CAREER: Thermal Engineering of Nitride Semiconductor Devices

职业：氮化镓半导体器件热工程氮化镓（GaN）作为半导体材料的发展已经预示着其在光电和功率半导体应用中的潜在用途。GaN半导体将为射频通信系统和固态照明的发展做出巨大贡献。预计到2025年，照明每年可节省400亿美元的能源消耗。虽然早期的实验室演示已经清楚地显示了氮化镓半导体的潜在革命性影响，但这些器件的局部加热和散热不良会产生可靠性问题。本研究计划的智力价值在于提供GaN半导体热输运性质的基础知识，并提高器件热输运模型的准确性。模型将通过测量固态照明和射频通信设备的温度分布来验证。在这个项目中获得的知识将导致更有效的热管理方案，这将使高功率器件在未来的应用。该项目将通过加强佐治亚理工学院在微尺度传热和氮化半导体技术开发项目方面的努力，实现广泛的影响。教育计划将发展一门关于氮化半导体器件的热计量和特性表征的研究生课程。此外，学生将通过联合合作和技术交流，接触到广泛的技术和文化经验。外展计划将侧重于为西湖高中磁铁项目的工程预科课程开发一个为期六周的机械工程课程模块。本课程模块将由佐治亚理工学院通过美国国家科学基金会工程数字图书馆（工程教学：K-12资源）传播给更广泛的受众。

CAREER: Thermal Engineering Of Nitride Semiconductor DevicesThe development of gallium nitride (GaN) as a semiconductor material has been heralded for its potential use in optoelectronic and power semiconductor applications. GaN semiconductors are poised to make large contributions to the advancement of RF-communications systems as well as solid state lighting. A potential saving $40 billion per year in energy consumed by lighting is expected by 2025. While early laboratory demonstrations have clearly shown the potential revolutionary effects of GaN semiconductors, reliability issues arise from localized heating and poor heat dissipation in these devices. The Intellectual Merit of this research program is to provide fundamental knowledge of the thermal transport properties of GaN semiconductors and increase the accuracy of thermal transport models for devices. Models will be verified through measurements of temperature distribution in both solid state lighting and rf-communication devices fabricated in this program. The knowledge gained in this program will lead to more efficient thermal management schemes which will enable high power devices for future applications. This project will achieve Broad Impact by enhancing Georgia Tech's efforts to develop programs in microscale heat transfer and nitride semiconductor technology. The educational plan will develop of a graduate course on the thermal metrology and property characterization of nitride semiconductor devices. In addition, students will be exposed to a broad set of technical and cultural experiences through joint collaborations and technical exchanges. The outreach plan will be focused on the development of a six week course module in mechanical engineering for a Pre-engineering course in the magnet program at Westlake High School. This course module will be disseminated to a broader audience by Georgia Tech through the NSF Digital Library for Engineering (Teach Engineering: Resources for K-12).