Significantly Enhanced Interfacial Thermal Conductance across GaN/Diamond Interfaces Utilizing AlxGa1–xN as a Phonon Bridge
At a Glance
Section titled “At a Glance”| Metadata | Details |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 2024-10-18 |
| Journal | ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces |
| Authors | Kongping Wu, Guoqing Chang, Jiandong Ye, Gang Zhang |
| Institutions | Jinling Institute of Technology, Nanyang Technological University |
| Citations | 9 |
Abstract
Section titled “Abstract”Improving the thermal conductance at the GaN/diamond interface is crucial for boosting GaN-based device performance and reliability. In this study, first-principles calculations and molecular dynamics simulations were employed to explore the interfacial thermal conductance of GaN/diamond interfaces with Al<sub><i>x</i></sub>Ga<sub>1-<i>x</i></sub>N transition layers. The Al<sub><i>x</i></sub>Ga<sub>1-<i>x</i></sub>N alloy exhibits a lower thermal conductivity than GaN, primarily due to enhanced anharmonic phonon scattering. However, for the interfacial thermal conductance at the GaN/diamond interface, we discovered that introducing an Al<sub><i>x</i></sub>Ga<sub>1-<i>x</i></sub>N with a high Al concentration (<i>x</i> > 0.5) as a phonon bridge between GaN and diamond can significantly enhance the interfacial thermal conductance. In particular, it increases from 4.79 MW·m<sup>-2</sup> K<sup>-1</sup> to a maximum of 158 MW·m<sup>-2</sup> K<sup>-1</sup> at <i>x</i> = 0.75, surpassing the 152 MW·m<sup>-2</sup> K<sup>-1</sup> achieved by AlN. The Al<sub><i>x</i></sub>Ga<sub>1-<i>x</i></sub>N alloy has been confirmed computationally as a more efficient phonon bridge, which can provide a valuable theoretical reference for experimentally investigating the thermal management and thermal design of high-power electronic devices based on the GaN/diamond interface.