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Technological Innovation in Ultrafine Tantalum Tubes for Heat Dissipation in Electronic Packaging

In the field of high-density electronic packaging, heat dissipation efficiency is a key bottleneck restricting device performance. Ultrafine Tantalum tubes, as miniature heat dissipation channels, have achieved a minimum inner diameter of 60 micrometers and a wall thickness of 3 micrometers. With their excellent thermal conductivity and dimensional accuracy, they have become an ideal choice for heat dissipation in high-end chips. To achieve such a small size while maintaining excellent heat dissipation performance, the process technology needs to find a perfect balance between thermal conductivity and formability.

The high thermal conductivity requirement places strict demands on the purity and grain control of the Tantalum tubes. High-purity Tantalum billets are prepared using electron beam melting technology, achieving a purity of 99.995% (4N5), with oxygen impurities affecting thermal conductivity controlled below 0.01%. During subsequent cold drawing, by controlling the drawing rate (50 mm/s) and annealing temperature (900℃), the Tantalum tube grains are distributed in a fibrous pattern, achieving a thermal conductivity of 54 W/(m·K), far exceeding the 15 W/(m·K) of stainless steel and the 17 W/(m·K) of titanium alloy. This high thermal conductivity makes the heat dissipation efficiency of ultra-fine Tantalum tubes more than three times that of Titanium alloy tubes of the same size.

The forming of ultra-fine Tantalum tubes employs an integrated "die drawing-on-line inspection" process. The drawing die is made of synthetic diamond, with an inner hole surface finish of Ra 0.01 micrometers. During the drawing process, the outer diameter is monitored in real time using a laser diameter gauge; if the deviation exceeds 0.2 micrometers, the machine is immediately stopped for adjustment. To avoid scratches on the Tantalum tube surface during drawing, a special graphite lubricant is used, with the lubricant particle size controlled below 0.1 micrometers. In comparison, although copper tubes have higher thermal conductivity (401 W/(m·K)), they are prone to "wire breakage" when drawn to an inner diameter of 60 micrometers, and have poor corrosion resistance, easily oxidizing and failing in humid environments; aluminum tubes, due to their low strength, cannot meet the support requirements of the packaging structure.

Surface conductive treatment is a characteristic process of electronic packaging Tantalum tubes. A 1-micron-thick nickel plating layer is formed on the surface of the tantalum tube using electroless nickel plating technology. The resistivity of this plating layer is less than 10 μΩ·cm, ensuring that the heat dissipation channel also possesses conductivity. During the nickel plating process, the temperature (50℃) and pH value (4.5) of the plating solution must be precisely controlled to avoid pinholes in the plating layer. This composite structure allows the Tantalum tube to retain high thermal conductivity while improving surface conductivity. Titanium alloy tubes, on the other hand, are prone to insufficient plating adhesion after nickel plating, while stainless steel tubes, due to their high resistance, cannot meet the conductivity requirements.

Final performance testing covers both heat dissipation and size indicators. Infrared thermal imaging technology is used to test heat dissipation efficiency. At 10W power, the temperature of the Tantalum tube's heat dissipation channel is 15℃ lower than that of the titanium alloy tube. Scanning electron microscopy is used to observe surface quality, ensuring the absence of scratches and plating defects. These technological innovations have enabled ultra-fine Tantalum tubes to achieve a dual breakthrough in "miniaturization" and "efficient heat dissipation" in the field of high-density electronic packaging, providing crucial support for improving the performance of high-end electronic devices.

AlloyHit specializes in producing Tantalum Tubes, Tantalum Capillary in various specifications.