Contact Strategies for Extreme Bandgap Nitride Semiconductors
Abstract
AbstractThe forecasted US Navy Power Electronic Power Distribution Systems (PEPDS) plan contains several lofty high voltage busses c,onstructed from Navy integrated Power Electronics Building Blocks (iPEBB) ranging from ambitious but achievable 1000V modules to 13-,20 KV modules imposing substantial technical challenges. As with all power systems, higher voltage results in a more efficient power, transmission but at the expense of substantial component stress and financial cost. But at present no cost and size effective mater,ial can meet the 20 kV, 200 A targets. Emerging extreme bandgap materials can meet these needs.But there remains an important challe,nge in this newly emerging scientific arena: current capability, particularly when it comes to contacts. The newness of the extreme,bandgap field has resulted in immaturity of the contact technology, requiring new scientific solutions, and further understanding of, present bottlenecks. We believe this contact bottleneck is a major technical challenge that needs to be addressed via an independen,t focused program. In addition to high-voltage power electronics, such low-resistance ohmic contacts will also improve the performan,ce of high temperature electronics, UVC Solar blind sensors, UVC lasers and high-power rf-electronics. To overcome this electrical c,urrent logjam, this program seeks to explore solutions in four scientific areas: 1) Discover new variants of traditionally used meta,l-semiconductor junctions, feeding off of successful past approaches while introducing new alternatives; 2) Combine metal-semiconduc,tor contacts with growth-enabled new structures including polarization graded and new dopant enhanced polarization graded structures,; 3) Introduce lateral engineered contacts using spread current channels; and 4) Use quantum mechanical methods such as tunnel junct,ions to contact extreme bandgap energy devices in ways prior devices could not feasibly achieve. To accomplish this goal, three coll,aborative proposalsare suggested, this being one of those and the University of South Carolina and Pennsylvania State University sub,mitting the other two. Each proposal has both individual and collaborative tasks ensuring that resources are leveraged but not dupli,cated. Ga Tech?s specific role in this collaboration is to provide in-situ ultra-clean semiconductor-metal interfaces, engineered la,yers of various contact metals, metastable hyper doped interfaces, oxide free interfaces, novel 5X enhanced graded polarization dope,d interfaces, regrown contacts, and tunnel junctions.Ga Tech and its collaborative partners have proposed a series of explorations t,hat each provide pathways to dramatically improved contact resistance to devices constructed of extreme bandgap semiconductors. But,when combined, these new innovations provide hope of reaching the lofty but achievable goal of high voltage/power iPEBBs. Extreme ba,ndgap semiconductors are incredibly promising alone. But without new understanding as to how to bring current on and off these devic,es, the extreme bandgap promise will die on the emerging vine. Thus, a collaborative partnership will tackle these problems together,, each applying their particular expertise in an orchestra of innovation. Together, we will provide a solution to the 20kV/200 A cha,llenge. Approved for public release.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Nov 04, 2022
- Source ID
- N000142312013
Entities
People
- W. Alan Doolittle
Organizations
- Georgia Tech Research Corporation
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy