Researchers have found a way to reduce overheating in semiconductor devices

The need to reduce the size of semiconductors, coupled with the problem that heat generated at device hot spots cannot be dispersed efficiently, has a negative impact on the reliability and durability of modern devices. Existing thermal management techniques are not up to the task. The discovery of a new way to dissipate heat by using surface waves generated on a metal film on a substrate is therefore an important breakthrough.

KAIST announced that the research team led by Professor Bong-Jae Lee of the Department of Mechanical Engineering has successfully measured the newly observed heat transfer caused by "surface plasmons" in a metal film deposited on a substrate for the first time in the world.

Surface plasmon (SPP) refers to the surface wave formed on the metal surface due to the strong interaction between the electromagnetic field at the interface between the dielectric and the metal surface and the free electrons and similar collective vibrating particles.

The research team used SPPS, a type of surface wave generated at the metal-dielectric interface, to improve thermal diffusion in nanoscale metal films. Because this new heat transfer mode occurs when the metal film is deposited on the substrate, it is highly available in the device manufacturing process and has the advantage of being able to be manufactured over large areas. The research team showed that the thermal conductivity increased by about 25 percent due to surface waves generated on a 100-nanometer-thick titanium (Ti) film with a radius of about 3 centimeters.

KAIST Professor Bong Jae Lee, who led the research, said: "The significance of this study is that a new heat transfer model using surface waves on a metal film deposited on a substrate with low machining difficulty has been discovered for the first time in Korea. The world. It can be used as a nanoscale heat sink, effectively dissipating heat near hot spots in semiconductor devices that are prone to overheating."

The results have important implications for the future development of high-performance semiconductor devices, as it can be applied to rapid heat dissipation on nanoscale thin films. In particular, the new heat transfer mode identified by the research team is expected to solve the fundamental problem of thermal management in semiconductor devices, as it allows for more efficient heat transfer at nanoscale thicknesses, where the thermal conductivity of thin films is usually due to boundary scattering effects.

The study was published online April 26 in Physical Review Letters and was selected as Editors' Suggestions.

Source: Laser Net