A Numerical Study on Comparing the Active and Passive Cooling of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs
Abstract
In this paper, the power density capability of AlGaN/GaN high-electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) made on Si, SiC, and diamond substrates were compared with devices on Si and SiC with integrated microchannel cooling. A device temperature limit of 200 °C was used to define the power density. The numerical model accounts for heat transfer from channel of the AlGaN/GaN HEMTs to the heat sink, fluid flow rates, pressure drop, and pumping power required for liquid cooling. The diamond substrate was shown to be superior in reducing the junction temperatures in conventional passive cooling methods employing high thermal conductivity substrates. However, singlephase liquid cooling with microchannels integrated into a SiC substrate showed that it is possible to operate the devices at power densities higher than that on 200-μm-thick diamond substrates, considering a maximum operational temperature of 200 °C. Microchannels integrated into the Si substrate also showed a slight increase in the power density compared with passively cooled devices on SiC. Overall, this methodology shows a promising alternative to expensive high thermal conductivity substrates for cooling AlGaN/GaN HEMTs.
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Embedded microchannels have demonstrated up to a 43% reduction in thermal resistance while mitigating self-heating and thermal coupling in dense power modules.
“Microchannel cooling routes coolant through tens to hundreds of µ mchannels etched in or beneath the substrate; embedded microchannels further shorten the conduction path and have demonstrated up to a 43% [29] reduction in thermal resistance while mitigating self-heating and thermal coupling in dense power modules [55-58].”
From Thermal Management of Wide-Bandgap Power Semiconductors: Strategies and Challenges in SiC and GaN Power Devices (2025) · cites this paper as [57]
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Han, G., Kim, J., Park, S., & Bae, W. (2025) · Electronics · doi:10.3390/electronics14214193 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
- Authors
- Chen, X., Donmezer, F. N., Kumar, S., & Graham, S.
- Affiliations
- Georgia Institute of Technology (US)
- Venue
- IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices
- Published
- 2014-12
- Volume
- 61
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 4056-4061
- ISSN
- 0018-9383 (ISSN-L)
- 1557-9646
- OpenAlex
- W2024141691
- Cited by
- 75
- References
- 23
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 3
- FWCI
- 2.59
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Air Force Research Laboratory High-Reliability Electronics Virtual Center
- 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 › Engineering › Mechanical Engineering › Heat Transfer and Optimization
- Keywords
- AlGaN/GaN HEMT, high power density, microchannel cooling, liquid cooling, passive cooling, diamond substrates, SiC substrate, silicon substrate, junction temperature, heat sinks, pressure drop, pumping power, thermal management
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