Like laser diodes, these components operate with high current densities in small geometries, creating severe heat rejection problems. Diamond heat spreaders greatly enhance thermal dissipation rates, and yield greater RF output power levels with increased device reliability. Diamond heat spreaders can be easily metallized with stripline patterns to serve as an integral part of the microwave transistor package design. Applications range from commercial digital communications systems to airborne avionics and electronic warfare systems. In military electronic applications, diamond heat spreaders can reduce subsystem weight, volume, and cooling requirements, with substantial benefits for performance, reliability, and cost.
Microprocessors generate more heat with increased device densities and faster clock rates.
Although measures such as reduced supply voltages and use of copper interconnect technology can help alleviate thermal problems, the microprocessor package increasingly limits performance by limiting heat transfer away from the chip. CVD diamond heat spreaders can help give a better thermal impedance match between the chip and the package. The diamond heat spreader provides a dual benefit by assisting in better heat transfer out of the package and by reducing hot spot temperatures for better thermal uniformity across the die. Tests done using CVD diamond circuit substrates have shown that the material can be fabricated and patterned using conventional technology. Recent development work has shown that CVD diamond can be successfully integrated into BGA chip packaging designs, and that the material offers great improvements in heat dissipation for BGA packaging technology.