Hot spots inside advanced chips are becoming a serious thermal-management challenge. As process nodes move toward 2 nm, 1 nm, and even angstrom-scale manufacturing, chips keep getting smaller while local power density continues to rise. If that heat cannot be removed quickly, hot spots form, performance drops, and long-term reliability suffers.

Diamond is one of the most promising heat-spreading materials available today. Conventional metals such as copper and aluminum conduct heat well, but it is difficult for them to combine very high thermal conductivity, low density, and low thermal expansion in the same package. Diamond can reach roughly 2000 W/mK, far beyond silicon, silicon carbide, gallium arsenide, copper, or silver, which makes it a standout candidate for advanced thermal management.

In practice, diamond is used mainly in three ways: as a substrate, as a heat spreader, and as a thermal structure with embedded microchannels.

Why diamond is attractive as a semiconductor substrate

1. Extremely high thermal conductivity: diamond dissipates heat efficiently in high-power-density devices and helps suppress local hot spots.

2. Wide band gap: with a band gap of about 5.5 eV, diamond can operate in high-temperature and high-voltage environments.

3. High current-carrying capability: diamond can support current densities beyond those of many conventional semiconductor materials.

4. Excellent mechanical robustness: high hardness and wear resistance support reliable operation in demanding service conditions.

5. Radiation resistance: diamond is well suited to space, nuclear, and other radiation-intensive environments.