Project description DEENESFRITPL Imaging carriers, defects and potential landscape in III-Nitride semiconductors and devices Gallium nitride (GaN) is a wide band gap material whose unique properties offer numerous advantages in the field of power and radio frequency electronics in comparison to traditional semiconductor materials. While it has been gaining increasing scientific and industrial attention, it requires immediate solutions to severe shortcomings (i.e. in epitaxial growth, device processing technology and reliability) to advance its development. These issues are simultaneously entangled with challenges in applying standard characterisation methods sensitive to chemical and electronic properties, thus inhibiting deeper insight and ultimate control in design. The EU-funded UNOGAN project will develop scanning probe microscopy techniques to enable spatially resolved local potential, charge and resistance profiles leading to better understanding of the physics, thereby improving high electron mobility transistors. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective UNOGAN aims at developing a fundamental approach for quantitative assessment of polarization-induced 2D carriers (and their type) or junctions at the interface(s) and focuses on unraveling chemical and electronic properties of critical regions, for e.g. recessed surfaces of the gate, which is expected to shed a deeper insight into one of the severe challenges GaN industry is facing. Though successfully applied in narrow-bandgap semiconductors like Si, this SPM based approach currently face challenges of highly resistive wide band gap (Al,Ga)N. In the project, not only identification of the key issues but major improvements and even key instrumental development of E-SPM is proposed for such a rigid system, from which a correlated-analysis of spatially resolved local potential, charge and resistance in combination with computational methodology could be developed. This approach will lead to major advancements in the improvement of III-nitride based high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) program of IMEC. Over the years, the applicant has gained significant experience in the electrical study of III-nitride materials through scanning probe, defect sensitive spectroscopies and transmission electron microscopies. UNOGAN research will channel this knowledge towards new horizons at the forefront of materials science, building a strong collaboration network involving well-established European laboratories and companies which are leaders in the field. The new skills acquired during the two-year project will serve him to boost his research career, gain independence and place the host institution as an international reference in nanoscale device characterization. Fields of science natural sciencesphysical sciencesopticsmicroscopyelectron microscopynatural sciencesphysical scienceselectromagnetism and electronicssemiconductivityengineering and technologynanotechnologynano-materialsbulk nanostructured materials Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Topic(s) MSCA-IF-2019 - Individual Fellowships Call for proposal H2020-MSCA-IF-2019 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF Coordinator INTERUNIVERSITAIR MICRO-ELECTRONICA CENTRUM Net EU contribution € 166 320,00 Address Kapeldreef 75 3001 Leuven Belgium See on map Region Vlaams Gewest Prov. Vlaams-Brabant Arr. Leuven Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00
