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The joint lab berlin is an initiative for electronics reliability and thermal management.

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About Us

Thermal management is key.
For reliability. For functional safety. For efficiency. For resource management.

joint lab berlin for thermal management is a joint initiative of two universities, one research institution, and two SME‘s with the vision to enable safe, performant and reliable electronic products.

It was originally founded in 2011 as joint lab for technical safety, where the name was specified more precisely later as thermal management when it became clear that this was to become the main focus of the lab.

The mission of joint lab berlin is to pool expert knowledge and to provide professional system expertise, services and equipment in the field of thermal management for our customers and partners in the key areas of

  • Electronics cooling concepts,
  • Thermal materials and technologies,
  • Thermo-mechanical reliability and
  • Testing and reliability

For power- and micro-electronic systems. All four areas have to be treated jointly and on the same footing.

Competences

Together, we provide:

Consulting

Consulting services for thermal management and reliability of electronics.

Characterization

Characterization services along the heat path, i.e. from junction to ambient.

Cooling

Cooling concept development and benchmarking in simulation and experiment.

Analysis

Failure detection and analysis and failure-analytical equipment.

System competencies

Our philosophy

multi-scale & multi-field thermal management, characterization & failure analysis of micro- and power electronics devices and packages from source to system by simulation and experiment

  • Heat path engineering by design, technology & test
  • Customised thermographic characterisation & FA methods & products

Thermal & mechanical issues

Various factors contribute to thermal performance and reliability of electronic assemblies. Thermal and mechanical aspects need to be focussed as well as their interdependencies and coupled effects.

Each of the points below bears enough research and innovation potential to keep whole research departments busy and drives various sectors of the electronics industry.

Flip-chip cooling

 Thermal issues

1 TIM-1 thermal conductivity
2 Heat spreader & TIM-2 thermal performance
3 Interaction with cooling fluid
4 Substrate spreading & performance

 Mechanical issues

1 TIM-1 reliability / pump-out
2 Solder joint & underfill reliability / aging
3 Heat exchanger corrosion / obstruction / aging
4 Substrate attach & system stresses

Power electronics

 Thermal issues

1 TIM-1 thermal conductivity
2 TIM-2 thermal conductivity
3 Cold plate & interface to system cooler
4 Substrate thermal performance

 Mechanical issues

1 TIM-1 fatigue
2 TIM-2 reliability
3 System cooling performance
4 Substrate reliability / delamination
5 Wire / ribbon / clip / buffer degradation

Failure modes

Typical failure modes for direct-copper-bonded power modules

Typical failure modes for classical Chip on DCB assembly as used in power electronics occur during stress test and operational life. Failure mechanisms like e.g. microcrack nucleation and pore growth after dislocation motion and vacancy diffusion are caused by thermal mismatch and high temperature, leading to fatigue failure.

Cracks may initiate and propagate within the bulk of mateirals or a bimaterial surfaces, accelerated by moisture, residual stresses and external loads. Under moisture and bias metal ion migration can cause additional problems.

It is the scientific discipline of reliability that assures the right choice of materials under available packaging processes which make a thermal management solution work under given loading conditions for the required amount of time.

Make the first move

Let us introduce ourselves. Let us get to know you. Your story, your experience, your troubles.
We are eager to learn about your perspective, to share ours and to enter fruitful discussion with you.

Partners

Board of directors

We merge disciplines from all areas of electronics and have gathered over 100 years of combined experience.

Prof. Bernhard Wunderle

TU Chemnitz

Prof. Ralph Schacht

BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg

Dr. Mohamad Abo Ras

Berliner Nanotest

The joint lab berlin is always at your disposal. No matter, if minor enquiry or joint reasearch project proposal.

Do not hesitate to get in touch.