Vm. Asnin et al., High spatial resolution thermal conductivity of lateral epitaxial overgrown GaN/sapphire (0001) using a scanning thermal microscope, APPL PHYS L, 75(9), 1999, pp. 1240-1242
We have performed high spatial resolution thermal conductivity (kappa) meas
urements at room temperature on different patterned sections of GaN/sapphir
e (0001) fabricated by lateral epitaxial overgrowth using a scanning therma
l microscope. In a number of regions we find kappa approximate to 1.7-1.8 W
/cm K, values that are substantially higher than kappa approximate to 1.3 W
/cm K previously reported by Sichel and Pankove [J. Phys. Chem. Solids 38,
330 (1977)] on "bulk" material and comparable to the theoretical estimate o
f 1.7 W/cm K deduced by Slack [J. Phys. Chem. Solids 34, 321 (1973)]. The i
mplications of these findings for device applications will be discussed. (C
) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(99)04335-1].