Lockheed Martin on how its new technology could soon transform electronics manufacturing

Seventy years of circuit board manufacturing, and potentially manufacturing as a whole, could be turned on its head with the discovery of a better variation of metal being developed at an aerospace company right here in Silicon Valley, and it could come to market in the next year.

Besides soldering chips, Lockheed Martin said its technology could be used for solar panels, replacing silver which is 100 times more expensive. It could also be used for touch screens, flat-panel displays for TVs, cellphones, computer monitors, LED displays on telecom phones, flexible and printable electronics, wearable electronics, packaging, constructing and designing 3-D systems, and managing the heat profiles of spacecraft.

Lockheed Martin Corp.’s Dr. Alfred Zinn, a principal research scientist at the company, began tackling the question of what material would work better for soldering circuit boards than current materials used. He came across the idea of using copper.

“Now in order to turn it into a stable piece, you need to fire it up for quite some time at a very high temperature,” Zinn said. “It’s an expensive process because of the high temperature, and it takes a lot of energy.”

A need for a better material also came from EU legislation that took effect in 2006, restricting the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. It eliminated heavy metals such as lead in electronics. Sometimes, though, that lead-free solder results in tin whiskers — small metal hairs or tendrils that grow between metal solder pads, causing short circuits. Lockheed wanted to tackle this issue.

Zinn created nano copper, trademarked as CuantumFuse, which is a nanostructured form of copper. It is not in the bulk form, like what comes out of a mine. It consists of very small nanoparticles that behave very differently due to their small size. In this nano-state, atoms need a much lower temperature to move around (diffuse) and fuse together to form a solid piece of crystalline bulk copper metal.

“What we have achieved has been about to turn this copper into a form you can use and make all kinds of different shapes and doesn’t need a high temperature,” Zinn said.

The big breakthrough of nano copper is that it can operate at a temperature that’s well below what is normally needed, he said. Lead-free solders require heating to as much as 500 degrees Fahrenheit, which can damage components or the board itself. The nanocopper can be used at temperatures as low as 392 degrees Fahrenheit, with the possibility to go even lower.

“You can do all kinds of things at moderate temperatures,” he said. “Copper has much higher electrical connectivity (10-15 times higher) and resistance.”

It also could greatly benefit consumers, the company said. The material allows for reliably higher, better performance getting away with less power, a longer lasting battery, and smaller and faster products, it said.

The technology is already protected under several patents. Lockheed is working on licensing and partnering with others on the technology. So far, it’s had success in manufacturing LED high-power lights that are dimmable. LED lighting could have the copper technology in it within 12 to 18 months, it said.

“We’ve done a lot of work with making sure it’s developed and tested,” Lockheed Martin said. “Now we’re in the phase where we’re looking for licensing and partners with this technology.”

Companies like Aavid Thermalloy, which has a San Jose office and manufactures products for cooling electronics and systems, said they would love to use the nano copper in their products.

“The real benefit is when it freezes, it’s much stronger,” said Andy Grunes, director of global design services for Aavid. “Typical solder has a fatigue issue.”

On the mechanical side, the nano copper allows the parts to stay available in more rugged environments. The higher thermal and electrical connectivity also enhances the performance of the products, Grunes said.