Moore and More ›› 2025, Vol. 1 ›› Issue (4): 370-394.DOI: 10.1007/s44275-024-00022-z

• Review • 上一篇    下一篇

GaN-on-diamond technology for next-generation power devices

Kangkai Fan1, Jiachang Guo1, Zihao Huang1, Yu Xu1, Zengli Huang2, Wei Xu3, Qi Wang4, Qiubao Lin5, Xiaohua Li1, Hezhou Liu1, Xinke Liu1   

  1. 1. College of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Radio Frequency Heterogeneous Integration, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China;
    2. Suzhou Laboratory, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215123, China;
    3. College of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China;
    4. Dongguan Institute of Opto-Electronics, Peking University, Dongguan, Guangdong, 523808, China;
    5. School of Science, Jimei University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361021, China
  • 收稿日期:2024-10-11 修回日期:2024-12-04 接受日期:2024-12-22 出版日期:2025-11-29 发布日期:2025-03-26
  • 通讯作者: Xinke Liu,E-mail:xkliu@szu.edu.cn
  • Kangkai Fan received his bachelor’s degree in material forming and control engineering from Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology, Maoming, China, in 2022. He is currently pursuing an master’s degree with the College of Material Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China. His main research interests include new semiconductor device structures and GaN power electronic devices.
    Jiachang Guo received his bachelor’s degree in material science and engineering from West Anhui University, Luan, China, in 2022. He is currently pursuing an master’s degree with the College of Materials Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China. His main research interests include new semiconductor device structures and GaN power electronic devices.
    Zihao Huang received his bachelor’s degree in polymer material and engineering from Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China, in 2023. He is currently pursuing an master’s degree with the College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China. His main research interests include new semiconductor device structures and GaN power electronic devices.
    Yu Xu received his bachelor’s degree in functional materials from Huizhou University, Huizhou, China, in 2023. He is currently pursuing an master’s degree with the College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China. His main research interests include new semiconductor device structures and GaN power electronic devices.
    Zengli Huang obtained a Ph.D. from the Suzhou institute of Nano-Tech and NanoBionics(SINANO), Chinese Academy of Sciences in China in 2012. From 2012 to 2015, he did a postdoc from SINANO, CAS. From 2015 to 2024, he was a associate professor in SINANO, CAS. From 2024 till now, he was a associate professor in Suzhou Laboratory in China. His research focuses on the field of integrated Optoelectronics semiconductor material and devices and has authored or coauthored publications at Nature Communications, Applied Surface Science, ACS photonics, Nanoscale, Journal of Physical Chemistry C, etc.
    Wei Xu has authored or coauthored more than 10 journal and conference papers, and applied for 20 patents with 10 granted. His research is related to SiC and diamond materials. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree with College of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering, National Engineering Research Center for High Efficiency Grinding, Hunan University.
    Qi Wang obtained a Ph.D. from the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the University of Sheffield in the UK in 2010. From 2010 to 2012, he was a research associate in the same department. From 2012 to 2014, he was a research fellow in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at McGill University in Canada. Currently serving as executive vice president of the Dongguan Institute of Opto-electronics, Peking University. His research has focused on the field of semiconductors for nearly 20 years and he has authored or coauthored publications in Nature, Nature Communications, Advanced Materials, Advanced Functional Materials, etc.
    Qiubao Lin obtained a Ph.D. from the College of Physical Science and Technology at Xiamen University in China in 2008. As a visiting scholar, he studied and worked in the Department of Chemistry at Duke University in the USA. From 2005 to 2011, he was a deputy professor in the School of Science at Jimei University. Since 2011, he has been a professor in the School of Science at Jimei University in China. He also serves as the Vice Dean of the School of Science at Jimei University and as the president of the Institute of Semi-conductor Industrial Technology at Jimei University. His research focuses on the field of opto-electronic semiconductor materials and devices, and he has authored or coauthored publications in Entropy, Nano Research, Applied Surface Science, ACS Photonics, Physical Review B, Advanced Intelligent Systems, etc.
    Xiaohua Li obtained his B.Sc. in materials science and Engineering from Xian University in 1992. He was appointed as a senior engineer at China North Industries Group in 2001 and an associate professor at Shenzhen University (SZU) in 2006. His research focuses on material and device failure analysis.
    Hezhou Liu obtained his B.Sc in chemical engineering from Tsinghua University (THU) in 1988, a master’s degree in chemical reaction engineering from East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST) in 1991, and a Ph.D. from SJTU in 2001. He was appointed as a Distinguished Professor at SJTU in 2014 and Distinguished Professor at Shenzhen University (SZU) in 2024. His research focuses on functional polymer-based composites with high performance and energy materials. He has authored or coauthored publications in Advanced Materials, Advanced Functional Materials, Chemical Engineering Journal, etc.
    Xinke Liu (Senior Member, IEEE) received a B.Appl.Sc. degree (Hons) in materials science in 2008 and Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from the National University of Singapore in 2013. He is currently an associate professor/research professor with Shenzhen University (SZU), China. He has authored or coauthored more than 150 journal and conference papers, and applied for 99 patents with 33 granted. His research is related to novel materials and devices. He was the award recipient of Year 2018 Excellent Research Award of SZU, Year 2018 Excellent Teaching Award of SZU, Year 2019 Chinese Academy of Sciences 100 Plan Scholar, Year 2022 Guangdong Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award, Year 2022 Science and Technology Progress Award of China Electronics Society, Year 2022 Guangdong Distinguished Young Scholars, Year 2020, Year 2022, Year 2023 Stanford University World’s Top 2% Scientists, and Year 2023 Shenzhen Youth Science and Technology Award.
  • 基金资助:
    This study was financially supported by National Key Research and Development Program of China (2024YFE0205100), Guangdong Major Project of Basic and Applied Basic Research (2023B0303000012), Guangdong Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars (2022B1515020073), Shenzhen Science and Technology Program (JCYJ20220818102809020), National Natural Science Foundation of China (62471011) and Basic Research Pilot. Project of Suzhou (SJC2022004).

GaN-on-diamond technology for next-generation power devices

Kangkai Fan1, Jiachang Guo1, Zihao Huang1, Yu Xu1, Zengli Huang2, Wei Xu3, Qi Wang4, Qiubao Lin5, Xiaohua Li1, Hezhou Liu1, Xinke Liu1   

  1. 1. College of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Radio Frequency Heterogeneous Integration, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China;
    2. Suzhou Laboratory, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215123, China;
    3. College of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China;
    4. Dongguan Institute of Opto-Electronics, Peking University, Dongguan, Guangdong, 523808, China;
    5. School of Science, Jimei University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361021, China
  • Received:2024-10-11 Revised:2024-12-04 Accepted:2024-12-22 Online:2025-11-29 Published:2025-03-26
  • Contact: Xinke Liu,E-mail:xkliu@szu.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    This study was financially supported by National Key Research and Development Program of China (2024YFE0205100), Guangdong Major Project of Basic and Applied Basic Research (2023B0303000012), Guangdong Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars (2022B1515020073), Shenzhen Science and Technology Program (JCYJ20220818102809020), National Natural Science Foundation of China (62471011) and Basic Research Pilot. Project of Suzhou (SJC2022004).

摘要: Gallium nitride (GaN)-based power devices have attracted significant attention due to their superior performance in high-frequency and high-power applications. However, the high-power density in these devices often induces severe self-heating effects (SHEs), which degrade their performance and reliability. Traditional thermal management solutions have struggled to efficiently dissipate heat, thereby leading to suboptimal real-world performance compared with theoretical predictions. To address this challenge, diamond has emerged as a highly promising substrate material for GaN devices, primarily due to its exceptional thermal conductivity and mechanical stability. GaN-on-diamond technology has a thermal conductivity of 2 200 W/m/K and it significantly enhances heat dissipation at the chip level. In this review, we provide a systematic overview of the two main integration methods for GaN and diamond: bonding and epitaxial growth techniques. Moreover, we elaborate on the impact of thermal boundary resistance (TBR) at the interface. According to the diffuse mismatch model, the TBR of GaN-on-diamond interfaces can be as low as 3 m2K/GW, which is markedly superior to silicon carbide substrates. In addition, novel techniques such as patterned growth, nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) capping films, and diamond passivation layers have been explored to further enhance thermal management capabilities. We also consider the roles of intermediate dielectric layers in reducing TBR, promoting diamond nucleation, and protecting the GaN layer. Thus, in this review, we summarize the current state of research into GaN-on-diamond technology, highlighting its revolutionary impact on thermal management for power devices and providing new pathways for the development of high-power GaN devices in the future.

关键词: Gallium nitride, GaN-on-diamond technology, Thermal management, Interfacial thermal resistance

Abstract: Gallium nitride (GaN)-based power devices have attracted significant attention due to their superior performance in high-frequency and high-power applications. However, the high-power density in these devices often induces severe self-heating effects (SHEs), which degrade their performance and reliability. Traditional thermal management solutions have struggled to efficiently dissipate heat, thereby leading to suboptimal real-world performance compared with theoretical predictions. To address this challenge, diamond has emerged as a highly promising substrate material for GaN devices, primarily due to its exceptional thermal conductivity and mechanical stability. GaN-on-diamond technology has a thermal conductivity of 2 200 W/m/K and it significantly enhances heat dissipation at the chip level. In this review, we provide a systematic overview of the two main integration methods for GaN and diamond: bonding and epitaxial growth techniques. Moreover, we elaborate on the impact of thermal boundary resistance (TBR) at the interface. According to the diffuse mismatch model, the TBR of GaN-on-diamond interfaces can be as low as 3 m2K/GW, which is markedly superior to silicon carbide substrates. In addition, novel techniques such as patterned growth, nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) capping films, and diamond passivation layers have been explored to further enhance thermal management capabilities. We also consider the roles of intermediate dielectric layers in reducing TBR, promoting diamond nucleation, and protecting the GaN layer. Thus, in this review, we summarize the current state of research into GaN-on-diamond technology, highlighting its revolutionary impact on thermal management for power devices and providing new pathways for the development of high-power GaN devices in the future.

Key words: Gallium nitride, GaN-on-diamond technology, Thermal management, Interfacial thermal resistance