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Research Topic

Power Semiconductors

Power Semiconductors

Details

Focus

This Application Session investigates the materials and manufacturing foundations of next-generation power semiconductors. We connect wide- and ultra-wide-bandgap material design with scalable epitaxial processing and physics-informed process engineering, examining how reaction chemistry, transport, thermal environments, and microstructural evolution determine material quality, reproducibility, and device readiness. Gallium oxide serves as a representative research platform, while the resulting methods are transferable to broader power-semiconductor materials and vapor-phase manufacturing technologies.

Methods

  • Materials & Growth Mechanisms: Use first-principles calculations, thermodynamic analysis, and nucleation theory to reveal reaction pathways, parasitic growth, and defect-forming mechanisms in wide-bandgap semiconductor synthesis.
  • Multiphysics Process Modeling: Couple fluid dynamics, heat transfer, and precursor transport from reactor to substrate scales to connect operating conditions with local growth environments, film formation, and spatial uniformity.
  • Machine Learning Process Optimization: Combine predictive simulation, targeted epitaxial growth, advanced materials characterization, and surrogate modeling to validate mechanisms and identify robust process windows with reduced trial and error.

What we deliver

  • Mechanism-Based Design Rules: Generalizable principles for coordinating reaction chemistry, mass transport, and thermal management to stabilize epitaxy and control power-semiconductor material quality.
  • Uniform & Reproducible Materials: Transferable strategies for suppressing parasitic reactions and improving film uniformity, morphology, crystallinity, defect control, and process-to-process consistency.
  • Scale-Up & Manufacturing Frameworks: Predictive process maps and optimization workflows for larger-area deposition, reactor redesign, and extension to related wide-bandgap materials and vapor-phase manufacturing platforms.