Ga2O3-based RF power devices with thermal management

High power radio frequency (RF) semiconductor technologies are of critical importance to a wide range of applications including defence, aerospace, science, medicine, and industrial heating. They enable systems to communicate across greater distances, process signals faster and more efficiently, and operate under extreme conditions. Ga2O3 is a semiconductor material with strong promise for producing the next generation of efficient, high power RF devices – primarily due to the ultrawide bandgap (and associated high critical electrical field strength) and high saturation velocity.

One of the core challenges in this new material is management of self-heating, a critical bottleneck due to the low thermal conductivity of Ga2O3 (>10× lower than silicon). With efficiency of RF amplifiers being inherently lower than that of e.g. power devices (the most commonly explored use of Ga2O3) thermal dissipation is a key factor in determining the maximum achievable areal RF output power density and reliability. In this project, you will achieve efficient thermal management of Ga2O3 RF power devices through methods including integration of microfluidics positioned close to active device area and integration with diamond heat spreaders. The development of efficient, high power RF devices based on Ga2O3 will unlock routes to integration with power devices on a single material platform, with strongly positive implications for system size and manufacturing cost.

The position will be split between the University of Bristol, UK and Imec, Belgium. Imec has strong expertise in RF device fabrication and characterization that will be utilized to produce and test the devices. The CDTR group at the University of Bristol has Ga2O3 growth capability that will be utilized here, in addition to a strong track record of material characterization (including electronic traps, management of which is critical to RF device performance) and thermal management of RF devices, all of which will be undertaken in this project.