Research Bits: Aug. 27


Ammonia-free GaN Researchers from Nagoya University discovered a way to grow gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors without using ammonia. The process is both more environmentally friendly and allows for high-quality growth of crystals at a lower cost. Metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) is the most common technique for GaN production, which uses ammonia (NH3) gas as the source of... » read more

Lateral 3 kV AlN SBDs on Bulk AlN Substrates By MOCVD


A new technical paper titled "3 kV AlN Schottky Barrier Diodes on Bulk AlN Substrates by MOCVD" was published by researchers at Arizona State University. Abstract "This letter reports the first demonstration of AlN Schottky diodes on bulk AlN substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor phase deposition (MOCVD) with breakdown voltages exceeding 3 kV. The devices exhibited good rectifying char... » read more

New Low-Temp Growth & Fabrication Technology Allowing Integration of 2D Materials Directly Onto A Silicon Circuit (MIT)


A new technical paper titled "Low-thermal-budget synthesis of monolayer molybdenum disulfide for silicon back-end-of-line integration on a 200 mm platform" was published by researchers at MIT, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Ericsson Research. According to this MIT news article: "Growing 2D materials directly onto a silicon CMOS wafer has posed a major challenge because the process u... » read more

MicroLEDs Move Toward Commercialization


The market for MicroLED displays is heating up, fueled by a raft of innovations in design and manufacturing that can increase yield and reduce prices, making them competitive with LCD and OLED devices. MicroLED displays are brighter and higher contrast than their predecessors, and they are more efficient. Functional prototypes have been developed for watches, AR glasses, TVs, signage, and au... » read more

Equipment Suppliers Brace For GaN Market Explosion


A huge GaN market is opening up, driven by consumer devices and the need for greater energy efficiency across many applications. Suppliers are ready, but to fully compete with SiC in high-voltage automotive applications will require further technological developments in power GaN (gallium nitride). Still, the 2020s mark a very high-growth phase for GaN markets. Revenues in the power GaN mark... » read more

2D Semiconductors Make Progress, But Slowly


Researchers are looking at a variety of new materials at future nodes, but progress remains slow. In recent years, 2D semiconductors have emerged as a leading potential solution to the problem of channel control in highly scaled transistors. As devices shrink, the channel thickness should shrink proportionally. Otherwise, the gate capacitance won’t be large enough to control the flow of cu... » read more

Nudging 2D semiconductors forward


The buzz about 2D materials replacing silicon appears to be premature. While 2D semiconductors have emerged as potential successors, it's not clear when or even if that will happen. As Iuliana Radu, Imec's director of quantum and exploratory computing observed, the “end” of silicon has been predicted many times before. It is not clear when 2D semiconductors will need to be ready. In fac... » read more

MicroLEDs Moving From Lab to Fab


Every disruptive technology has its "aha" moment — the time when everyone from engineers to investors realizes that, yes, this technology is the real deal and it won’t be scrapped on the R&D floor. For many, it was Samsung’s recent announcement of a 110-inch microLED TV that irrevocably put microLEDs on the map. The TV’s price is $155,000, but as with most consumer electronics th... » read more

Thinner Channels With 2D Semiconductors


Moving to future nodes will require more than just smaller features. At 3/2nm and beyond, new materials are likely to be added, but which ones and exactly when will depend upon an explosion of material science research underway at universities and companies around the globe. With field-effect transistors, a voltage applied to the gate creates an electric field in the channel, bending the ban... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: May 25


Higher voltage GaN Imec and Aixtron have demonstrated the ability to extend gallium-nitride (GaN) to new voltage levels in the power semiconductor market, enabling the technology to compete in much broader segments. Imec and Aixtron have demonstrated epitaxial growth of GaN buffer layers qualified for 1,200-volt applications on specialized 200mm substrates with a hard breakdown exceeding 1,... » read more

← Older posts