High thermal conductive Cu-diamond composite sheets reinforced with single-layer diamond prepared by a three-step electroplating process

The miniaturization and integration of electronic products result in increased heat generation and limited space for heat dissipation, necessitating materials with higher thermal conductivity and thinner thickness for effective thermal management. Electroplating enables the formation of exceptionally thin composite sheets or foils. In this study, Cu-diamond composites with a single layer of diamond were synthesized using a three-step electroplating process, which included electroplated copper substrate, embedding and coating diamonds. The prepared Cudiamond composite sheets with a thickness of 262 mu m, demonstrated a thermal conductivity of 588 W center dot m- 1 center dot K- 1 at a volume fraction of 36 %, which aligns well with the thermal simulation result. HRTEM observation revealed a tight and continuous interface between the diamonds and the matrix, with an interfacial thermal conductivity determined to be 17.7 MW center dot m- 2 center dot K- 1. The composite sheets exhibited superior heat dissipation capacity compared to pure copper foils, with a thermal drop increase of 7.4 K in the heat dissipation test. The findings of this study provide an effective solution for thermal management in the fabrication of highly integrated and compact electronic devices.