Thermal Performance of Cu Electroplated GaN/AlGaN High-Electron-Mobility Transistors with Various-Thickness Si Substrates

Thermal dissipation is an important issue for power devices. In this work, the impact of thermal effects on the performance of Cu electroplated GaN-based high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) are considered. Electrical, thermometry and micro-Raman characterization techniques were used to correlate the effects of improved heat dissipation on device performance for GaN HEMTs with different thicknesses of Si substrate (50, 100, 150 mu m), with and without an additional electroplated Cu layer. GaN HEMTs on electroplated Cu on Si (<= 50 mu m) demonstrate an enhanced on/off current ratio compared to bare Si substrate by a factor of similar to 400 (from 9.61 x 10(5) to 4.03 x 10(8)). Of particular importance, surface temperature measurements reveal a much lower channel temperature for thinner HEMT devices with electroplated Cu samples compared to those without.

Automated summary

This study investigates the impact of thermal effects on the performance of Cu electroplated GaN-based HEMTs. The results show that GaN HEMTs with electroplated Cu demonstrate a significantly enhanced on/off current ratio compared to those without, and thinner HEMT devices with electroplated Cu samples exhibit lower channel temperature.