A team from Stanford University and the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) have been exploring the use of new packaging materials that are less prone to degradation due to heat than existing soldering techniques.
They have developed a nanostructured thermal tape that conducts heat at a level similar to metal, but still allows the neighbouring materials to expand and contract as the temperature changes.
The team stated that "this ability to reduce chip temperatures while remaining compliant is a key breakthrough for electronic packaging".
Professor Ken Goodson, lead researcher at SRC explained that the developments would also serve "as a key enabler for densification of computational circuitry".
It was also claimed this week by researchers at the University of Copenhagen that the use of graphene in computer chips may become common in future applications.
Posted by Simon Jones
