Thermoreflectance Thermal Imaging Research Articles

Multi-pulse thermoreflectance imaging with structure function analyses for measuring thermophysical properties of microscale heterostructures

The thermophysical properties of nano/microscale heterostructures play a crucial role in the performance and reliability of electronics. However, existing measurements encounter several challenges, including detecting multiple parameters synchronously and reliance on reference samples etc. In this study, we propose a multi-pulse thermoreflectance thermal imaging (TTI) combining with structure function algorithm, achieving simultaneous measurement of the thermal conductivities, specific heat capacities, and thermal boundary resistances (TBRs) of microscale heterostructures. A non-iterative methodology is established and the singular model parameter is evaluated through transient heat conduction modeling. We delineate criteria for thermal transient testing and achieve high-precision measurements over a broad time range by employing a multi-pulse strategy with a TTI system with a 50 ns temporal resolution. Our experimental measurements on a microscale Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) sample validate the method's effectiveness. The measured thermophysical properties, including thermal conductivities of the device layer and handle wafer, TBR, and specific heat capacity of the device layer, exhibit a relative error of <10% compared to prior studies. Our approach presents an effective solution for precise thermal characterization within modern electronic devices.

Pulsed thermoreflectance imaging for thermophysical properties measurement of GaN epitaxial heterostructures.

Multilayer heterostructures composed of a substrate and an epitaxial film are widely utilized in advanced electronic devices. However, thermal bottlenecks constrain their performance and reliability, and efficient approaches to comprehensively measure the thermophysical properties of heterostructures are urgently needed. In this work, a pulsed thermoreflectance imaging (PTI) method is proposed, which combines the transient temperature mapping of thermoreflectance thermal imaging with transient pulsed excitation. By executing merely three transient tests, six thermophysical properties, including the film thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity, the substrate thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity, the film-substrate thermal boundary resistance, and the equivalent thermal conductivity of the insulating layer, can be simultaneously measured in a heterostructure sample. The proposed method applies a pulsed current excitation to a metal heater line on the sample surface and utilizes the thermoreflectance thermal imaging system to measure the temperature of different spatial regions on the sample surface at different time windows. The temporal and spatial variation information of the temperature field is then extracted and combined with finite element method inversion calculation to obtain the thermophysical properties of heterostructures. To validate the accuracy and reliability of this method, we conducted measurements on a GaN-on-SiC heterostructure sample and obtained thermophysical properties consistent with the representative literature data that have previously been reported. The proposed PTI method, characterized by its high sensitivity, demonstrates good efficiency and reliability in conducting comprehensive thermophysical property characterization of GaN epitaxial heterostructures.

Electrothermal Performance of AlGaN/GaN Lateral Transistors with &gt;10 μm Thick GaN Buffer on 200 mm Diameter‐Engineered Substrates

Herein, the electrical and thermal performance of lateral AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) and metal‐insulator‐semiconductor field effect transistors (MISFETs) fabricated with 11 μm thick GaN buffer layers on 200 mm diameter Qromis Substrate Technology (QST) substrates are investigated. The QST substrate has a polycrystalline core engineered to be coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE)‐matched to GaN to minimize wafer bow and residual stress in the GaN film as a result of epitaxial growth. Raman spectroscopy is used to determine the biaxial residual stress in the GaN buffer of the as‐fabricated devices. Electrical characterization is demonstrated on the HEMTs including DC and pulsed output characteristics, DC transfer characteristics, Hall mobility, carrier concentration, sheet resistance, median transition frequency, and maximum stable gain. Finally, the thermal performance of the AlGaN/GaN MISFET is assessed via thermoreflectance thermal imaging at DC power densities up to 19 W mm−1. The thermal resistance of the MISFET, calculated using the peak temperature rises on the gate electrode for DC power densities &lt;10 W mm−1, is measured to be 15.4 mm K W−1, which is comparable with state‐of‐the‐art GaN‐on‐Si lateral transistors.

A review of thermoreflectance techniques for characterizing wide bandgap semiconductors’ thermal properties and devices’ temperatures

Thermoreflectance-based techniques, such as pump–probe thermoreflectance (pump–probe TR) and thermoreflectance thermal imaging (TTI), have emerged as the powerful and versatile tools for the characterization of wide bandgap (WBG) and ultrawide bandgap (UWBG) semiconductor thermal transport properties and device temperatures, respectively. This Review begins with the basic principles and standard implementations of pump–probe TR and TTI techniques, illustrating that when analyzing WBG and UWBG materials or devices with pump–probe TR or TTI, a metal thin-film layer is often required. Due to the transparency of the semiconductor layers to light sources with sub-bandgap energies, these measurements directly on semiconductors with bandgaps larger than 3 eV remain challenging. This Review then summarizes the general applications of pump–probe TR and TTI techniques for characterizing WBG and UWBG materials and devices where thin metals are utilized, followed by introducing more advanced approaches to conventional pump–probe TR and TTI methods, which achieve the direct characterizations of thermal properties on GaN-based materials and the channel temperature on GaN-based devices without the use of thin-film metals. Discussions on these techniques show that they provide more accurate results and rapid feedback and would ideally be used as a monitoring tool during manufacturing. Finally, this Review concludes with a summary that discusses the current limitations and proposes some directions for future development.

High-Sensitivity Microthermometry Method Based on Vacuum-Deposited Thin Films Exhibiting Gradual Spin Crossover above Room Temperature.

We report on the fabrication, characterization, and microthermometry application of high-quality, nanometric thin films, with thicknesses in the range 20-200 nm, of the molecular spin-crossover complex [Fe(HB(1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)3)2]. The films were obtained by vacuum thermal evaporation and characterized by X-ray diffraction, UV spectrophotometry, and atomic force microscopy. The as-deposited films are dense and crystalline with a preferred [011] orientation of the monoclinic crystal lattice normal to the substrate surface. The films exhibit a gradual spin conversion centered at ca. 374 K spanning the 273-473 K temperature range, irrespective of their thickness. When deposited on a microelectronic device, these films can be used to enhance the UV-light thermoreflectance coefficient of reflective surfaces by more than an order of magnitude, allowing for high-sensitivity thermoreflectance thermal imaging.

High Spatial Resolution Thermal Mapping of Volatile Switching in NbOx-Based Memristor Using In Situ Scanning Thermal Microscopy.

Temperature mapping by in situ thermoreflectance thermal imaging (TRTI) or midwave infrared spectroscopy has played an important role in understanding the origins of threshold switching and the effect of insulator-metal transitions in oxide-based memrsitive devices. In this study, we use scanning thermal microscopy (SThM) as an alternative thermal mapping technique that offers high spatial resolution imaging (∼100 nm) and is independent of material. Specifically, SThM is used to map the temperature distribution in NbOx-based cross-bar and nanovia devices with Pt top electrodes. The measurements on cross-bar devices reproduce the current redistribution and confinement processes previously observed by TRTI but without the need to coat the electrodes with a material of high thermo-reflectance coefficient (e.g., Au), while those on the nanovia devices highlight the spatial resolution of the technique. The measured temperature distributions are compared with those obtained from physics-based finite-element simulations and suggest that thermal boundary resistance plays an important role in heat transfer between the active device volume and the top electrode.

Explaining an unusual electromigration behavior—A comprehensive experimental and theoretical analysis using finite element method

In metallic interconnects, it is generally assumed that electromigration (EM) failure location is independent of the applied electrical current and always occurs at the highest-current-density area. Our experiments show otherwise. We designed an Al interconnect that alters its failure location by only varying the applied current density. The failure occurs near the high for a current above 2 × 107 A/cm2, but at a location with 59% of the maximum for lower current densities. Thermoreflectance thermal imaging is employed to gather time-dependent high-resolution spatial temperature distributions of the Al interconnect during EM. More importantly, we propose a computationally inexpensive 2D finite element method that tracks EM evolution in time and matches well with the observations from different experimental conditions. A detailed analysis covering the major driving forces of EM is carried out to understand the complex physics behind EM. The atomic depletion rate contributed by each force is quantitatively studied. By examining the results from every tested experimental condition, the model reveals that the temperature gradient is the key reason causing atomic depletion near the failure location. Graphical illustrations and qualitative analysis are provided to intuitively show the key findings of our work.

Electro-Thermal Investigation of GaN Vertical Trench MOSFETs

An electro-thermal co-design study has been performed on vertical GaN transistors (oxide, GaN interlayer based vertical trench MOSFETs; OG-FETs). Vertical (GaN-on-GaN) and quasi vertical (GaN-on-sapphire) devices were investigated. Vertical devices showed a 60% lower device peak temperature rise as compared to the quasi-vertical OG-FETs. Using electro-thermal device simulation, the internal electric field and heat generation distributions within the OG-FETs were analyzed. The temperature rise of a hexagonal honeycomb structured scaled array of OG-FETs was characterized using thermoreflectance thermal imaging and infrared thermography. A 3D thermal model was used to evaluate the impact of design variables including the number of cells, the pitch between individual cells, and the aspect ratio of the array configuration on the self-heating behavior of multi-cell arrays of OG-FETs.

Local measurements of domain wall-induced self-heating in released PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 films

The motion of domain walls in lead zirconate titanate (PZT) produces both nonlinearity and hysteresis. While measurements of the resulting self-heating under an electric field drive are well known in bulk ferroelectric ceramics, self-heating effects in PZT films may differ from those in bulk ceramics due to a combination of reduced domain wall motion, differences in heat dissipation associated with substrates or passive elastic layers, and differences in typical drive fields. Here, it is shown that the thermal imaging of the test structures of PZT piezoelectric microelectromechanical systems using techniques such as infrared thermography and thermoreflectance thermal imaging suffers from motion-induced artifacts. These limitations were overcome via nanoparticle-assisted Raman thermometry with a spatial resolution of ∼1 μm. To acquire the local temperature distribution quantitatively, anatase nanoparticles were distributed across the electrodes and actuating PZT diaphragm. The temperature rise of the test structures increased as the operating frequency, voltage amplitude, and slew rate increased. As expected, the largest temperature rises were induced due to self-heating associated with domain switching under bipolar operation. In addition, a higher voltage amplitude testing revealed non-uniform temperature distributions across the piezoelectric actuator, suggesting that AC Joule heating can induce significant heat generation (ΔT ∼ 30 K) under high electric fields (∼390 kV/cm).

Geometrical quasi-ballistic effects on thermal transport in nanostructured devices

We employ thermoreflectance thermal imaging to directly measure the steady-state two-dimensional (2D) temperature field generated by nanostructured heat sources deposited on silicon substrate with different geometrical configurations and characteristic sizes down to 400nm. The analysis of the results using Fourier’s law not only breaks down as size scales down, but it also fails to capture the impact of the geometry of the heat source. The substrate effective Fourier thermal conductivities fitted to wire-shaped and circular-shaped structures with identical characteristic lengths are found to display up to 40% mismatch. Remarkably, a hydrodynamic heat transport model reproduces the observed temperature fields for all device sizes and shapes using just intrinsic Si parameters, i.e., a geometry and size-independent thermal conductivity and nonlocal length scale. The hydrodynamic model provides insight into the observed thermal response and of the contradictory Fourier predictions. We discuss the substantial Silicon hydrodynamic behavior at room temperature and contrast it to InGaAs, which shows less hydrodynamic effects due to dominant phonon-impurity scattering.

Electro-thermal co-design of β -(AlxGa1-x)2O3/Ga2O3 modulation doped field effect transistors

Ultra-wide bandgap β-gallium oxide (Ga2O3) devices are of considerable interest with potential applications in both power electronics and radio frequency devices. However, current Ga2O3 device technologies are limited by the material's low intrinsic electron mobility and thermal conductivity. The former problem can be addressed by employing modulation-doped β-(AlxGa1−x)2O3/Ga2O3 heterostructures in the device architecture. In this work, (AlxGa1−x)2O3/Ga2O3 modulation-doped field effect transistors (MODFETs) have been investigated from a thermal perspective. Thermoreflectance thermal imaging was used to characterize the self-heating of the MODFETs. The (Al0.18Ga0.82)2O3 thermal conductivity (3.1–3.6 W/mK) was determined using a frequency domain thermoreflectance technique. Electro-thermal modeling was used to discern the effect of design parameters such as substrate orientation and channel length on the device self-heating behavior. Various thermal management schemes were evaluated using the electro-thermal device model. From an electro-thermal co-design perspective, the improvement in electrical performance followed by the mitigation of self-heating was also studied. For example, by employing a Ga2O3-on-SiC composite wafer, which was fabricated in this work, a 50% increase in power handling capability can be achieved as compared to a homoepitaxial device. Furthermore, flip-chip heterointegration and double-sided cooling approaches can lead to more than 2× improvement in the power handling capability. Using an augmented double-sided cooling design that includes nanocrystalline diamond passivation, a 5× improvement in the power handling capability can be accomplished, indicating the potential of the technology upon implementation of a suitable thermal management scheme.

Device-Level Multidimensional Thermal Dynamics With Implications for Current and Future Wide Bandgap Electronics

Abstract Researchers have been extensively studying wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductor materials such as gallium nitride (GaN) with an aim to accomplish an improvement in size, weight, and power of power electronics beyond current devices based on silicon (Si). However, the increased operating power densities and reduced areal footprints of WBG device technologies result in significant levels of self-heating that can ultimately restrict device operation through performance degradation, reliability issues, and failure. Typically, self-heating in WBG devices is studied using a single measurement technique while operating the device under steady-state direct current measurement conditions. However, for switching applications, this steady-state thermal characterization may lose significance since the high power dissipation occurs during fast transient switching events. Therefore, it can be useful to probe the WBG devices under transient measurement conditions in order to better understand the thermal dynamics of these systems in practical applications. In this work, the transient thermal dynamics of an AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) were studied using thermoreflectance thermal imaging and Raman thermometry. Also, the proper use of iterative pulsed measurement schemes such as thermoreflectance thermal imaging to determine the steady-state operating temperature of devices is discussed. These studies are followed with subsequent transient thermal characterization to accurately probe the self-heating from steady-state down to submicrosecond pulse conditions using both thermoreflectance thermal imaging and Raman thermometry with temporal resolutions down to 15 ns.

(Invited) Radiation Effects on the Self-Heating of AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors

Gallium nitride (GaN) has emerged as one of the most attractive wide bandgap materials for near-future electronics technology, specifically for applications that require high-power and high-frequency devices. The spontaneous and piezoelectric polarization of GaN utilized in AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMT), provides significantly low ON-resistance due to the formation of a two-dimensional electron gas (2-DEG) channel at the AlGaN/GaN heterointerface without any intentional doping. The fact that these devices do not rely upon dopants to carry the current, in conjunction with superior material property of GaN, makes AlGaN/GaN HEMTs perfect candidates for deep space applications. However, the high voltage operation and the inherently low ON-resistance in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs result in extremely high power densities. Consequently, intense self-heating deteriorates device performance and more importantly, reliability.In order to counter the potential thermal problems associated with these device technologies for deep space applications, it is necessary to advance the knowledge of device irradiation and its effect on self-heating, material interfaces, and properties of constituent materials. To achieve this goal, a set of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs were irradiated with a proton flux at an energy level of 1 MeV at a fluence of 2x1015/cm2. Diverse optical thermography techniques including infrared thermography, thermoreflectance thermal imaging, and micro-Raman spectroscopy were used to quantify the effect of radiation on the device temperature distribution. It was observed that, as compared to pre-irradiated devices, irradiated devices show a 40% higher device peak temperature under identical power dissipation (5 W/mm). To understand the contributing factors behind the observations (and the resulting deterioration of device mean-time-to-failure), the device material stack and transmission line measurement (TLM) structures were analyzed further. Steady-state thermoreflectance (SSTR) measurement, standard electrical characterization, and 3D coupled electro-thermal modeling were performed to capture changes in the thermal conductivity, interfacial thermal boundary resistance, ohmic contact resistance, and sheet resistivity of the devices. This comprehensive study will support the exploitation of the full potential of GaN electronics for deep space and other applications that require radiation hardness.

Device-Level Thermal Management of Gallium Oxide Field-Effect Transistors

The ultrawide bandgap (UWBG) (~4.8 eV) and melt-grown substrate availability of $\beta $ -Ga2O3 give promise to the development of next-generation power electronic devices with dramatically improved size, weight, power, and efficiency over current state-of-the-art WBG devices based on 4H-SiC and GaN. Also, with recent advancements made in gigahertz frequency radio frequency (RF) applications, the potential for monolithic or heterogenous integration of RF and power switches has attracted researchers’ attention. However, it is expected that Ga2O3 devices will suffer from self-heating due to the poor thermal conductivity of the material. Thermoreflectance thermal imaging and infrared thermography were used to understand the thermal characteristics of a MOSFET fabricated via homoepitaxy. A 3-D coupled electrothermal model was constructed based on the electrical and thermal characterization results. The device model shows that a homoepitaxial device suffers from an unacceptable junction temperature rise of ~1500 °C under a targeted power density of 10 W/mm, indicating the importance of employing device-level thermal managements to individual Ga2O3 transistors. The effectiveness of various active and passive cooling solutions was tested to achieve a goal of reducing the device operating temperature below 200 °C at a power density of 10 W/mm. Results show that flip-chip heterointegration is a viable option to enhance both the steady-state and transient thermal characteristics of Ga2O3 devices without sacrificing the intrinsic advantage of high-quality native substrates. Also, it is not an active thermal management solution that entails peripherals requiring additional size and cost implications.

Multidimensional thermal analysis of an ultrawide bandgap AlGaN channel high electron mobility transistor

Improvements in radio frequency and power electronics can potentially be realized with ultrawide bandgap materials such as aluminum gallium nitride (AlxGa1−xN). Multidimensional thermal characterization of an Al0.30Ga0.70N channel high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) was done using Raman spectroscopy and thermoreflectance thermal imaging to experimentally determine the lateral and vertical steady-state operating temperature profiles. An electrothermal model of the Al0.30Ga0.70N channel HEMT was developed to validate the experimental results and investigate potential device-level thermal management. While the low thermal conductivity of this III-N ternary alloy system results in more device self-heating at room temperature, the temperature insensitive thermal and electrical output characteristics of AlxGa1−xN may open the door for extreme temperature applications.

Thermal Management and Characterization of High-Power Wide-Bandgap Semiconductor Electronic and Photonic Devices in Automotive Applications

GaN-based high-power wide-bandgap semiconductor electronics and photonics have been considered as promising candidates to replace conventional devices for automotive applications due to high energy conversion efficiency, ruggedness, and superior transient performance. However, performance and reliability are detrimentally impacted by significant heat generation in the device active area. Therefore, thermal management plays a critical role in the development of GaN-based high-power electronic and photonic devices. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the thermal management strategies for GaN-based lateral power/RF transistors and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) reported by researchers in both industry and academia. The review is divided into three parts: (1) a survey of thermal metrology techniques, including infrared thermography, Raman thermometry, and thermoreflectance thermal imaging, that have been applied to study GaN electronics and photonics; (2) practical thermal management solutions for GaN power electronics; and (3) packaging techniques and cooling systems for GaN LEDs used in automotive lighting applications.

Thermal characterization of gallium oxide Schottky barrier diodes.

The higher critical electric field of β-gallium oxide (Ga2O3) gives promise to the development of next generation power electronic devices with improved size, weight, power, and efficiency over current state-of-the-art wide bandgap devices based on 4H-silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN). However, it is expected that Ga2O3 devices will encounter serious thermal issues due to the poor thermal conductivity of the material. In this work, self-heating in Ga2O3 Schottky barrier diodes under different regimes of the diode operation was investigated using diverse optical thermography techniques including thermoreflectance thermal imaging, micro-Raman thermography, and infrared thermal microscopy. 3D coupled electro-thermal modeling was used to validate experimental results and to understand the mechanism of heat generation for the diode structures. Measured top-side and cross-sectional temperature fields suggest that device and circuit engineers should account for the concentrated heat generation that occurs near the anode/Ga2O3 interface and/or the lightly doped drift layer under both forward and high voltage reverse bias conditions. Results of this study suggest that electro-thermal co-design techniques and top-side thermal management solutions are necessary to exploit the full potential of the Ga2O3 material system.

Thermal characterization of gallium nitride p-i-n diodes

In this study, various thermal characterization techniques and multi-physics modeling were applied to understand the thermal characteristics of GaN vertical and quasi-vertical power diodes. Optical thermography techniques typically used for lateral GaN device temperature assessment including infrared thermography, thermoreflectance thermal imaging, and Raman thermometry were applied to GaN p-i-n diodes to determine if each technique is capable of providing insight into the thermal characteristics of vertical devices. Of these techniques, thermoreflectance thermal imaging and nanoparticle assisted Raman thermometry proved to yield accurate results and are the preferred methods of thermal characterization of vertical GaN diodes. Along with this, steady state and transient thermoreflectance measurements were performed on vertical and quasi-vertical GaN p-i-n diodes employing GaN and Sapphire substrates, respectively. Electro-thermal modeling was performed to validate measurement results and to demonstrate the effect of current crowding on the thermal response of quasi-vertical diodes. In terms of mitigating the self-heating effect, both the steady state and transient measurements demonstrated the superiority of the tested GaN-on-GaN vertical diode compared to the tested GaN-on-Sapphire quasi-vertical structure.

Full-field thermal imaging of quasiballistic crosstalk reduction in nanoscale devices

Understanding nanoscale thermal transport is of substantial importance for designing contemporary semiconductor technologies. Heat removal from small sources is well established to be severely impeded compared to diffusive predictions due to the ballistic nature of the dominant heat carriers. Experimental observations are commonly interpreted through a reduction of effective thermal conductivity, even though most measurements only probe a single aggregate thermal metric. Here, we employ thermoreflectance thermal imaging to directly visualise the 2D temperature field produced by localised heat sources on InGaAs with characteristic widths down to 100 nm. Besides displaying effective thermal performance reductions up to 50% at the active junctions in agreement with prior studies, our steady-state thermal images reveal that, remarkably, 1–3 μm adjacent to submicron devices the crosstalk is actually reduced by up to fourfold. Submicrosecond transient imaging additionally shows responses to be faster than conventionally predicted. A possible explanation based on hydrodynamic heat transport, and some open questions, are discussed.

Thermal Design and Characterization of Heterogeneously Integrated InGaP/GaAs HBTs

Flip-chip heterogeneously integrated n-p-n InGaP/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) with integrated thermal management on wide-bandgap AlN substrates followed by GaAs substrate removal are demonstrated. Without thermal management, substrate removal after integration significantly aggravates self-heating effects, causing poor I - V characteristics due to excessive device self-heating. An electrothermal codesign scheme is demonstrated that involves simulation (design), thermal characterization, fabrication, and evaluation. Thermoreflectance thermal imaging, electrical-temperature sensitive parameter-based thermometry, and infrared thermography were utilized to assess the junction temperature rise in HBTs under diverse configurations. In order to reduce the thermal resistance of integrated devices, passive cooling schemes assisted by structural modification, i.e., positioning indium bump heat sinks between the devices and the carrier, were employed. By implementing thermal heat sinks in close proximity to the active region of flip-chip integrated HBTs, the junction-to-baseplate thermal resistance was reduced over a factor of two, as revealed by junction temperature measurements and improvement of electrical performance. The suggested heterogeneous integration method accounts for not only electrical but also thermal requirements providing insight into realization of advanced and robust III-V/Si heterogeneously integrated electronics.