Gallium Nitride High Electron Mobility Transistor Device with Integrated On-Chip Array Junction Temperature...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Semiconductor Physics

Background:

• Gallium Nitride High Electron Mobility Transistors (GaN HEMT) are crucial for high-power, high-frequency applications.
• Accurate junction temperature monitoring is essential for ensuring the reliability and performance of GaN HEMTs.
• Existing temperature monitoring methods may lack real-time, spatially resolved data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel on-chip method for real-time junction temperature monitoring of GaN HEMT devices.
• To investigate the thermal distribution across the device surface during operation.
• To enhance the long-term reliability of GaN power devices.

Main Methods:

• Sputtering patterned Titanium/Platinum (Ti/Pt) thermistor strips onto the GaN HEMT surface.
• Constructing an on-chip array junction temperature monitoring unit.
• Validating the monitoring unit's accuracy against thermal imaging.

Main Results:

• The developed on-chip unit provides real-time temperature perception at multiple locations.
• The temperature monitoring unit demonstrated a temperature coefficient of resistance of 0.183%/°C (25-205 °C).
• The integrated unit achieved over 95% accuracy in reflecting real-time temperatures compared to thermal imagers.

Conclusions:

• The novel on-chip temperature monitoring system effectively reflects the thermal distribution of GaN HEMTs.
• This method significantly improves the accuracy and real-time capability of junction temperature monitoring.
• The technology is vital for enhancing the reliability of GaN power devices in demanding applications.