Advanced Beryllium Oxide (BeO) Ceramics and BeO Powder For Thermal Management
Materion has been manufacturing high strength beryllium oxide ceramic materials and BeO powder for decades and we understand the unique design properties our customers need. Our Thermalox® and BW families of advanced BeO (or beryllia) offer superior levels of ceramic strength, reliability, weight savings and thermal management capabilities.
BeO ceramics are an ideal solution for the medical field, including mammography x-ray tubes, laser bores in DNA sequencers, heatsinks for defibrillators and components for flow cytometry and hematology. They also excel when used for semiconductor manufacturing, advanced defense manufacturing, energy equipment and components for wireless communications and applications that require high electrical resistivity, transparency to X-rays and a low neutron absorption cross section.
THE ADVANTAGES OF BEO TECHNICAL CERAMICS
BeO ceramics offer many benefits over competing materials. They can be nine times more thermally conductive than aluminum nitride (AlN) ceramic, a commonly used alternative. Additionally, BeO has a thermal conductivity of up to 325 W/(m•K), meaning beryllia can be up to 80 percent more thermally conductive than AlN materials. BeO is more chemically stable than AlN ceramics in environments containing oxidizing chemicals.
These superior capabilities mean BeO ceramics excel in applications when product design considerations include:
- Miniaturizing the physical size of the device or enclosure
- Exposing the component to high ambient temperatures
- Airflow or liquid cooling is not possible or is prohibitively expensive
- Applications that require a ceramic which insulates against electricity
- Melting and sintering operations at very high temperatures for crucibles
Compare the technical characteristics of our range of BeO and alumina ceramic products.
BW FAMILY OF ADVANCED BEO CERAMICS
Our BW family of advanced ceramics includes two material grades—BW 1000® and BW3250® ceramics. Both grades are 99.5% pure BeO, deliver improved performance for circuits and high heat applications and have a lower dielectric constant than AlN (6.7 versus 9.7). These materials also offer electrical resistivity and dielectric strength equivalent to competitive materials.
BW 1000 ceramic material offers the highest flexural strength of all our beryllia grades. When small components require great strength, BW 1000 ceramic is the optimum choice. It is ideal for very small, fragile parts that will endure high levels of stress during the life cycle of the product. BW3250 BeO ceramic offers higher thermal conductivity than BW 1000 ceramic, but with lower flexural strength.
|
BeO Grade |
Purity |
Flexural Strength (MOR) |
Thermal Conductivity |
Applications |
|
BW3250® |
99.5% BeO |
207 MPa |
325 W/m•K |
Dosimeters that detect ionizing radiation in hospitals and nuclear plants; substrate material and heat sink for semiconductors; laser and gas diode components |
|
BW 1000® |
99.5% BeO |
262 MPa |
275 W/m•K |
High temperature crucibles for melting down metals; crucibles for Li-ion batteries; aerospace applications for thermal management |
THERMALOX ADVANCED BEO CERAMICS
Thermalox BeO ceramics provide the second highest thermal conductivity of all electrically insulating materials, exceeded only by diamonds. They are ideal for use in the medical, industrial and electronics markets.
We offer three grades of Thermalox materials: Thermalox 995 ceramic, our standard BeO used in microprocessors and medical applications; Thermalox CR ceramic, designed for crucibles; and Thermalox V ceramic, our economical BeO choice.
|
BeO Grade |
Purity |
Flexural Strength (MOR) |
Thermal Conductivity |
Applications |
|
Thermalox®995 |
99.5% BeO |
221 MPa |
285 W/m•K |
Dosimeters that detect ionizing radiation in hospitals and nuclear plants; substrate material and heat sink for semiconductors; laser and gas diode components |
|
Thermalox®CR |
99.7% BeO |
207 MPa |
250 W/m•K |
High temperature crucibles for melting down metals; crucibles for Li-ion batteries; aerospace applications for thermal management |
|
Thermalox® V |
99.5% BeO |
|
220 W/m•K |
Applications not requiring premium performance of Thermalox® 995 ceramics, but that require high thermal conductivity |
Read our case study to see how the unique thermal and electrical properties of Thermalox 995 were an ideal solution for a laser manufacturing company.
BEO POWDER FOR THERMALLY CONDUCTIVE COMPONENTS
In certain applications, our customers need beryllium oxide in a powder format so that it can be sintered into high-density ceramics. Materion manufactures two grades of beryllium oxide powder, which are used to form critical thermally conductive components for high-performance semiconductor applications, microwave devices, vacuum tubes, gas lasers and magnetrons.
We typically supply the powder in -20 mesh, dry condition, which can then be sintered into unique shapes with the properties that meet your exact need.
BeO powder is a highly uniform material that offers high thermal conductivity, great electrical insulation and thermal resistivity.
CASE STUDY: HIGH THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY CERAMICS FOR RF & MICROWAVE RESISTORS
Yulongtong Electron Co. was looking for a reliable partner to meet their expanding demand for resistors in radio frequency and microwave applications. Materion exceeded expectations by supplying them with beryllium oxide ceramics that provide higher thermal conductivity than AlN.
Read more about our reliable BeO for resistors in RF and microwave applications.
TALK TO OUR TECHNICAL CERAMICS EXPERTS
Using our unique combination of materials forming, firing and fabrication technologies, we are can provide you with the highest quality beryllia ceramic materials. Our BeO ceramics are available dry pressed, extruded or iso-pressed, to meet your application specifications.
For more information on our advanced BeO ceramic material, talk to Materion ceramics experts.