Strategy to solve the thermal issue of ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor gallium oxide field effect transistor

Abstract

Gallium Oxide (Ga2O3) holds significant potential for the next generation of electronic devices following SiC and GaN due to its ultra-wide bandgap of approximately 4.5 eV - 4.9 eV and high theoretical critical breakdown field strength of 8 MV/cm. Nonetheless, Ga2O3 has a naturally low thermal conductivity, resulting in limited device output performance and hindering Ga2O3 devices from reaching their full theoretical potential. In this study, we demonstrate that the appropriate thermal management strategy can solve the above challenges. By comparing the thermal control schemes including the Ga2O3 FET devices on the original substrate, the thinned Ga2O3 substrate, the high thermal conductivity substrate, the heat sink packaging, and the flip-chip packaging, it is demonstrated that the flip-chip model is the most effective strategy to improve the heat dissipation performance of the Ga2O3 device. By utilizing the appropriate carrier in flip-chip packaging, the temperature elevation of the device at 2 W/mm power density will be diminished by around 91% in contrast to the initial basic device. Furthermore, the output performance of the device demonstrates significant enhancement. This thermal management technique successfully resolves the severe heat dissipation issue prevalent in Ga2O3 devices and eliminates primary obstacles concerning the industrialization of Ga2O3 RF and power devices.