Evaluation on the Reduced Graphene Oxide Thermal Interface Material and Heat Spreader for Thermal Management in High-Temperature Power Device

Abstract

Thermally conductive reduced graphene oxide (rGO) is desirable for removing generated heat during the operation of a power device. Excessive heat accumulation results in device failure. In this article, the performance of rGO as a thermal interface material (TIM) and heat spreader on Si substrate was evaluated using a custom build thermal test setup. By a simple drop-casting of graphene oxide (GO) on Si followed by 700 oC thermal reduction, a hybrid film of GO (electrical insulator) and rGO (thermal conductor) was obtained. This was verified by Raman spectra and surface morphological image. Approximately 300 nm-thick rGO film prepared from 4-times drop-casting of GO exhibited the highest performance as a TIM and heat spreader. The heating rate of Si increased from 14.85 oC/W to 18.37 oC/W due to the improved heat transfer from the heater into the Si substrate. The experimental results endorsed the effectiveness of rGO as a thermal solution and verified the capability of the thermal test setup as a thermal simulation of a high-power device.