IITs and Vienna University Discover Affordable Technique for Creating Ultrawide Bandgap Semiconductor

New Delhi: A cost-effective technique for producing a semiconducting material that enhances power electronics efficiency in applications like electric vehicles, high-voltage transmission, traction, and industrial automation has been developed by researchers from the Indian Institutes of Technology Guwahati and IIT Mandi, along with the Vienna University of Technology. 

Using a customized low-pressure chemical vapor deposition system, the Vienna University and IITs team innovatively grew gallium oxide, an ultrawide bandgap semiconducting material. This breakthrough is anticipated to have widespread usage, ensuring high-power device efficiency even at extreme temperatures like 200 degrees Celsius. The study's outcomes have been documented in research papers in the "Journal of IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices" and "Thin Solid Films."

Ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor (UWBGS) materials, including gallium, are categorized within wide-bandgap semiconductor (WBGS) materials and are recognized for their potential to enhance device performance significantly. Ankush Bag, an assistant professor at IIT-Guwahati, emphasized the importance of power semiconductor devices in power electronic systems, stating that they serve as efficient switches, managing electricity flow. The demand for compound semiconductor materials with an ultra-wide bandgap is evident in emerging high-power applications.

Bag clarified that power electronic systems are pivotal for converting electrical energy from various sources into a form compatible with end-user applications. While global researchers have explored materials like gallium nitride and silicon carbide to improve power electronic system efficiency, these materials face limitations, particularly in cost, for high-power applications. The researchers addressed the challenge by optimizing the gallium oxide semiconductor, incorporating tin to enhance and modulate conductivity, and successfully creating high-quality ultra-wide bandgap compound semiconductors.

The applications of this technology extend to electric vehicles, high-voltage transmission, traction systems, and industrial automation. Overcoming challenges related to cost and poor thermal conductivity of gallium oxide substrates, the team shifted to using a sapphire substrate for the gallium oxide thin film. Collaborators in this research include Satinder K Sharma and Arnab Mondal from IIT-Mandi and Manoj K Yadav from TU Wien, Vienna in Austria.

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