Advanced Thermal Packaging Technology for High-Frequency GaAs-based Metal Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors

The objective of this Phase I effort is to design and develop a process for producing GaAs-based MESFET devices which exhibit superior thermal performance while maintain normal electrical operation. The need for advanced cooling technologies is widelyrecognized. Many systems are have reached a limit in integration density. This limit is imposed by the inability of current packaging technologies to remove excess heat effectively. The problems related to power dissipation are especially acute inGaAs-based systems, such as transmitters for radio frequency applications. ELO Technologies will use a combination of heterogeneous material integration and substrate removal processing to dramatically improve the thermal extraction of a GaAs-based MESFETdevice. Ultra-thin processing methods will allow for the placement of a metal heat pipe within a few microns of the heat source, significantly reducing the thermal impedance. A through-via electrical connection between the heat pipe and gate electrodewill act to eliminate the parasitic capacitance associated with the heat pipe. The benefits of this technology include increased device density, improved circuit performance, and longer operating life.Ultra-thin film processing and heterogeneous materialintegration methods applied to metal semiconductor field effect transistors allows for improved thermal performance and increased power dissipation. This technology is directly applicable to high power, high frequency amplifiers for millimeterwave andmicrowave systems.