DIASEMI — Ultra-Thin Nucleation-Free CVD Diamond Membrane

As AI, GaN RF, power electronics, and advanced 3D packaging push power density higher, thermal management must move closer to the heat source.

DIASEMI’s Ultra-Thin Nucleation-Free CVD Diamond Membrane technology removes the thermal bottleneck inherent in conventional polycrystalline diamond films.

A defective, low-thermal-conductivity nucleation layer forms during CVD growth. By selectively removing approximately 0.87 μm of this layer, a ~2.38 μm-thick nucleation-free diamond membrane was demonstrated, delivering substantially improved thermal transport.

Key Performance

• κout: 304 ± 82 W/m·K

• κin: 136 ± 31 W/m·K

• Nucleation layer: only ~48 W/m·K

• Surface roughness reduced from ~34 nm to ~11 nm RMS

• Transferable to semiconductor substrates for heterogeneous integration

The study demonstrates that removing the low-κ nucleation layer can be more effective than simply increasing diamond thickness.

From Diamond Film to Device-Level Cooling

The ultra-thin membrane can be released and transfer-printed onto semiconductor devices, enabling diamond heat spreading without requiring high-temperature CVD growth directly on the finished device.

For a GaN-on-Si HEMT, modeling showed approximately 10% reduction in channel peak temperature rise, with improved interface thermal resistance offering potential cooling improvement to ~12–12.5%.

Ultra-Thin. Nucleation-Free. Transferable. Engineered for Heat.

DIASEMI — Tear Down the Thermal Wall.