Advanced Metrology of High Thermal Conductivity Materials and Interfaces

Wide bandgap (WBG) and ultra-wide bandgap (UWBG) are being increasingly employed in high power electronic devices. In addition to their large bandgap energies and high breakdown fields, these materials also have intrinsically large thermal conductivities. The large thermal conductivities of these materials aids in the thermal management of WBG and UWBG devices. However, defects from deposition or growth, interfaces, and doping can decrease the effective thermal conductivity in thin films of these materials. Relying on the thermal conductivities of the bulk materials can lead to device overheating and failure. In this program, Advanced Cooling Technologies, Inc. (ACT), in collaboration with Iowa State University (ISU), will develop a robust and user-friendly tool for characterizing the thermal conductivity and other thermal properties such as thermal boundary resistance of thin films and thin film stacks. The thin film thermal metrology tool will be based on an established optical, non-contact technique that has been successfully demonstrated for a range of materials.