UCLA Hu Research Laboratory · Research highlight

Thermal interface materials for electronics and packaging

We develop thermal interface materials that combine efficient heat conduction with softness and flexibility. Our self-assembled boron arsenide composites connect materials design with heat removal across electronic packaging interfaces.

Key findings

• Thermal conductivity up to 21 W/(m·K) in the reported composites.
• Elastic modulus down to approximately 100 kPa, with high flexibility.
• High thermal conductivity maintained over at least 500 bending cycles.
• Power-LED integration demonstrated a hotspot temperature reduction of up to 45 °C in the reported comparison.

Relevance to electronics and thermal management

Thermal interface materials help transfer heat between electronic components and heat sinks. This work demonstrates flexible materials and power-LED cooling; it motivates future semiconductor packaging, flexible electronics, and AI hardware thermal management.

Publication and authors

Flexible thermal interface based on self-assembled boron arsenide for high-performance thermal management

Ying Cui, Zihao Qin, Huan Wu, Man Li, Yongjie Hu

[Nature Communications 12, 1284 (2021) · Download PDF]

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21531-7

Explore heterogeneous integration with wide-bandgap GaN devices