There are several failure possibilities of phase change metal alloys (PCMAs) that must each be carefully addressed to yield a robust product where the initial performance can be sustained over time. By developing advanced containment and mitigation technology, Enerdyne's Indigo has solved these problems that have plagued other PCMAs. Now, reliability concerns need not hinder the excellent performance advantages of a liquid metal alloy.

Many PCMA formulations are prone to corrosion/oxidation. The effect is more pronounced at higher temperatures and higher relative humidity. Earlier PCMA products have sometimes performed well under normal operating conditions, but been susceptible to corrosion when stressed:

These corrosion and oxidation products are much more thermally resistive than the original PCMA. The result is unacceptable performance degradation that can, sometimes in just a couple days, lead to catastrophic thermal failure of the device to be cooled.

Because they are liquid at operating temperature PCMAs must also be deployed in a fashion to prevent failure due to the material migrating away from the interface (so-called drip-out.) Depending on their formulation LMAs may also share with greases the problem of thermal pump-out, or material migration due to thermal cycling. In some applications (e.g. portable computing devices) the interface may be subjected to abrupt and extreme mechanical stresses that could lead to the LMA being jarred loose from the interface (so called shake-out.) Migration of the PCMA would be a serious problem both because of the potentially rapid rise in thermal resistance if the interface de-wets, and also because PCMAs are generally electrically conductive; migration into contact with other electronics can cause short-circuits.

Another issue is that some PCMA constituents react when in contact with certain other materials. Such reactions create intermetallic compounds which are thermally resistive, and lead to the same kinds of unacceptable system failures. For example, PCMAs containing indium are incompatible with bare copper surfaces, and those containing gallium are incompatible not only with copper but also with aluminum.

Nickel plating or other deposited materials are necessary to ensure compatibility between these materials.

Enerdyne Solutions has developed proprietary modifiers and mitigant technologies to provide PCMA reliability and ensure that Indigo is a robust practical technology for today's electronics industry. Key patents have been applied for and more filings are imminent.