Cooperative Agreement DEAR0000445

This $137,399 National Science Foundation project grant supports research at North Carolina State University to develop a novel solid phase epitaxy process for highly doped p-type junctions in gallium nitride. The goal is to enable high current and high voltage power devices for more efficient power electronic systems. The research will involve molecular dynamic and process simulation, ion implantation, optimization of solid phase epitaxy annealing, fabrication of diode structures, and...

This $476,190 Project Grant awarded by the Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) program (CFDA 81.135) to North Carolina State University (NC State) supports the development of electrically conductive thick gallium nitride (GaN) substrates. The goal is to enable the creation of vertical GaN power electronics and demonstrate the feasibility of lateral expansion in crystals grown using the proposed method to validate its use for larger diameter substrates. This...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering (CFDA 47.041) project grant, awarded to Arizona State University (ASU), aims to design and fabricate high aspect ratio beta-gallium oxide (β-Ga2O3) fin field-effect transistors (FinFETs) for use in high-efficiency power converter applications. The key aspects of the proposed work include: Investigating an in-situ gallium etching technique within a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) reactor to enable the fabrication of tall, high...

This $1.5 million project grant from the National Science Foundation's Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) supports the development of gallium oxide semiconductor technologies for high-voltage, high-power applications. Led by The Research Foundation for the State University of New York, the consortium aims to advance gallium oxide material synthesis, device fabrication, and circuit integration to enable power switches and converters with over 10 kilovolt ratings. Specific objectives include...

This Project Grant award of $200,000 was provided by the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science under the Office of Science Financial Assistance Program (CFDA 81.049) to Adroit Materials, Inc., a small business specializing in III-nitride semiconductor technology. The funding supports the development of a 1.2 kV class gallium nitride (GaN) vertical U-MOSFET with reach-through protection and shielding by magnesium implantation. This device is intended to advance power electronics...

This $563,851 Project Grant, awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under its Engineering program (CFDA 47.041), aims to demonstrate ultra-wide bandgap transistors capable of 10 kV breakdown voltage with approximately 10 times lower on-state resistance compared to incumbent SiC technology. The key research goals include: 1) first demonstration of Al>0.6GaN transistors up to 10 kV, 2) achieving near-theoretical electric-field handling capability, 3) significant reduction of...

This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) provides $249,969 to the University of Delaware to enhance the performance of gallium nitride (GaN)-on-silicon high electron mobility transistor technology for high frequency and high power electronics applications. The key research activities aim to develop a novel self-aligned T-shaped gate fabrication process to improve the radio frequency and power performance of GaN-on-silicon devices,...

The Georgia Institute of Technology received a $550,000 project grant award from the Department of the Air Force Materiel Command Research Laboratory to develop semiconducting aluminum nitride as a new pathway for high-voltage, power, and temperature ultra-wide bandgap power electronic components. Funded through the Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program (CFDA #12.800), which aims to maintain U.S. technological superiority in scientific areas relevant to Air Force needs, the three-year...

This $500,000 National Science Foundation project grant supports research into the reliability and failure analysis of vertical gallium nitride power devices from 2023 to 2025. Funded through the NSF Engineering program (CFDA 47.041), the award to Arizona State University will advance fundamental understanding of failure mechanisms in vertical GaN power devices. The university will use an interdisciplinary approach involving materials growth, device fabrication, reliability testing and failure...

Adroit Materials, Inc. received a $500,000 Project Grant award from the Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) to develop KV-class gallium nitride-based junction barrier Schottky diodes using ion implantation. The two-year award, issued on June 18, 2021 with a completion date of June 17, 2023, will support Adroit Materials' efforts to advance ARPA-E's objectives of supporting innovative energy technologies. Under the SBIR/STTR program, the company will work on...