THE THERMAL-CONDUCTIVITY OF CVD DIAMOND FILMS

The thermal conductivity of chemical vapour deposition diamond films is controlled by the microstructure, impurity content and carbon double bonds in the films. In high conductivity films, dislocation scattering is dominant at low temperatures, while phonon-phonon scattering limits the conductivity at room temperature. In lower quality films, hydrogen and metal impurities as well as carbon double bonds constrain the conductivity up to room temperature. Significant anisotropies and gradients in the thermal conductivity exist in some films because of their micro structure.