New frontiers in wide-bandgap semiconductors and heterostructures for electronics, optoelectronics and sensing – III

The 2018, 2022 success of “New frontiers in wide-bandgap semiconductors and heterostructures for electronics, optoelectronics and sensing” needs an update given high dynamic & technological relevance. WBG semiconductors are the choice for high power, high frequency electronics. UWBG materials, heterostructures with 2D materials are emerging.

Scope:

In the last decades, WBG semiconductors SiC and group III-Nitrides experienced tremendous improvements in materials quality and device maturity and are now employed in a variety of electronics, optoelectronics and sensing applications. Concerning materials, 4H-SiC is now available on large area substrates (200 mm diameter) for JBS diodes and power MOSFETs. On the other hand, GaN-based optoelectronic devices (LED, lasers) and high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) have been often developed from heteroepitaxial materials on foreign substrates (Al₂O₃, Si, SiC). Recently, high quality bulk GaN substrates have started to be available for research for these technologies.

Despite this progress, several issues remain to be addressed to fully exploit WBG semiconductors. Relevant issues for SiC power devices are the reduction of interface traps density at SiO₂/4H-SiC interfaces limiting the carrier mobility MOSFETs, activation of implanted dopants, contacts optimization on n- and p-type doped layers, the reliability of MOS interfaces. On the other hand, the development of vertical GaN devices and normally-off HEMTs, gate dielectrics technology and thermal management are critical issues for GaN power devices.

Ultra-wide band gap (UWBG) semiconductors, such as Ga₂O₃, AlN, and diamond, are currently the object of increasing interest but still suffer of many issues related to doping control and wafer size. Furthermore, novel 2D/3D heterojunctions formed by the integration of 2D materials (such as graphene, MoS2 and h-BN) with WBG/UWBG semiconductors emerging for novel applications (ultra-high frequency transistors, UV photodetectors, etc.).

The symposium will serve as a forum for experts from academia and industry to discuss the critical issues in the state-of-the-art SiC and GaN technologies, giving wide attention to new frontiers in novel UWBG materials and devices and 2D heterostructures on them.

The organizers and the scientific committee members are involved in running EU and National projects, and bilateral agreements, on WBG semiconductors and novel materials (WBG Pilot Line, GaN4AP, VISTOLA, PRIN 2DIntegratE). Hence, the symposium will represent an excellent dissemination opportunity for these projects and will certainly attract many contributions from the involved partners.

Hot topics to be covered by the symposium:

• SiC epitaxy & defects
• SiC processing & devices (MOS interfaces, contacts, annealing, implantation doping, MOSFET reliability…)
• III-N heteroepitaxy (nucleation layers, defects, interfaces control)
• Bulk GaN, growth, vertical devices (Schottky, MOSFET, CAVET)
• GaN HEMTs technology (contacts, dielectrics, normally-off transistors)
• UWBG materials (AlGaN, Ga₂O₃, BN, AlN, diamond)
• Thermal management in GaN and WBG oxides
• III-Nitrides for optoelectronics and photovoltaics
• WBG/UWBG materials for sensors, detectors and MEMS
• 2D materials (graphene, MoS₂, h-BN) and their integration with (U)WBG materials
• Advanced characterizations techniques for (U)WBG materials and devices