Haverhill, Suffolk UK - Electronics thermal management innovator Cambridge Nanotherm is to build its first prototype manufacturing plant in Haverhill, UK following the award of £250,000 in matched funding from the UK Innovation Agency - Technology Strategy Board (TSB).

Cambridge Nanotherm, the winner of the 2011 UK Clean Tech Open Competition, has developed and patented a unique nanoceramic-aluminum substrate for thermal management of electronics which offers the potential for major cost reductions and environmental benefits in electronics manufacturing.

Nanotherm™ substrate technology uses a proprietary nano-ceramic coating process to create a dielectric layer directly on to the surface of an aluminium substrate. The nano-ceramic dielectric layer is between two and 10 times thinner than its competitors and achieves an industry-leading thermal resistance of 0.014 Ccm2/W. It also has a dielectric thermal conductivity of 7 W/mK which is 2-3 times higher than conventional MB PCB (metal back printed circuit board) dielectric materials.

With the financial support from the TSB and from Cambridge Nanotherm shareholder Enso Ventures, the new state-of-the-art facility will both be a development platform for electronic applications of Nanotherm technology such as LED lighting and power electronics; and demonstrate the manufacturability of Nanotherm™ substrates in a volume production environment to potential licensees of the technology.

The prototype manufacturing line will be capable of producing innovative MB PCB materials with ceramic dielectric as well as groundbreaking circuit-on-heat-sink substrates.

Pavel Shashkov, CEO and founder of Cambridge Nanotherm said: “The Nanotherm™ technology has the potential to change the way in which LED light fixtures and power electronic substrates are designed and manufactured because it delivers better thermal performance, lower overall cost, smaller footprint and flexible design. This new facility is a major next step in the development of our patented technology and of the Cambridge Nanotherm business.”