Highly thermally conductive components by advanced 3D printing of Aluminum Nitride

In the era of high-power electronics driven by AI data centres, electric vehicles, and renewable energy systems, efficient thermal management represents a critical issue for both performance and sustainability. Data centres currently consume approximately 1.5% of global electricity (415 TWh/year), projected to exceed 4% by 2030, with 40–60% of energy dedicated to cooling systems. Aluminium nitride (AlN), with its exceptional combination of high thermal conductivity (> 200 W/m·K), electrical insulation (ρ > 10¹³ Ω·cm), and mechanical robustness (E > 300 GPa, σf ∼ 277-500 MPa), emerges as an ideal material for next-generation heat sinks and electronic packaging. However, traditional manufacturing doesn’t allow the creation complex geometries required for optimized heat dissipation. This thesis presents the optimization of high solid-loading AlN slurries for Lithography-based Ceramic Manufacturing (LCM), conducted during an industrial internship at Lithoz GmbH, global leader in ceramic 3D printing. Using CeraFab S65 and CeraFab 7500 printers, the study systematically characterizes key LCM process parameters, achieving geometrical fidelity, defect-free green bodies, and sintered densities >99%. A novel high solid-loading AlN slurry was comprehensively characterized in its fluid state (rheology, agglomerate size, photopolymerization behaviour) and evaluated for printability limits through standardized test geometries (aspect ratios, overhangs, minimum channel sizes). Post-processing and sintering behaviour were analysed, alongside final mechanical and physical properties of sintered components. Results demonstrate that LCM-fabricated AlN achieves properties comparable to conventionally sintered material while enabling unprecedented geometric freedom and quality for enhanced convective heat transfer. These findings deliver practical guidelines for Lithoz’s material development and demonstrate LCM’s potential to revolutionize thermal management solutions for high-power electronics.