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Engineering Band Gap Energy Through Structural Motifs in Nitride Semiconductors

通过氮化物半导体中的结构图案设计带隙能量

基本信息

批准号：
2003581
负责人：
Steven Durbin
金额：
$ 44.31万
依托单位：
Western Michigan University
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2020
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2020-07-01 至 2024-06-30
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2003581&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
Engineering Band Gap Energy Through

项目摘要

Nontechnical SummarySemiconductor materials form the basis for practically all electronics, from solar cells and solid state lighting, to complex integrated circuits such as microprocessors. Nevertheless, despite a century of investigation, researchers are still making fundamental discoveries in this field – discoveries which lead to improved device performance, reduced manufacturing cost, or streamlined integration with other technologies. The project activity is based on the unexpected discovery by the research team that the fundamental properties of semiconductor materials stem directly from atomic-scale structural motifs, and not deviations from periodicity as is generally accepted. By shifting that viewpoint, it is possible to achieve a much larger range of parameter values than previously realized. The result is a completely new approach to selecting materials for specific applications. The project also incorporates development of outreach activities for both middle school children and teachers, involving the community directly in the project by investigating how artificial intelligence/machine learning techniques are applied to image recognition and data analysis, thereby helping to ensure a diverse and motivated pool of young students for careers in science/technology/engineering/math (STEM) fields.Technical SummaryAs part of a previous study on how cation disorder changes the band gap energy of the earth abundant element, sustainably-sourced ternary heterovalent semiconductor ZnSnN2, the research team has discovered the unexpected role played by structural motifs in determining this most fundamental of all semiconductor parameters. Carefully designed experiments indicate that it is not only possible to close the band gap of this material through systematic variation of the type and concentration of motifs that make up the lattice, but it is also possible to access "negative" band gap energies, corresponding to inverted bands. Further, preliminary evidence indicates that the same effect is possible in other compound semiconductors, including the commercially important InGaN family of materials, again through the action of structural motifs. The project investigates the full range of achievable band gap energies of both of these nitrogen-based material systems using plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy based crystal growth in conjunction with a complementary suite of optical absorption, Hall effect and electron and x-ray diffraction techniques, with a view towards understanding the ramifications for charge carrier transport, optical properties, and ultimately material selection choices for devices.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

半导体材料构成了几乎所有电子产品的基础，从太阳能电池和固态照明到复杂的集成电路，如微处理器。然而，尽管经过了世纪的研究，研究人员仍在这一领域取得了根本性的发现-这些发现导致了器件性能的提高、制造成本的降低或与其他技术的流线型集成。该项目活动基于研究团队的意外发现，即半导体材料的基本特性直接源于原子尺度的结构图案，而不是普遍接受的周期性偏差。通过改变这种观点，可以实现比以前实现的更大范围的参数值。其结果是为特定应用选择材料的全新方法。该项目还包括为中学生和教师开展外展活动，通过调查人工智能/机器学习技术如何应用于图像识别和数据分析，让社区直接参与项目，从而有助于确保年轻学生的多元化和积极性，以从事科学/技术/工程/数学（STEM）职业作为先前关于阳离子无序如何改变地球上丰富的元素、可持续来源的三元异价半导体ZnSnN 2的带隙能量的研究的一部分，研究小组已经发现了结构基序在确定所有半导体参数中最基本的参数时所发挥的意想不到的作用。精心设计的实验表明，不仅可以通过系统地改变构成晶格的图案的类型和浓度来关闭这种材料的带隙，而且还可以获得对应于反转带的“负”带隙能量。此外，初步证据表明，同样的效果也可能出现在其他化合物半导体中，包括商业上重要的InGaN材料家族，同样是通过结构基序的作用。该项目研究了这两种氮基材料系统的全范围可实现的带隙能量，使用基于等离子体辅助分子束外延的晶体生长，结合光学吸收、霍尔效应、电子和X射线衍射技术的互补套件，以期了解电荷载流子传输、光学特性、该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。