E. Neubauer (Sp), Austrian Research Centers GmbH, Seibersdorf (Austria); J. Hell, C. Eisenmenger-
Sittner, Vienna University of Technology (Austria); P. Angerer, ECHEM GmbH, Wiener Neustadt (Austria)
Copper-Diamond is a promising material combination to achieve high thermal conductivity combined with a
reduced Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE). A possible field of application for such composite materials are
electronic modules which need a reliable cooling. One of the main difficulties to obtain the required properties for
such applications is related to the interface between the copper matrix and the diamond. Due to the absence of
any reaction or diffusion it is necessary to modify the interface in an appropriate way to achieve a good
mechanical bonding and to reduce the thermal contact resistance.
One promising way is to use Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) methods to coat the diamond particles with
appropriate coatings. The used set-up of a sputter coating facility for coating the diamonds with Cr or Mo coatings
will be presented and results from coating experiments will be shown. The coated diamonds have been used for
the preparation of copper-diamond composites by using hot pressing. The thermal properties of these composites
have been investigated. The coating element and coating thickness as well as the sintering conditions have a
strong influence on the thermal properties. In addition results from microstructure analyses will be shown.
A part of this work has been performed within the framework of the Integrated European Project “ExtreMat”
(contract NMP-CT-2004-500253) with financial support by the European Community.