High thermal conductive copper/diamond composites: state of the art

Abstract

Copper/diamond composites have drawn lots of attention in the last few decades, due to its potential high thermal conductivity and promising applications in high-power electronic devices. However, the bottlenecks for their practical application are high manufacturing/machining cost and uncontrollable thermal performance affected by the interface characteristics, and the interface thermal conductance mechanisms are still unclear. In this paper, we reviewed the recent research works carried out on this topic, and this primarily includes (1) evaluating the commonly acknowledged principles for acquiring high thermal conductivity of copper/diamond composites that are produced by different processing methods; (2) addressing the factors that influence the thermal conductivity of copper/diamond composites; and (3) elaborating the interface thermal conductance problem to increase the understanding of thermal transferring mechanisms in the boundary area and provide necessary guidance for future designing the composite interface structure. The links between the composite’s interface thermal conductance and thermal conductivity, which are built quantitatively via the developed models, were also reviewed in the last part.

Tribological, mechanical and thermal response of diamond micro-particles reinforced copper matrix composites fabricated by powder metallurgy

“…The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of copper/diamond composites can be adapted to be close to that of semiconductor chip materials (4-6 ppm/K), suggesting that copper/diamond composites can be used as the viable contender for next-generation heat sink materials in sophisticated electrical gadgets. Synthetic diamond used as a metal matrix composite reinforcement has the highest thermal conductivity in nature, up to 2200 W/ (mK) [15].…”

Interfacial Thermal Conductance between Cu and Diamond with Interconnected W−W2C Interlayer

“…Because of the outstanding thermal conductivity (600−1000 W/(m K)) and suitable coefficient of thermal expansion (4−8 × 10 −6 /K), diamond particle reinforced copper matrix (Cu/ diamond) composites have been considered as a new generation of thermal management materials. 3,4 The Cu/diamond interface plays a decisive role in determining the thermal properties of Cu/diamond composites. However, the inherent shortages of the Cu/diamond interface hinder the Cu/diamond composites from attaining high thermal conductivity.…”

“…As power density increases rapidly with the ever-increasing miniaturization and integration of electronic components, heat dissipation has become one of the main limitations to electronic system performance in recent years. , Efficient thermal management materials are crucial to improving the working life and service reliability of electronic devices. Because of the outstanding thermal conductivity (600–1000 W/(m K)) and suitable coefficient of thermal expansion (4–8 × 10 –6 /K), diamond particle reinforced copper matrix (Cu/diamond) composites have been considered as a new generation of thermal management materials. , …”

In situ Thermoreflectance Characterization of Thermal Resistance in Multilayer Electronics Packaging

“…Examples of advanced device packaging materials include sintered silver die attach, 4 copper-molybdenum copper (CMC), 5 diamond, 6 and metal-diamond composites. 7 Measuring the thermal properties of individual material layers and their interfacial thermal resistances, e.g., the die attach versus the flange, is crucial both for material development and to accurately predict device operating temperatures. The measurement of thin, high thermal conductivity diamond heat spreaders is equally important but technically challenging for laser flash analysis (LFA).…”

“…This has motivated the development of advanced low thermal resistance electronic packaging materials, such as thermal interface materials (TIM) and heat sinks, which are needed to reach the full potential of high-performance electronic devices. Examples of advanced device packaging materials include sintered silver die attach, copper-molybdenum copper (CMC), diamond, and metal-diamond composites . Measuring the thermal properties of individual material layers and their interfacial thermal resistances, e.g., the die attach versus the flange, is crucial both for material development and to accurately predict device operating temperatures.…”