| The recent trend in microelectronics packaging toward surface mounted devices (SMD) has created a need for new types of materials that possess low thermal expansion and high electrical and thermal conductivity. Laminates that combine the high thermal and electrical conductivity of copper with the low thermal expansion of Invar, know as CuInvarCu or CIC, are widely use as core constraining materials in printed wire boards where SMDs are to be employed. CIC is highly anisotropic, and there are potential problems resulting from its anisotropy. An isotropic CuInvar alloy would be of great interest for a variety of applications. In suitable Cu-Fe-Ni alloys, a copper-rich solid solution equilibrates with an Invar-rich solid solution; casting such alloys invariably produces Invar-rich dendrites in a copper-rich solid solution. Casting followed by suitable heat treatments can produce two-phase alloys that combine the properties of copper and Invar. The overall composition controls the relative fractions of Invar and copper and the resulting trade-off between low thermal expansivity and electrical conductivity. Measured thermal expansivities (CTE) of CuInvar alloys follow very closely a linear rule of mixing. Electrical conductivities of as-cast specimens are quite poor due to iron and nickel contamination. Theoretical phase diagrams indicate that nearly pure copper equilibrates with an Invar-rich phase at temperatures below, roughly, 500°C. However, equilibrium compositions have been shown to take extremely, long to form, due to the very sluggish kinetics in the system. Long-term annealing was shown to improve conductivity significantly, but much greater improvements are needed to make CuInvar viable as an electrical conductive material. |
