Firstly, the necessity of thermal conductive coating research was analyzed based on the application background of thermal conductive coating. Secondly, the thermal conduction mechanism of the coating and the macroscopical and microcosmic factors affecting the thermal conductivity of the coating were discussed. On this basis, the research status of PVD thermal con-ductive coatings was described, and three common PVD thermal conductive coatings, namely SiC, AlN and DLC, were em-phatically analyzed. Phonon scattering was the direct factor affecting the thermal conductivity of the coating, and phonon scattering could be caused by some factors, such as coating internal isotope, impurities, defects and grain boundary. The interfacial thermal resistance caused by phonon scattering had great influence on the thermal conductivity of the coating. Thermal conductivity of the coating could be improved to a certain extent by reasonably selecting preparation technology and accurately controlling process parameters. On this basis, the technological cooperation of ion source assisted high-power pulsed magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) is proposed to improve coating quality and density, optimize interface structure and reduce interface thermal resistance, in order to achieve the high thermal conductivity of the coating.