Emerging Copper-Graphene Composites for Enhanced Thermal Management in SiC Power Modules

Abstract:
The rise of electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles have accelerated the development of advanced power modules. Thermal management is critical in ensuring the reliability and performance of these modules. This study investigates the use of a graphene-reinforced copper matrix composite (Cu-Gr) as a baseplate material in a SiC power module. The Cu-Gr composite exhibits a high thermal conductivity of 468 W/m.K and a lower coefficient of thermal expansion (13.1 ppm/K) than pure copper. Through thermal and thermo-mechanical simulations, this material demonstrates enhanced heat dissipation compared to conventional copper and the aluminum silicon carbide (AlSiC) baseplates, and effectively re-ducing thermal stresses during operation. Furthermore, this study preliminarily evaluates the characteristics of the baseplate soldering process through the joint interfacial quality and thermal resistance analysis, confirming that the Cu-Gr pin-fin baseplate is compatible with the current module manufacturing process.