Packaging aspects of CVD diamond in high performance electronics requiring enhanced thermal management

The application of CVD diamond substrates has increased in recent years due to lower manufacturing costs of CVD diamond and an increased demand for high performance heat spreaders in thermal management. The materials and packaging aspects specific to diamond substrates and the most recent applications are discussed. Topics include thin and thick film metallization schemes, via filling, die attach, flange materials, brazing, and thermal performance. Materials processing, such as brazing and screen printing, are discussed in terms of compatibility and cost. Some metallization schemes to diamond, for example, have proven to be very robust in terms of temperature, time, and reducing gas ambient for lead attach, while screen printing reduces manufacturing costs. Optimization of die attach adhesion while minimizing thermal resistance is addressed and a comparison of BeO and CVD diamond packages in terms of thermal management is illustrated with temperature color maps.