Diamond-Seeded Semiconductor Substrates With Low-Resistance Thermal Interfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
The integration of high-thermal conductivity materials like diamond with semiconductor materials in wide-bandgap semiconductor devices faces challenges in generating thermally conductive interfaces, as bonding and nucleating materials can decrease interface thermal conductivity, making it difficult to achieve stable and efficient thermal management for high-power and high-frequency applications.
Innovation Solution
The approach involves creating layered structures with diamond seeds on wide-bandgap semiconductor materials, using intermediate layers to attach and immobilize diamond seeds, and forming articulated or roughened interfaces to increase thermal conductivity and adhesion strength, thereby enhancing thermal boundary resistance and conductivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If bonding materials and nucleating materials are used to integrate diamond with semiconductor materials, then the integration is achieved, but interface thermal conductivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes bonding materials and nucleating materials from the interface between diamond and semiconductor materials. Instead, it uses direct deposition of diamond layers on semiconductor substrates, eliminating the thermal barrier created by intermediate bonding and nucleating layers while maintaining interface stability through direct integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a buffer layer as an intermediary between the semiconductor substrate and diamond layer. This buffer layer serves as a mediator that enables direct growth of diamond on semiconductor materials while maintaining good thermal contact, avoiding the need for separate bonding and nucleating materials that would degrade thermal conductivity.
2Reliability
If flat or continuous interfaces are formed to increase bonding yield, then bonding yield improves, but thermal conductivity at the interface decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs roughened interfaces with controlled surface topology rather than flat continuous interfaces. The roughened surface creates increased surface area and improved mechanical interlocking while maintaining thermal contact through the direct diamond-semiconductor integration, avoiding the thermal barrier of flat bonded interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates locally optimized interface regions with varying surface characteristics. The roughened interface provides localized areas of enhanced mechanical bonding while maintaining overall thermal conductivity through direct diamond-semiconductor contact, eliminating the need for continuous flat bonding layers.
3Temperature
If diamond layers are integrated with wide-bandgap semiconductor materials to improve thermal efficiency, then thermal efficiency improves, but the complexity of generating thermally conductive interfaces increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the diamond layer formation process with the semiconductor fabrication process. By depositing diamond layers directly on semiconductor substrates using CVD techniques, it combines thermal management functionality with device fabrication, eliminating separate bonding and nucleating steps while achieving high thermal efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a multi-functional diamond-semiconductor structure where the diamond layer simultaneously provides thermal management, mechanical support, and potential electrical isolation. This universal approach eliminates the need for separate bonding materials and nucleating layers, reducing interface formation complexity while improving thermal efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method improves the average thermal conductivity and reduces thermal boundary resistance at the interface, leading to increased adhesion strength and improved thermal management in high-power and high-frequency semiconductor devices.
Implementation Method 1
an intermediate layer disposed over at least a portion of the plurality of the diamond seeds
Implementation Method 2
forming articulated or roughened interfaces to increase thermal conductivity and adhesion strength, thereby enhancing thermal boundary resistance and conductivity
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of diamond growth on semiconductors are described. Some aspects include deposition of a layer of diamond seeds on a semiconductor-containing layered structure. Some aspects include the deposition of an intermediate layer over the layer of diamond seeds. In some aspects, the intermediate layer is an immobilizing layer to immobilize the diamond seeds. Some aspects include generating synthetic diamond over a surface of a semiconductor-containing layered structure. In some aspects, synthetic diamond is generated over a surface comprising diamond seeds and an intermediate layer. In some aspects, semiconductor-containing layered structure is etched with diamond seeds in place over a surface of the semiconductor-containing layered structure. In some aspects, an interface of a substrate comprises an interface between a layer of diamond seeds and a semiconductor-containing layered structure, an interface between an intermediate layer and the layer of diamond seeds, and an interface between synthetic diamond and the intermediate layer.