Thermal conductivity values and other applications of aluminum nitride

Aluminum nitride (AlN) is a new type of ceramic material with excellent comprehensive performance, renowned for its astonishing thermal conductivity, and has shown broad application prospects in multiple fields.

Numerical value of thermal conductivity of aluminum nitride
The thermal conductivity of aluminum nitride is one of its most outstanding properties. In theory, the thermal conductivity of aluminum nitride is as high as 320W/(m · K), which far exceeds that of traditional ceramic materials, such as aluminum oxide, which has a thermal conductivity of only 7-10W/(m · K). In practical applications, due to the limitations of the preparation process, the thermal conductivity of aluminum nitride ceramics is usually in the range of 100-260W/(m · K), but even so, it is already several times or even tens of times higher than traditional ceramic materials. For example, Toshiba Corporation in Japan has successfully achieved mass production of AlN ceramic substrates with thermal conductivity of up to 170W/(m · K) and 200W/(m · K), while Maruwa Corporation in Japan is capable of mass production of AlN ceramic substrates with thermal conductivity of 170-200W/(m · K), and its ultra-high thermal conductivity AlN ceramic substrate even reaches a thermal conductivity of over 230W/(m · K).

Other applications of aluminum nitride
Heat dissipation substrate and electronic device packaging
Aluminum nitride ceramics have excellent thermal conductivity, a thermal expansion coefficient that matches silicon, and good mechanical strength and chemical stability, making them an ideal material for the new generation of heat dissipation substrates and electronic device packaging. It is highly suitable for packaging hybrid power switches and microwave vacuum tube packaging materials, and is also an ideal choice for large-scale integrated circuit substrates.
Electrostatic suction cup for wafer processing
In the semiconductor manufacturing process, wafers need to be transferred between multiple process equipment, and electrostatic suction cups fix the wafers through electrostatic adsorption to ensure the processing accuracy and cleanliness of the wafers. Aluminum nitride ceramics have become an ideal material for electrostatic suction cups in silicon carbide wafer processing due to their excellent thermal conductivity.
High power LED heat sink
As a new generation of lighting technology, LED’s heat dissipation has always been a concern. Aluminum nitride ceramics have become the preferred material for high-power LED heat sinks due to their high thermal conductivity, effectively improving the service life and performance of LEDs.
heat-resistant material
Aluminum nitride ceramics can maintain stability at high temperatures and have good oxidation resistance and chemical resistance. Therefore, they can be used as high-temperature heat-resistant components such as crucibles, evaporation boats, thermocouple protection tubes, etc. for melting non-ferrous metals and semiconductor materials.
Thin film materials
Aluminum nitride thin films have high breakdown field strength, high thermal conductivity, high electrical resistivity, and excellent chemical and thermal stability, making them commonly used as isolation media and insulation materials in the packaging of electronic devices and integrated circuits. In addition, high-quality aluminum nitride films also have characteristics such as high ultrasonic transmission speed and low acoustic wave loss, and are widely used in fields such as mechanics, microelectronics, and optics.
composite material
Aluminum nitride powder can be added as a thermal conductive filler to polymer materials to prepare high thermal conductivity organic polymer composites. In addition, aluminum nitride can also be combined with other ceramic materials to prepare composite ceramic materials with high strength, high hardness, and high wear resistance.
Other applications
Aluminum nitride can also be used to make special additives in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, daily necessities, as well as chemical catalysts. Due to its semi ductility at high energy, aluminum nitride can also be used as a bulletproof material.

Aluminum nitride, with its excellent thermal conductivity and other physical and chemical properties, has shown broad application prospects in various fields such as electronics, power, aerospace, national defense and military industry.