Review: diamond heterogeneous integration for thermal management—integration strategies and advanced packaging

Abstract

The increasing power density of advanced semiconductor devices and three-dimensional integrated systems has made thermal management a key challenge for next-generation electronics. Owing to its ultrahigh thermal conductivity, excellent electrical insulation, and outstanding thermo-mechanical stability, diamond has become a promising material for heat dissipation and heterogeneous integration. Existing reviews mainly focus on isolated topics, such as thermal interface materials, bonding technologies, or individual device applications. This review provides a comprehensive framework that connects diamond material fundamentals, thermal transport theory, heterogeneous integration strategies, semiconductor platforms, and advanced packaging. We first introduce the fundamentals of diamond and the theory of thermal boundary resistance, and then discuss key integration methods and recent progress in diamond integration with Si, GaN, SiC, and β-Ga₂O₃. Then we summarize diamond-based packaging technologies, including heat sinks, microchannels, through-diamond vias, and diamond interposers. Finally, we highlight future directions in wafer-scale manufacturing, advanced packaging, and system-level thermal design. By connecting materials, devices, and packaging, this review provides useful guidance for developing next-generation high-performance thermal management solutions for advanced semiconductor systems.