US-Ireland R&D Partnership: Ga2O3: Understanding Growth, Interfaces and Defects to enable next generation Electronics (GUIDE)

University Of Texas At Dallas, Richardson TX

Investigators

Abstract

Non-Technical Abstract This NSF project aims to continue over a decade of partnerships with Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is to investigate a relatively new semiconductor known as gallium oxide to transform power electronics for systems and applications that go far beyond current state of the art for these power transistors that can also function in extreme environments. This will be determined by evaluating how this semiconductor can be introduced into mainstream chip manufacturing while achieving gallium oxide’s expected performance. The intellectual merits of this project include evaluation of gallium oxide combined with insultating or magnetic materials to attempt to realize the promise if this relatively new semiconducting material for applications in power transistors and extreme environment memory. In addition, the proposed research will explore what is happening when these materials join together. The interface that forms between the materials is critical to achieving the theoretically predicted device performance since this interface is assumed to be ideal. Therefore, non-ideal interfaces can have adverse effects that impede eventual chip performance. Therefore, this tri-lateral research team will fundamentally investigate these materials and interfaces to determine performance, and should the expected performance not be met, provide an explanation for why devices are underperforming. Then, the team can either solve what is causing the performance degradation or provide predictive models that can project when the device degradation becomes sufficient enough to render the device as having failed. The implications of these findings from the project will enable a broad range of technological advances in clean energy, wireless communications, optoelectronics, power grids, and defense by enabling technologies inaccessible to current, mainstream power transistors. Furthermore, advancing the understanding how to properly bring these proposed materials together will help enable execution of a bipartisan plan through pending legislation to reenergize computer chip manufacturing here in the United States to ensure a global competitive advantage and further enhance national security. In addition, student engagement between the 3 locations is planned for scientific and cultural exchanges along with first generation student engagement on pursuing graduate education and research careers. Technical Abstract This proposed GUIDE program will continue a productive NSF US-Ireland partnership that has lasted more than a decade between UT-Dallas (UTD), the Tyndall National Institute (TNI), and Queen’s Univ. Belfast (QUB). The partnership will provide fundamental understanding in the deposition and characterization of dielectric and ferroelectric materials on gallium oxide (Ga2O3) for use in power transistors and memory applications. The goal of this proposal is the methodical exploration and fundamental understanding of interface and material properties that influence the behavior of Ga2O3-based electron devices. We will incorporate modeling and simulation to steer experimentation and to provide understanding and correlation between material and electronic properties. Incorporating high-k oxides increases the breakdown field strength of the transistor and improves channel region modulation in vertical transistors. In addition, having a ferroelectric material on Ga2O3 will enable extreme environment, non-volatile memory that can withstand high temperatures (wide bandgap) and radiation exposure (memory switching based on ferroelectricity rather dielectric charges). Furthermore, exploring low-temperature deposited Ga2O3 with high-k oxides will detail critical information for three-dimensional monolithic integration that may require backend-of-line, low temperature fabrication. Fundamental device understanding of the bulk dielectric and associated interface properties is critical to realizing power transistors with faster switching frequencies, better efficiency, and high temperature and electric field operation than current power transistors. Providing an approach to effectively evaluate electrically active defects within the device architecture will enable methodology development and forecast performance and reliability for those working in this field. Furthermore, advancing the understanding how to properly bring these proposed materials together will help enable execution of a bipartisan plan through pending legislation to reenergize computer chip manufacturing here in the United States to ensure a global competitive advantage and further enhance national security. In addition, student engagement between the 3 locations is planned for scientific and cultural exchanges along with first-generation student engagement on pursuing graduate education and research careers. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.