Integration of diamond and AlGaN/GaN highelectron mobility transistors (HEMTs) terminated with an in situ grown SiN x interface layer via metal organic chemical vapor deposition is investigated. The effect of diamond growth on the structure and interface properties of the HEMT is studied using high-resolution X-ray diffraction, micro-Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). No structural or physical damage is observed to the HEMT device layers as a result of the hot filament chemical vapor deposition diamond fabrication process. The TEM cross section confirms the smooth and abrupt interface of in situ SiN x /AlGaN/GaN before and after the diamond growth, with no detectable carbon diffusion into the GaN buffer layer. However, selective degradation of the in situ SiN x dielectric adhesion layer was observed at the SiN x /diamond interface. Using time domain thermoreflectance (TDTR), the effective isotropic thermal conductivity of the diamond was determined to be 176 −35 +40 W/m•K. The effective thermal boundary resistance of the diamond/ GaN interface (including the SiN x and additional layers) was 52.8 −3.2 +5.1 m 2 •K/GW.

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A new technique is reported for selective growth of polycrystalline diamond by hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) on AlGaN/GaN-on-Si (111) wafers without degradation of the underlying layers. Selective diamond seeding is accomplished by dispersing nanodiamond seeds in photoresist and patterned lithographically prior to HFCVD growth. A thin layer of plasma enhanced CVD SiN x , deposited prior to seeding and diamond deposition, was found to be essential to protect the AlGaN/GaN wafer. A methane concentration of 3.0% was used to achieve an increased diamond growth rate and faster surface coverage. Excellent selectivity and minimal AlGaN surface damage were achieved with increased methane concentration. Damage mitigation was confirmed by comparison of atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy, each conducted before and after diamond deposition, and by SEM images of the final structures.

Growth of single-crystalline GaN on polycrystalline diamond is reported for the first time. The structure was achieved using a combined process including selective diamond growth on GaN/Si wafers using hot filament chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and epitaxial lateral overgrowth of GaN on the window region between then above the diamond stripes via metal organic CVD. Optimization of the growth was performed by varying the ammonia to trimethylgallium mole ratio (V/III), chamber pressure, and temperature in the range of 8000−1330, 40−200 Torr, and 975−1030 °C, respectively. A lower pressure, higher V/III ratio, higher temperature, and GaN window mask openings along [11̅ 00] resulted in enhanced lateral growth of GaN. Complete lateral coverage and coalescence of GaN were achieved over a [11̅ 00]-oriented 5 μm-wide GaN window between 5 μm diamond stripes when using V/III = 7880, P = 100 Torr, and T = 1030 °C. The crystalline quality of overgrown GaN was confirmed using cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution X-ray diffraction, micro-Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and selective-area electron diffraction.

The demand of strong polymer modified asphalt (PMA) binder is growing due to the increase of traffic and necessity to reduce the early deterioration of pavement due to cracking. In this study, physical and rheological properties of asphalt binder modified with a potential new polymer named styrene-isoprene-styrene (SIS) were investigated through the rotational viscometer (RV), the dynamic shear rheometer (DSR), and the bending beam rheometer (BBR). In order to have a depth understanding on the SIS binder at micro level, micro-morphological observations were conducted using optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM), and ellipsometry. The result of this study showed that (1) the addition of SIS modifiers increased the viscosity and had a positive effect on rutting resistance of the binder; (2) the addition of 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% SIS content increased the rutting resistance by 600%, 3000%, 5600%, and 6400%, respectively; (3) the higher the SIS content, the better the cracking resistance of the binder and it is observed to have improved the stiffness by 26% and 51% with the addition of 5% and 10% content of SIS, respectively; (4) AFM images showed the significant correlation between the stiffness and microstructural properties of the binder; (5) the dominance of new oval phase over network structure was evident in ESEM images and observed to have significant correlation to the high stiffness of the binder; and (6) with the percentage increase of SIS modifier, the binder is found to have higher absorption at UV wavelength.