Diamond composite coatings

This paper reveals new insights on how to achieve direct deposition of functional materials onto silicon wafers for cooling purposes. Manufacturing heat spreaders directly onto a microprocessor will negate the need for Thermal Interface Materials (TIMs) which often account for the highest resistances in a typical CPU thermal circuit.

In this work we demonstrate that Cold Spray can be tailored to directly print onto a silicon wafer with a layered structure of aluminum, copper and diamond. The thermal performance of the copper/diamond coating was also separately measured using an in-house testing apparatus showing heat-transfer enhancements in agreement with theoretical predictions.