Bonding material with exothermically reactive heterostructures

1. A bonding material for attaching a semiconductor device to a surface, the bonding material comprising

a meltable joining material; and

a plurality of heterostructures distributed throughout the meltable joining material, the heterostructures comprising at least a first material and a second material capable of conducting a self-sustaining exothermic reaction upon initiation by an external energy to generate heat sufficient to melt the meltable material and which subsequently hardens to attach the semiconductor device to the surface, wherein the heterostructures comprise one of core-shell nanoparticles comprising a particle of the first material coated with the second material and micro- or nano-wires comprising a core of the first material coated with the second material.

2. The bonding material of claim 1 , wherein the first and second materials form a thermite composition.

3. The bonding material of claim 2 , wherein the first material comprises one selected from a group consisting of boron oxide, silicon oxide, chromium oxide, iron oxide, copper oxide, and lead oxide, and second material comprises one selected from a group consisting of aluminum, magnesium, calcium, titanium, zinc, silicon, and boron.

4. The bonding material of claim 1 , wherein the meltable joining material comprises an electrically conductive material.

5. The bonding material of claim 4 , wherein the electrically conductive material comprises one of a hard solder and a soft solder.

6. The bonding material of claim 1 , wherein the meltable joining material comprises a thermally conductive material.

7. The bonding material of claim 1 , wherein the heterostructures have a concentration by weight of the bonding material selected such that heat generated by the exothermic reaction is sufficient to initiate and maintain the exothermic reaction and to melt substantially an entire mass of electrically conductive material without transferring an undesirable amount of thermal energy to surfaces being bonded with the bonding material.

8. The bonding material of claim 1 , wherein the heterostructures have a concentration at least 3% by weight of the bonding material.

9. The bonding material of claim 1 , wherein the heterostructures have a diameter not exceeding five hundred micrometers.

10. A reactive bonding material for attaching a semiconductor device to a surface, the reactive bonding material comprising:

a fusible metal alloy; and

a plurality of nanoparticles mixed within and distributed throughout the fusible metal alloy, the nanoparticles comprising a core of a first material coated by a shell of a second material, the first and second materials being selected so as to be capable of conducting a self-sustaining exothermic reaction to melt the fusible metal alloy which subsequently hardens to bond the semiconductor device to the surface.

11. The bonding material of claim 10 , wherein the first and second materials form a thermite composition.

12. The bonding material of claim 11 , wherein the first material comprises one selected from a group consisting of boron oxide, silicon oxide, chromium oxide, iron oxide, copper oxide, and lead oxide, and second material comprises one selected from a group consisting of aluminum, magnesium, calcium, titanium, zinc, silicon, and boron.

13. The bonding material of claim 10 , wherein the fusible metal alloy comprises solder.

14. The reactive bonding material of claim 10 , wherein a plurality of domains of the first material are disposed along a phase boundary between the core and the shell.

15. The reactive bonding material of claim 10 , wherein a layer of inert material is deposited on the core so as to provide a barrier layer between the first material of the core and the second material of the shell.