THERMAL MANAGEMENT STRUCTURES FOR NITRIDE-BASED HEAT GENERATING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

A semiconductor structure having: a crystalline substrate; a single crystalline semiconductor layer grown on the substrate; and a heat generating semiconductor device formed on a portion of the single crystalline layer. The substrate has an aperture in a selected portion thereof disposed in regions in the semiconductor layer under the heat generating device the aperture extending from a bottom portion of the substrate to the single crystalline semiconductor layer. Single crystalline or polycrystalline, thermal conductive material is disposed in the aperture, such material filling the aperture and extending from the bottom of the substrate, to and in direct contact with, the semiconductor layer.