 ~1×10 -1 Pa, melting time 1-5h; Once the mixture is in a molten state, the molten metal-based composite is repeatedly pressed for 6-8 minutes using a double-roller at a pressure of 180-300 MPa to obtain a copper-based composite material.

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