Polycrystalline diamond fibers for metal-matrix composites

This paper describes the development of a novel polycrystalline diamond fiber that has attractive isotropic thermal properties at a moderate cost. The fiber is processed first by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and then by microwave plasma-enhanced CVD. Using the fiber as a reinforcement for metal-matrix composites offers numerous advantages in terms of engineering properties (e.g., a coefficient of thermal expansion that can be tailored to match the values of semiconductor materials, an enhanced thermal conductivity, and light weight). The resulting composites have a great potential for application in the thermal management of electronic devices.