Cooling Limits for GaN HEMT Technology
Abstract
The peak power density of GaN HEMT technology is limited by a hierarchy of thermal resistances from the junction to the ambient. Here we explore the ultimate or fundamental cooling limits made possible by advanced thermal management technologies including GaN-diamond composites and nanoengineered heat sinks. Through continued attention to near-junction resistances and extreme flux convection, power densities that may exceed 50 kW/cm2 - depending on gate width and hotspot dimension - are feasible within 5 years.
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Localized hotspots degrade performance and can trigger failure.
“Consequently, accurate temperature-field mapping and structure-aware thermal analysis are essential for devising effective cooling strategies and ensuring reliability, as localized hotspots degrade performance and can trigger failure [18,24].”
From Thermal Management of Wide-Bandgap Power Semiconductors: Strategies and Challenges in SiC and GaN Power Devices (2025) · cites this paper as [24]
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A Numerical Study on Comparing the Active and Passive Cooling of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs
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“Consequently, accurate temperature-field mapping and structure-aware thermal analysis are essential for devising effective cooling strategies and ensuring reliability, as localized hotspots degrade performance and can trigger failure [18,24].”
- Authors
- Won, Y., Cho, J., Agonafer, D., Asheghi, M., & Goodson, K. E.
- Affiliations
- Stanford University (US)
- Venue
- 2013 IEEE Compound Semiconductor Integrated Circuit Symposium (CSICS)
- Publisher
- IEEE
- Published
- 2013-10
- Pages
- 1-5
- ISSN
- 1550-8781 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2068500403
- Cited by
- 57
- References
- 39
- Citations by year
- 2025: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 6
- FWCI
- 13.72
- Type
- conference paper
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Technical digest -- IEEE Compound Semiconductor Integrated Circuit Symposium (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Condensed Matter Physics › GaN-based semiconductor devices and materials
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Electrical and Electronic Engineering › Silicon Carbide Semiconductor Technologies
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Materials Chemistry › Thermal properties of materials
- Keywords
- GaN HEMT, power density limits, thermal resistance, junction-to-ambient thermal resistance, power electronics thermal management
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