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With the rapid development of science and technology, the performance of electronic devices is constantly improving, and power consumption is also increasing. How to achieve efficient heat dissipation in a limited space has become a key factor restricting the performance of electronic devices. In this context, a new type of heat dissipation material, diamond polycrystal, has gradually emerged and become a new star in the field of heat dissipation. Today, let us unveil the rise and application of polycrystalline diamond.

Definition: Polycrystalline diamond, as the name suggests, is a material composed of many tiny diamond crystals. It retains the advantages of diamond such as high thermal conductivity, high strength and good chemical stability, while overcoming the problems of high cost and difficult processing of single crystal diamond.

Preparation method: At present, the preparation methods of polycrystalline diamond mainly include the following: chemical vapor deposition (CVD), high temperature and high pressure (HPHT) synthesis, plasma chemical vapor deposition, etc. Each of these methods has advantages and disadvantages, but the common goal is to prepare diamond polycrystalline materials with high thermal conductivity, low cost, and easy processing.

Heat dissipation advantages of polycrystalline diamond 

1. High thermal conductivity

The thermal conductivity of polycrystalline diamond is much higher than traditional heat dissipation materials, such as copper, aluminum, etc. This gives diamond polycrystalline significant advantages in the field of heat dissipation. The following is a set of data comparisons:

Material thermal conductivity (W/m·K): Polycrystalline diamond (1000-2000); Copper (385); Aluminum (237)

2. Good mechanical properties

Polycrystalline diamond has high hardness and wear resistance, and is suitable for heat dissipation needs in harsh environments.

3. Chemical stability

Polycrystalline diamond has good chemical stability, does not easily react with other substances, and is suitable for a variety of environments.

4. Easy to process

Polycrystalline diamond can be processed into different shapes and sizes through cutting, grinding and other processes to meet different heat dissipation needs.

Practical application cases of polycrystalline diamond 

1. Diamond heat dissipation application in advanced packaging technology:

The School of Electronic Science and Technology of Xiamen University collaborated with Huawei and other teams to successfully integrate a polycrystalline diamond substrate into the back of a 2.5D glass transfer board packaged chip. This technology takes advantage of the ultra-high thermal conductivity of diamond. When the chip hot spot power density is about 2 W/mm², it can reduce the maximum chip junction temperature by 24.1°C and reduce the package thermal resistance by 28.5%. This breakthrough shows that advanced packaging integrated chip heat dissipation based on diamond substrates has significant application prospects.

2. Application of diamond heat sink in semiconductor lasers:

Diamond heat sinks are used in semiconductor lasers to significantly improve heat dissipation efficiency. For example, Haiguang Intelligent Technology uses high-quality CVD diamond heat sinks prepared by advanced MPCVD technology to achieve a cooling effect of about 25°C in semiconductor lasers and increase the power by 15%. In addition, the application of diamond heat sinks in IGBT modules also significantly reduces thermal resistance and extends the life of the module by 30%.

3. Heat dissipation application of diamond materials in the field of 5G communications:

In the field of 5G communications, diamond heat sinks provide excellent heat dissipation effects for high-frequency and high-power radio frequency devices, enhancing the reliability of the system. In addition, diamond materials are also used in the field of new energy vehicles to extend battery life and improve safety by reducing thermal runaway.

4. Application of diamond materials in high-power devices:

Diamond material is called the fourth generation heat dissipation material and plays an important role in the heat dissipation of key devices such as high-power electronic devices and semiconductor chips. For example, Chemical Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. uses microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) to prepare large-sized, high-quality diamond films, which are used in semiconductor lasers as heat sink materials. They are deposited on the surface of CVD diamond heat sink sheets through a magnetron sputtering system. Metalized layer significantly improves heat dissipation efficiency.

These cases demonstrate the wide application of polycrystalline diamond materials in the field of heat dissipation and their remarkable effects. With the further development of technology, diamond polycrystalline materials will be more widely used in the field of heat dissipation.

Development and Challenges

1. Development faced

Technological breakthrough: With the deepening of research, the preparation technology of polycrystalline diamond will become more mature, the cost will be further reduced, and it is expected to achieve larger-scale applications.

Performance optimization: Through the combination of material science and engineering technology, the performance of polycrystalline diamond will be further optimized, and the thermal conductivity is expected to be close to or even surpass single crystal diamond.

Cross-border integration: The application of polycrystalline diamond will not only be limited to traditional heat dissipation fields, but may also be integrated with other materials or technologies to open up new application scenarios.

2. Challenges faced

Cost issue: Although the preparation cost of polycrystalline diamond has declined, its cost is still higher compared with traditional heat dissipation materials. In the future, technological innovation and process optimization will be needed to further reduce preparation costs and promote the widespread application of diamond polycrystalline.

Application expansion: The application of polycrystalline diamond in the semiconductor field is mainly focused on heat dissipation. In the future, it is necessary to expand its application scope and explore its application potential in other fields such as biomedicine, aerospace, etc.

Market acceptance: As a new material, polycrystalline diamond takes time to be accepted by the market and consumers, which requires joint efforts and promotion within the industry.

future trends

According to multiple research reports, the polycrystalline diamond industry will continue to grow in the next few years:

Market size growth: It is expected that by 2030, the global polycrystalline diamond processing machine market size will reach US$4.311 billion, with a compound annual growth rate of 2.8%.

Development of emerging markets: As the polycrystalline diamond industry market tilts toward emerging countries, the market share in Asia will increase, while the market share in Europe and the United States will remain relatively stable or slightly decline.

Technological progress: The continuous progress of polycrystalline diamond technology will further promote its application in aerospace, new energy vehicles and other fields, and enhance its market competitiveness and application breadth.

With the continuous advancement of science and technology and the deepening of research, polycrystalline diamond will undoubtedly become an important branch of material science in the future, bringing more innovation and changes to our lives and work. At the same time, we also need to pay attention to and solve the challenges it faces in the development process to achieve its wide application in various fields.