Monolithic Integrated Micro-Thin-Film Thermocouples for On-Chip Temperature Measurement of GaN HEMTs
Open accessAbstract
Gallium nitride (GaN) is crucial in power devices due to its wide bandgap, high electron mobility, and high critical field. GaN devices, such as high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs), are vital for high-power and high-frequency applications and can withstand high temperatures. However, these devices could encounter self-heating effects at high power, causing current collapse and performance degradation. The accurate temperature monitoring in GaN devices is essential for maintaining performance and avoiding failures. Micro-thin-film thermocouples (micro-TFTCs) offer a solution with their high-resolution and direct temperature measurements. These thermocouples, integrated onto device surfaces, bypass the limitations of other methods. In this work, we demonstrate the monolithic integration of micro-TFTCs into GaN HEMTs, using a platinum-chromium junction with a sensitivity of$19.23~\pm ~0.405~\mu $V/°C. This enabled precise monitoring of GaN HEMT channel (channel width$= 200~\mu $m) temperatures, with a measured temperature of$68.54~^{\circ }$C$\pm ~0.16~^{\circ }$C at a power density of 5.72 W/mm, highlighting the effectiveness of this technique in thermal characterization of semiconductor devices.
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GaN HEMTs are prone to hotspots in the gate-drain region, where high electric fields lead to hot-electron effects, trap generation, and the reverse piezoelectric effect, degrading performance and reliability.
“They are prone to hotspots in the gate-drain region, where high electric fields lead to hot-electron effects, trap generation, and the reverse piezoelectric effect, degrading performance and reliability [18-20] (Figure 1).”
From Thermal Management of Wide-Bandgap Power Semiconductors: Strategies and Challenges in SiC and GaN Power Devices (2025) · cites this paper as [18]
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 [18]
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Han, G., Kim, J., Park, S., & Bae, W. (2025) · Electronics · doi:10.3390/electronics14214193 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
“They are prone to hotspots in the gate-drain region, where high electric fields lead to hot-electron effects, trap generation, and the reverse piezoelectric effect, degrading performance and reliability [18–20] (Figure 1).”
- Authors
- Irshad Bhatti, H., Yuvaraja, S., Wang, C., Tang, X., & Li, X.
- Affiliations
- Advanced Semiconductor Laboratory, Electrical and Computer Engineering Program, CEMSE Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (SA)
- Venue
- IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices
- Published
- 2024-12
- Volume
- 71
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 7734-7739
- ISSN
- 0018-9383 (ISSN-L)
- 1557-9646
- OpenAlex
- W4404239154
- Cited by
- 13
- References
- 26
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 5
- FWCI
- 1.88
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Explore Bristol Research (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Bristol Research (University of Bristol) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Funders
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
- KAUST Nanofabrication Core Lab through the Baseline Fund (BAS/1/1664-01-01)
- Near Term Grand Challenge Fund (REI/1/4999-01-01)
- Impact Acceleration Fund (REI/1/5124-01-01)
- 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 › Biomedical Engineering › Advanced Sensor Technologies Research
- Keywords
- GaN HEMT, monolithic integration, self-heating, current collapse, power density, thermal characterization, wide bandgap semiconductors
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