Defect Engineered Graphene Gate in a Subthreshold SiC MESFET for Emissions Sensing

该项目的目标是开发一种紧凑、实用、新颖的3端方法，利用石墨烯固有的单分子灵敏度来传感和区分排放气体。这将使用亚阈值碳化硅金属半导体场效应晶体管和有源外延生长石墨烯栅极作为有源换能器来实现，以提供单独使用SiC和石墨烯无法实现的性能优势。智力上的优点在于将亚阈值设计原理应用于SiC器件以及气体传感器，这两者迄今为止都没有做过。此外，将研究使用紧凑的固态器件区分气体的模式，这是气体传感领域的一个潜在变革概念。更广泛的影响包括恶劣环境传感、排放监测和家庭低成本气体监测的应用。如果成功，这将为这些监控问题提供转型的低成本解决方案，其中一些目前是无法执行的。最后，这项努力将资助3个10分钟的专业视频（由联合导演和艾美奖提名的纪录片制作人L. Kissel制作），为外行人记录这个项目的科学过程，并为招收科学技术、工程和数学领域的学生开发材料。该项目将继续南卡罗来纳大学扩大多样性的承诺，通过招募少数民族学生，寻求将大学的人口构成与周边县的人口构成相匹配。该项目将涉及至少1名非裔美国博士生。

The objective of this program is to develop a compact, practical, novel 3-terminal approach to sensing and distinguishing emissions gases using graphene's intrinsic single molecule sensitivity. This is to be accomplished using a subthreshold Silicon Carbide Metal Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor with an active epitaxially grown graphene gate as the active transducer to provide performance advantages not possible with SiC and graphene alone. The intellectual merit lies in applying subthrehsold design principles to SiC devices, as well as to gas sensors, neither of which has been done to date. Furthermore, the modes of distinguishing between gases using a compact solid-state device will be investigated, a potentially transformative concept in the realm of gas sensing.The broader impacts of this include applications in harsh-environment sensing, emissions monitoring and low-cost gas-monitoring for homes. If successful, this will provide transformational low-cost solutions to these monitoring problems, some of which are currently un-enforceable. Finally, this effort will fund 3 professional 10-minute videos (by Co-PI & Emmy-nominated documentary maker L. Kissel) documenting the scientific process in this project for the layman, and to develop materials for recruitment of students into Science and Technology, Engineering and Math fields. This project will continue University of South Carolina's commitment to expanding diversity, by seeking to match the University demographic makeup with that of the surrounding counties, through recruitment of minority students. This project will involve at least 1 African-American PhD student.