GaN-on-Diamond and Diamond-Cooled Power Electronics
Why diamond is investigated and deployed as a heat-removal substrate near high-power semiconductor devices.
What this topic covers
Why diamond is investigated and deployed as a heat-removal substrate near high-power semiconductor devices.
Core engineering ideas
Gallium nitride devices can create intense local heat flux at high power densities.
Integrating diamond close to the active device can reduce the distance heat must travel through less conductive layers.
NIST has highlighted U.S. semiconductor work using synthetic diamond substrates to improve thermal performance in compound-semiconductor systems.
System tradeoffs
Synthetic plates and films are specified by thermal performance, dimensions, flatness, defect level and integration method.
Quality and verification
Package-level testing is more meaningful than quoting an ideal bulk conductivity number by itself.
Lifecycle perspective
Diamond competes with copper, ceramics, silicon carbide and other thermal materials on cost, electrical behaviour, density and manufacturability.