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sp3 Diamond Technologies' SOD process is leading to a commercial scalability that is very difficult to achieve with other substrates, such as silicon carbide. In Silicon-on-Diamond wafers, a thin layer of silicon is applied on top of the diamond layer. This provides a known interface, silicon, to the device maker. SOD is particularly helpful to companies that are developing III-V devices on silicon. Since the thin layer of silicon has minimal impact on thermal conductivity, the device manufacturer is able to work with a known interface on a high thermally conductive substrate.

The 2005 International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) has identified SOD as a notable materials-based thermal management approach. Traditional wafer scale materials, such as silicon (Si) or Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI), can be a major bottleneck for thermal management of junction temperature in advanced electronic devices. sp3 identified the value diamond could bring to semiconductor manufacturing, and productized diamond for this application in SOD. SOD has been demonstrated to reduce junction temperatures due to increased thermal conductivity, and to offer lower current leakage similar to alternative substrates, such as SOI.

sp3 Diamond Technologies' Model 650 hot filament diamond deposition system provides uniform diamond growth over areas up to 320 mm by 320 mm. On top of the diamond layer, a thin layer of silicon is applied. Using this system, sp3 offers Silicon-on-Diamond wafers, coated to a variety of specifications.

sp3 has been developing Silicon-on-Diamond wafers for high power GaN devices. sp3's SOD substrates are aimed at significantly reducing the cost of high power GaN substrates, such as Silicon Carbide or native GaN, by providing a wafer scaling path that leverages standard silicon wafer processes. Additionally, sp3's SOD wafers provide a significantly improved thermal path that will allow even higher power GaN circuits to be designed and cost-effectively manufactured.

sp3 is currently developing 100 mm SOD substrates, but has demonstrated thin-film CVD diamond growth on silicon wafers as large as 300 mm. This means that, while the current application focus is on GaN devices, the SOD technology is capable of addressing any circuit design that is based on a silicon platform.

Click here for sp3's GaN on SOD datasheet.

Click here for sp3's white paper on SOD Substrates - The Next Step in Thermal Control

Click here for sp3's paper on Advances in Large Diameter GaN on Diamond Substrates

Click here for sp3's paper on Enhancing SOI with Thin Film Diamond

Click here for sp3's paper on Advances and Challenges in Large Diameter Silicon on Diamond Substrates

For additional information, contact us.