Significant impact of Al_1−xGa_xN interlayer on GaN/AlN thermal boundary conductance

Research by Khalid Zobaid Adnan, Hao Zhou, Tianli Feng

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Khalid Zobaid Adnan, Hao Zhou, and Tianli Feng recently published research on the effects of a thin aluminum gallium nitride (Al_1−xGa_xN) interlayer on heat flow between gallium nitride (GaN) and aluminum nitride (AlN).

Schematic of an aluminum gallium nitride, Al 1 minus x Ga x N, interlayer between aluminum nitride and gallium nitride layers. — An Al_1−xGa_xN interlayer between AlN and GaN. The interlayer's composition and thickness strongly influence heat transfer across the heterostructure. Credit: Adnan *et al.*, *Applied Physics Letters* (2026).

The team combined ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) calculations with GPU-accelerated machine learning interatomic potential (GPU-MLIP) models and nonequilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) simulations. Their results show that an Al_1−xGa_xN layer can substantially reduce thermal boundary conductance at a GaN/AlN interface.

Significant impact of Al1−xGaxN interlayer on GaN/AlN thermal boundary conductance

Significant impact of Al_1−xGa_xN interlayer on GaN/AlN thermal boundary conductance