Finite element simulation of 2D-based materials as heat spreaders

Paper in proceeding, 2016

Since the discovery of graphene, the first discovered 2D material, by Novoselov and Geim in 2004, the field of 2D materials has taken off and about 20 further 2D materials have been found. One of the most promising of these materials for the passive cooling of chips is hBN. HBN has the very unusual combination of being electrically insulating and thermally conductive, which potentially makes it an ideal material for both laterally spreading heat and passivating hotspots on chips. This gives hBN an advantage over graphene, where the chip requires a SiO2 passivation layer to prevent short circuits. To help evaluate the performance of these heat spreading films, a finite element model has been devised to support the experimental work undertaken in various publications. This model has been validated with experimental data and suggests that both graphene-And hBN-based materials have significant potential in lateral heat spreading applications.