Technology Trend: From "Attached Heat Spreading" to "Chip-Embedded" Integration
CVD Technology Breakthroughs: Advancing Both Large Size and Flexibility
Large-size substrates: Henan Province has achieved mass production of 2-inch CVD polycrystalline diamond heat spreaders with a thermal conductivity exceeding 2000 W/(m·K), approaching the theoretical limit.
Ultra-thin flexible films: A team from the University of Hong Kong and Southern University of Science and Technology has successfully fabricated sub-micron flexible diamond films that can be directly attached to chip surfaces, achieving a thermal conductivity of 1300 W/(m·K) and providing a new solution for heat dissipation in wearable devices.
3D Heterogeneous Integration: Integrating Heat Dissipation and Packaging
A team at Xiamen University integrated a diamond substrate into a 2.5D chip package, reducing the maximum junction temperature of the chip by 24.1°C and lowering thermal resistance by 28.5%. Raytheon, in the United States, has developed a microchannel cooling module combined with a diamond substrate that reduces the junction temperature of GaN devices from 676°C to 182°C, opening a new path for thermal management of high-power devices.
Doping Technology Breakthroughs: Overcoming Barriers to Semiconductor Applications
At present, p-type diamond (boron-doped) is relatively mature, while n-type (phosphorus-doped) still faces challenges such as low carrier mobility and high resistivity. Domestic research institutions are accelerating efforts to achieve the direct application of diamond in power devices.
Expansion of Application Scenarios: From Consumer Electronics to Space Exploration
Consumer Electronics: Solving "Heat Anxiety"
Huawei has successively filed patent applications for diamond heat dissipation, one of which was published on December 3, 2024. The technology is expected to be widely used in high-performance computing, 5G communications, artificial intelligence, and other fields. NVIDIA's diamond-cooled GPU is already in the testing phase, promising a threefold increase in AI computing power.
New Energy Vehicles: Enabling Ultra‑Fast Charging and Long Lifespan
The Fraunhofer Institute has integrated nanoscale diamond films into electric vehicle components, reducing the local thermal load by a factor of ten and cutting charging time by 30%.
Space and Quantum Computing: Guardians of Extreme Environments
The high temperature resistance and radiation resistance of diamond make it the material of choice for heat dissipation in space probes. In addition, its potential for cooling quantum bits is being closely monitored by giants such as IBM and Google.
Future Outlook: Three Major Development Trends after 2025
Technology integration: AI algorithms optimize the CVD deposition process, enabling “smart manufacturing” to reduce costs.
Downward application penetration: Gradual entry into mid‑to‑low‑end markets such as LED lighting and data center heat dissipation.
Closed‑loop ecosystem: Form a full‑industry‑chain cluster covering equipment, materials, and applications, with China expected to lead the formulation of global standards.
