Preparation of Cu-Cr-Zr Alloy by Laser Powder Bed Fusion: Parameter Optimization, Microstructure, Mechanical and Thermal Properties for Microelectronic Applications

Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technology is beneficial for the fabrication of thermal conductive materials, integrating with the predesigned structure, which shows a great potential for high heat dissipation applications. Here, a Cu-Cr-Zr alloy with relative density of 98.53% is successfully prepared by LPBF after process optimization. On this basis, microstructure, phase identification, precipitates, mechanical and thermal properties are investigated. The results demonstrate that the surface morphology of microstructure is affected by laser energy density, the alpha-Cu is the main phase of the LPBF sample and the virgin powder, the size of Cr spherical precipitates in some areas is about 1 mu m, and the tensile fracture mode is a mixed ductile-brittle mode. Furthermore, the Vickers hardness of the LPBF Cu-Cr-Zr sample is 70.7 HV to 106.1 HV, which is higher than that of LPBF Cu and a wrought C11000 Cu, and the difference in Vickers hardness of different planes reflects the anisotropy. Ultimately, the two types of Cu-Cr-Zr alloy heat sinks are successfully fabricated, and their heat transfer coefficients are positively correlated with the volume flow. The heat dissipation performance of the cylindrical micro-needle heat sink is better, and its maximum heat transfer coefficient is 3887 W/(m(2)center dot K).

Automated summary

LPBF technology was used to successfully fabricate Cu-Cr-Zr alloy with high density and hardness, featuring Cr spherical precipitates in the microstructure and significant anisotropy in Vickers hardness. The heat sinks made from Cu-Cr-Zr alloy exhibited high heat transfer coefficients, with the cylindrical micro-needle heat sink showing the best heat dissipation performance.