Title:
Advanced solutions for thermal management and reliability of gallium nitride-based high electron mobility transistors on diamond substrates
Advanced solutions for thermal management and reliability of gallium nitride-based high electron mobility transistors on diamond substrates
| dc.contributor.advisor | Graham, Samuel | |
| dc.contributor.author | Hines, Nicholas J. | |
| dc.contributor.committeeMember | Kumar, Satish | |
| dc.contributor.committeeMember | Smet, Vanessa | |
| dc.contributor.department | Mechanical Engineering | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2019-05-29T14:04:23Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2019-05-29T14:04:23Z | |
| dc.date.created | 2019-05 | |
| dc.date.issued | 2019-04-24 | |
| dc.date.submitted | May 2019 | |
| dc.date.updated | 2019-05-29T14:04:23Z | |
| dc.description.abstract | Recent advancements in material growth, processing technologies, device architecture, and reliability testing have propelled AlGaN/GaN HEMTs to the forefront of high-power radio frequency (RF) electronics applications including wireless communications, advanced radar systems, and electronic warfare. However, despite the rapid maturation of electrical device performance, thermal management of acute device self-heating is the most prominent developmental bottleneck limiting device performance. To mitigate this acute self-heating, traditional AlGaN/GaN HEMT device substrate materials (typically Si or SiC) have been replaced with high thermal conductivity (k ≈ 2000 W/mK) chemical vapor deposited (CVD) polycrystalline diamond (PCD). However, the structure of PCD has been demonstrated to severely diminish the advantageous thermal properties of bulk diamond. In addition, achieving a high-quality interface between GaN and diamond is challenging and requires the use of a thermally resistive transition layer or interface material. Furthermore, GaN-on-diamond fabrication processes lead to the development of a residual stress state throughout the AlGaN/GaN heterostructure that can be detrimental to device functionality. To address these challenges, this work explores the feasibility and thermal limitations of using PCD as a substrate material for the thermal management of GaN-based HEMTs for RF applications. To understand the extent of thermal property degradation present in the initial microns of PCD and to inform CVD growth process optimization, two steady-state thermometry techniques were used to characterize the in-plane thermal conductivity of PCD thin films. To identify the most effective GaN-on-diamond fabrication process among competing alternatives, a spatially resolved optical stress metrology technique was used to characterize the through-thickness residual stress distribution within the GaN layer of a variety of GaN-on-diamond wafer samples. Finally, a steady-state thermal finite element model (FEM) was used to demonstrate the thermal advantage gained by optimizing the near-interface PCD thermal conductivity through wafer bonding high quality bulk PCD without the initial NCD nucleation layers and further mitigating the GaN-PCD interface resistance. The comparative thermal modeling results have demonstrated the outstanding peak temperature reduction capable with present GaN-on-PCD technologies with respect to the high-power RF industry standard GaN-on-SiC technologies. | |
| dc.description.degree | M.S. | |
| dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1853/61290 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | |
| dc.publisher | Georgia Institute of Technology | |
| dc.subject | RF electronics | |
| dc.subject | GaN | |
| dc.subject | HEMT | |
| dc.subject | Diamond | |
| dc.subject | Thermal management | |
| dc.subject | Reliability | |
| dc.title | Advanced solutions for thermal management and reliability of gallium nitride-based high electron mobility transistors on diamond substrates | |
| dc.type | Text | |
| dc.type.genre | Thesis | |
| dspace.entity.type | Publication | |
| local.contributor.advisor | Graham, Samuel | |
| local.contributor.corporatename | George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering | |
| local.contributor.corporatename | College of Engineering | |
| relation.isAdvisorOfPublication | cf62405d-2133-40a8-b046-bce4a3443381 | |
| relation.isOrgUnitOfPublication | c01ff908-c25f-439b-bf10-a074ed886bb7 | |
| relation.isOrgUnitOfPublication | 7c022d60-21d5-497c-b552-95e489a06569 | |
| thesis.degree.level | Masters |