Tungsten Substrates Cut GaN Thermal Resistance 3.1x
A 2026 study demonstrates that shifting gallium nitride to tungsten substrates improves heat dissipation in power diodes.
Updated on Oct. 22, 2026 in Semiconductors
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In a 2026 study published in Applied Physics Letters, researchers from the University of Bristol and the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut demonstrated that moving gallium nitride (GaN) membranes onto tungsten substrates significantly improves thermal management in power diodes. This research-stage technique replaces traditional sapphire substrates to facilitate more efficient heat dissipation.
Why it matters
High thermal resistance in conventional sapphire substrates limits the performance of high-power switching electronics. By adopting tungsten, researchers enable better thermal handling, which is a critical bottleneck for the next generation of power-dense semiconductor devices.
The experimental GaN-on-tungsten power diodes achieved a 3.1-fold reduction in thermal resistance compared to sapphire-based counterparts. Measurements were verified using Raman nanoparticle thermometry, tracking temperature variations at the 143/cm signal frequency.
The players
University of Bristol
A research-intensive university in the UK focused on advanced materials and semiconductor physics.
Ferdinand-Braun-Institut
A German research institute specializing in compound semiconductor devices and microwave technologies.
EV Group
An Austrian equipment manufacturer known for wafer-bonding and lithography solutions used in semiconductor fabrication.
The details
Researchers removed the original sapphire growth substrate using laser lift-off, a process that uses concentrated light to detach layers. The GaN membrane was then attached to a tungsten substrate using transient liquid phase bonding, which uses silver and tin to create a durable, heat-conductive interface. Tungsten was selected as the substrate due to its high thermal conductivity and thermal expansion coefficient, which closely matches gallium nitride to prevent mechanical stress during device operation.
Timeline
2026: Research on the gallium nitride-on-tungsten process is published in Applied Physics Letters.
The Tech Race
This work directly addresses the thermal limitations of GaN-on-sapphire, which currently dominates the power semiconductor market. It follows a broader industry trend of moving toward alternative substrates to push the performance limits of wide-bandgap materials.
This research is currently in the laboratory phase and does not yet affect commercially available power electronics. Engineering teams will need to demonstrate that this bonding process can be scaled for mass production before it appears in consumer or industrial power hardware.
The takeaway
Reducing thermal resistance is essential for the future of high-frequency and high-power applications. Watch for future benchmarks regarding the long-term mechanical stability of these gallium nitride-on-tungsten interfaces in thermal cycling tests.
Further reading
For more on the latest developments in material science for power devices, see our coverage in Semiconductors.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Semiconductor Today.
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