Bei Xiang, Master Application Development Engineer, Momentive Technologies
Bei Xiang will be joining us as a panel speaker for our conference session focussed on Assessing the Outlook for Thermal Management in Consumer Electronic Devices on Tuesday May 2.
Could you please tell us a little bit more about yourself?
As the Master Application Development Engineer at Momentive Technologies, my primary focus is leading the development of high-performance ceramics for thermal management in various industries such as consumer electronics, automotive, and 5G telecommunications. Specifically, I work with boron nitride ceramic materials to create cutting-edge thermal management solutions that offer superior thermal conductivity, electrical insulation, low dielectric constant, and lightweight characteristics. Through close collaboration with global customers, we have been able to drive innovation and deliver highly effective solutions to meet their unique needs in developing thermal management materials.
Could you tell us how you have seen the industry shift, develop and/or grow over the last few years?
With the continuous integration of more advanced components in smaller packages, consumer electronics such as 5G smartphones, smart home devices, electric vehicle components, batteries, and high-performance LEDs are becoming more powerful. However, this trend poses increasingly difficult challenges in dissipating the heat generated, ensuring electrical insulation, and mitigating high-frequency signal loss. These challenges directly affect the performance consistency, operational safety, and lifetime of electronic devices. The success of the next generation cooling techniques depends not only on creative designs for new active cooling solutions, but also on the development of novel high-performance thermal management materials. This is especially true in scenarios where active cooling is not an option due to the shrinking size and thickness of electronic devices. Thus, the use of innovative thermal management materials is critical to ensuring optimal performance and reliability of electronic devices.
Which thermal management materials or applications are you most excited about and why?
Thermally conductive dielectric polymer composites that offer both high breakdown voltage and low dielectric constant have garnered significant attention among thermal engineers seeking cooling solutions for high-power intelligent electronic components and devices used in EVs, 5G telecommunications, and intelligent home products. These applications typically demand fast processing speeds, reliable high-speed data transmission, and long-lasting operational life. Polymer-based thermal management materials loaded with thermally conductive and electrically insulating ceramic fillers, particularly those with extremely low dielectric constants, have enormous potential to meet these requirements at an affordable cost due to their excellent electrical insulation, chemical stability, ease of processibility, light weight, and cost-effectiveness. By utilizing these materials, engineers can ensure optimal thermal management of electronic components, enabling higher performance, reliability, and longevity.
What are the key challenges and/or opportunities facing the thermal management industry?
The thermal management industry today faces a complex system of challenges, making it difficult to pinpoint one or two key issues or solutions. As electronic devices become more crowded on the inside and processor chips and power conversion components become more powerful, the power density is expected to keep increasing. Many challenges are interdependent and cannot be addressed independently. Meeting the expectations of reduced size, weight, and cost only adds to the difficulty of identifying the best thermal management solution that achieves the optimal balance of performance, reliability, lifetime, and cost of ownership. Nonetheless, the development of lightweight thermal management materials with higher thermal conductivity, better electrical insulation, and lower dielectric loss, while also being compliant with various packaging requirements of electronic systems, plays a crucial role in enabling the next generation of higher power and more intelligent consumer electronic devices. The advancement of these materials can help overcome some of the most pressing thermal management challenges and enable engineers to design electronic devices that meet the demands of the market.
What are you most looking forward to at Thermal Management Expo 2023?
Attending industry conferences and events is a great way to meet peers in the thermal management industry, stay informed on new technologies and market trends, and novel materials that enable the development of next-generation dielectric polymer thermal management materials. By engaging with other professionals in the field, I would like to exchange ideas, learn about the latest developments, and gain insights into emerging opportunities and challenges. Additionally, by introducing the unique properties and capabilities of ceramic thermal materials, I hope to help drive innovation in thermal management and pave the way for the development of more effective and efficient cooling solutions for a wide range of applications in the consumer electronics, automotive, and telecommunications industries.
We can't wait to welcome Bei this May. To find out more about the conference agenda, please click here.
