Probing temperature gradients within the GaN buffer layer of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors with Raman thermography

We demonstrate the ability of confocal Raman thermography using a spatial filter and azimuthal polarization to probe vertical temperature gradients within the GaN buffer layer of operating AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors. Temperature gradients in the GaN layer are measured by using offset focal planes to minimize the contribution from different regions of the GaN buffer. The measured temperature gradient is in good agreement with a thermal simulation treating the GaN thermal conductivity as homogeneous throughout the layer and including a low thermal conductivity nucleation layer to model the heat flow between the buffer and substrate. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.