Ongoing Research:
Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Devices:
Gallium Oxide (Ga2O3) Electronics:
Ga2O3 has a bandgap of 4.6 - 4.9 eV and a critical electric field strength of ~ 8 MV/cm which are much higher compared to that of GaN and SiC. Baliga’s figure of merit for Ga2O3 is much higher than that GaN and SiC. This makes Ga2O3 a better choice for making next-generation power devices. Johnson’s Figure of merit is also appreciably high for Ga2O3 which indicates its suitability for high-frequency devices too. Besides, due to its wide bandgap and thermal stability, Ga2O3-based devices are also expected to be much less susceptible to high temperature and radiation. Hence, Ga2O3-electronics are also suitable for the extreme environment. Possible potential applications are commercial power electronics, nuclear facilities, space missions, defence, automotive, solar-blind photodetectors etc.
Gallium Nitride (GaN) High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs):
GaN (bandgap ~3.4 eV) has already revolutionized the solid-state lighting industry. This GaN (more precisely the AlGaN/GaN heterostructure) can also be used for making both high-power and high-frequency devices which have already started to replace the conventional silicon devices. Though these devices have been successfully commercialized, some issues like trapping, normally ON operation, high gate leakage current etc. need further investigations to improve the performance and reliability of these devices.
