A review of diamond composites for heat spreaders

Heat spreading is a crucial aspect of the electronic thermal management, effectively reducing thermal gradients and preventing the formation of hotspots. As the power density of electronic devices continues to increase, the limitations posed by low thermal conductivity have led to traditional heat spreaders, such as metals and ceramics, gradually falling short of meeting actual usage requirements. Thanks to the excellent thermal conductivity, mechanical properties and tunability of thermal expansion coefficient, diamond composites based heat spreaders have recently garnered extensive attention and research. However, systematic summary and review of advanced diamond composites heat spreaders are lacking, which is not conducive to actively promoting the development of this field. Herein, we conduct an in-depth review of advanced diamond composites with the aim of exploring its application value as heat spreaders. First, the theoretical background of diamond composites is presented. Subsequently, current mainstream preparation methods for diamond composites are introduced. Following this, advanced diamond composites are discussed, with a focus on the latest breakthroughs in improving thermal properties. Finally, reliability tests are explored to guide the practical application of diamond composites as heat spreaders. It is hoped that this review will contribute to further research on diamond composites as heat spreaders.