High Thermal Conductivity in Cubic Boron Arsenide Crystals

The high density of heat generated in power electronics and optoelectronic devices is a critical bottleneck in their application. New, high thermally-conducting materials are needed to effectively dissipate heat and thereby enable enhanced performance of power controls, solid-state lighting, communication, and security systems. We report our experimental discovery of high thermal conductivity of 1000 ± 90 W/m/K at room temperature in cubic boron arsenide (BAs) grown through modified chemical vapor transport technique. Such thermal conductivity is a factor of 3 higher than that of silicon carbide and surpassed only by diamond and the basal plane value of graphite. This work establishes BAs as the first realization of a new class of ultrahigh thermal conductivity materials predicted by a recent theory, and a potential revolutionary thermal management material.