Physics Seminar
Gallium oxide - an upcoming compound semiconductor for deep UV optoelectronics and high-power electronics
Speaker: Naresh Gunasekar (Cardiff University)
Date: Wednesday 25 January 2023
Time: 15:00
Venue: Queens Building N3.28
Gallium oxide is a new promising contender set to dominate the compound semiconductor industry due to its ultra-wide bandgap of 4.9 eV and bandgap tunability from # 3 eV to 6 eV by alloying with indium or aluminium. A huge breakdown electric field of > 6 MV/cm and transparency to UV-C wavelengths below 280 nm make gallium oxide attractive to high-power electronics and deep UV optoelectronics applications. However, there are a few bottlenecks for adopting gallium oxide in mainstream manufacturing: the low thermal conductivity and the lack of p-type doping, device fabrication, reliability and high manufacturing costs. In my talk, I will discuss the progress made in gallium oxide wafer technology, deep UV photodetectors and the role of Sn alloying on the UV photodetector characteristics. The current status of power electronic devices' reliability and the need for reliable failure analysis methods for ultra-wide bandgap materials and devices will also be presented.