Modulating the thermal conductivity in hexagonal boron nitride via controlled boron isotope concentration
Published in Electrical & Electronic Engineering
My group at the University of Bristol has great interest in developing and understanding heat transport in materials and devices. This is as most of today’s electronic and optoelectronic devices are limited by excessive device temperatures which degrade performance and reliability. When a good old friend of mine at Kansas State University, Jim Edgar, contacted me last year that his students managed to grow isotopically pure Boron Nitride we got very excited as this material to date never reached its expected high thermal conductivity; with the isotopically pure Boron Nitride we could demonstrate a thermal conductivity of 585 W/mK, twice that of copper, for the first time – pretty much in line with what theory predicted. We could also test and develop further a transient thermoreflectance technique we previous developed and pioneered for accurate thermal conductivity measurements. This is an easy to use technique to measure lateral and out-of-plane thermal conductivity of materials. Following this work, we now move forward to use the Boron Nitride to make high end electronic devices, but also by integrating it with other semiconductors. Boron Nitride should be able to conduct heat nicely away from many electronic materials when fully integrated. This will allow better performance devices and ultimately higher efficiency electronics which will save energy for a greener society.
I lead the Center for Device Thermography and Reliability (CDTR) and am Director of the UKRI Innovation and Knowledge Centre (IKC) REWIRE at the University of Bristol. CDTR/REWIRE is a researcher center with 35+ international researchers working on semiconductor electronics (RF and power), specifically semiconductor growth and device fabrication, thermal management, electrical device design & testing and device reliability. A lot of thrust lies in new materials and new device systems such as GaN, GaN-on-diamond, and Ga2O3 for RF and power applications, ranging from communications, radar, automotive to carbon reducing technology net zero applications. The CDTR/REWIRE collaborates with numerous companies including Element-Six, Infineon, Northop Grumman, Qorvo, UMS, WIN Semiconductor and many others. We also run large UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) grants e.g. the Programme Grant GaN-DaME led the development of GaN-on-Diamond electronics, ULTRAlGaN develops vertical AlGaN based circuit brakers; the IKC REWIRE develops and commercializes next genration high voltage power electronics using wide and ultrawide bandgap semiconductors. I co-founded TherMap Solutions (https://www.linkedin.com/company/14799659) with two of my postdocs, to spin out key wafer characterization equipment developed as part of my research. I am presently its Chief Business Officer (CBO). I have been awarded a Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies, Fellow of IEEE, MRS, SPIE, IET and IoP in recognition of my contributions to the research community.
Follow the Topic
-
Communications Physics
An open access journal from Nature Portfolio publishing high-quality research, reviews and commentary in all areas of the physical sciences.
Related Collections
With collections, you can get published faster and increase your visibility.
Non-Markovian quantum dynamics in physical systems: description and control
Publishing Model: Open Access
Deadline: Dec 31, 2025
Micro- and Nano-optomechanical sensors: principles and applications
Publishing Model: Open Access
Deadline: Sep 30, 2025
Please sign in or register for FREE
If you are a registered user on Research Communities by Springer Nature, please sign in