Beta-phase gallium oxide (β-Ga2O3), the most thermally stable phase of Ga2O3, has stimulated great interest in power electronics due to its ultra-wide bandgap (∼4.9 eV) and high breakdown electric field. The relatively low thermal conductivity of β-Ga2O3, however, limits the device performance due to excessive temperature driven by self-heating. Recently, integrating β-Ga2O3 thin films on substrates with high thermal conductivities has been proposed to improve heat rejection and device reliability. In this work, we prepare high-quality single-crystal β-Ga2O3 thin films by mechanical exfoliation of bulk crystals and study their thermal transport properties. Both the anisotropic thermal conductivity of β-Ga2O3 bulk crystals and the thickness-dependent thermal conductivity of β-Ga2O3 thin films are measured using the time-domain thermoreflectance technique. The reduction in the thin-film thermal conductivity, compared to the bulk value, can be well explained by the size effect resulting from the enhanced phonon-boundary scattering when the film thickness decreases. This work not only provides fundamental insight into the thermal transport mechanisms for high-quality β-Ga2O3 thin films but also facilitates the design and optimization of β-Ga2O3-based electronic devices.
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18 May 2020
Research Article|
May 19 2020
Thickness-dependent thermal conductivity of mechanically exfoliated β-Ga2O3 thin films
Yingying Zhang;
Yingying Zhang
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota
, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
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Qun Su;
Qun Su
2
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Minnesota
, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
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Jie Zhu;
Jie Zhu
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota
, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
3
Key Laboratory of Ocean Energy Utilization and Energy Conservation of Ministry of Education, Dalian University of Technology
, Dalian 116024, Liaoning Province, China
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Sandhaya Koirala;
Sandhaya Koirala
2
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Minnesota
, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
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Steven J. Koester
;
Steven J. Koester
2
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Minnesota
, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
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Xiaojia Wang
Xiaojia Wang
a)
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota
, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
2
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Minnesota
, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: wang4940@umn.edu
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a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: wang4940@umn.edu
Appl. Phys. Lett. 116, 202101 (2020)
Article history
Received:
February 16 2020
Accepted:
May 05 2020
Citation
Yingying Zhang, Qun Su, Jie Zhu, Sandhaya Koirala, Steven J. Koester, Xiaojia Wang; Thickness-dependent thermal conductivity of mechanically exfoliated β-Ga2O3 thin films. Appl. Phys. Lett. 18 May 2020; 116 (20): 202101. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0004984
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