Low-temperature Diamond Thin Films: A New Approach to Cooling Future Chips

As computer chips become smaller and more powerful, keeping them cool is becoming one of the biggest challenges in modern semiconductor technology. One important reason is the move toward 3D integration, where multiple layers of electronic circuits are stacked on top of each other to deliver more computing power or memory capacity in a smaller volume. While this approach offers major benefits, it also makes it much harder for heat to escape. This heat can reduce performance and shorten the lifetime of the devices. Finding better ways to remove heat is therefore becoming one of the biggest challenges in future semiconductor technology. One promising solution is to place heat-spreading layers close to the parts of a chip that generate most heat. These layers help move heat away from hot spots, allowing devices to operate more efficiently and reliably.

Diamond is an especially attractive material for this purpose because it conducts heat better than any other known insulating material. It also provides excellent electrical insulation and is chemically very stable. These properties make diamond an ideal candidate for cooling future electronic devices. However, important challenges still need to be overcome before diamond can be widely used in microelectronics. High-quality diamond films must be grown at temperatures that are compatible with semiconductor manufacturing, and scientists do not yet fully understand how the growth process affects the structure of the films and their thermal properties.

In this PhD project, you will develop new methods for growing diamond thin films at low temperatures and investigate how these films can be used to improve heat removal in future electronic devices. You will study how growth conditions influence material properties such as crystal quality, grain size, and surface roughness. A key goal of the project is to understand how these properties affect heat transport. To achieve this, you will combine diamond thin-film growth with a broad range of characterization techniques, including Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and advanced thermal measurements, such as frequency-domain thermoreflectance. You will learn how to connect the way thin films are deposited, what they look like at the microscale, and how well they perform thermally. By linking growth conditions, material structure, and thermal conductivity, you will help identify the factors that control heat flow in diamond films and establish guidelines for designing better heat-spreading films. Depending on the progress of the project, there may also be opportunities to explore diamond epitaxy with the potential for even higher performance.

This project is a collaboration between IUMAT at Hasselt University and imec in Leuven, giving you access to world-class research facilities and expertise in advanced materials and semiconductor technology. You will work in a multidisciplinary team and interact with researchers from different scientific backgrounds.

We are looking for a motivated student with a background in materials science, physics, electrical engineering, nanotechnology, or a related field. An interest in advanced materials and experimental research is important. Experience with thin-film processing or materials characterization is an advantage, but enthusiasm for learning new techniques and solving challenging problems is just as valuable.