FuSe-TG: Materials and Devices Co-Design for Next-Generation Communication Systems

在这项规划拨款中，一个专家小组将共同努力，解决下一代通信系统面临的一些关键挑战。半导体，如硅、氮化镓、砷化镓和磷化铟，构成了当今通信系统的支柱。然而，对于下一代通信系统来说，多功能半导体是必不可少的。近年来，与传统半导体相比，铁电超宽带隙半导体表现出显著增强的电学、压电、线性和非线性光学特性，这使它们成为未来通信器件中最有前途的材料之一。该项目将促进组建一个专家团队，建立研究联系和工业伙伴关系，以实现下一代和超越通信技术的共同设计。规划阶段的重点是播种协同效应，并为团队增加新的研究人员和外部合作伙伴，以实现三个集成重点，包括超高速通信技术材料和器件的共同设计，外延和异构集成，以及多功能节能器件的共同设计和演示。该计划的成功将为未来超高速无线和光通信系统的高速通信和量子设备的协同设计提供多功能平台。更广泛的影响还包括这个项目的高度跨学科性质，以及通过研究的潜在社会影响向本科生、未被充分代表的少数民族和K- 12的推广。该团队的研究人员将通过解决从超高速操作到光波电子和量子信息技术的遥远未来目标的能源效率和连接挑战来探索高速半导体器件。他们的共同设计从宽和超宽带隙半导体开始，包括新发现的铁电氮化物和基于接枝的异质集成，以促进多功能电子，声学，光子，光波电子和量子器件的进步，用于未来的高速通信系统。最终结果将包括显著改善射频功率密度、带宽、降低操作功耗、增强安全性，以及利用半导体技术利用量子信息的可能性。团队成员来自七所大学和四个工业合作伙伴，汇集了从材料发现，设计预测理论，最先进的外延/表征到广泛的新兴技术的专业知识。该团队最终将专注于创造在十年内达到10倍以上速度的通信设备，并有可能与新兴的量子和光波电子元件相连接，从而分别彻底改变灵敏度和速度。通过这项计划拨款，他们将确定下一代通信技术的共同设计挑战和机遇，创建社区外展计划，吸引行业合作伙伴，并寻找新的合作者来补充共同设计团队。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。

In this planning grant a team of experts will work together to address some of the critical challenges for next-generation communication systems. Semiconductors, such as silicon, gallium nitride, gallium arsenide and indium phosphide, form the backbone of today’s communication systems. For next-generation communication systems, however, multi-functional semiconductors are essentially required. Recently, ferroelectric ultrawide bandgap semiconductors have shown significantly enhanced electrical, piezoelectric, and linear and nonlinear optical properties compared to conventional semiconductors, which have made them one of the most promising materials for future communication devices. This project will facilitate forming a team of experts and establish research connections and industrial partnerships to enable the co-design of next-generation and beyond communication technologies. The planning phase focuses on seeding synergy and adding new researchers and external partners to the team to work toward three integrated thrusts, including co-design of materials and devices for ultrahigh speed communication technologies, epitaxy and heterogeneous integration, and co-design and demonstration of multifunctional energy-efficient devices. Success of this program will result in a multifunctional platform for the co-design of high-speed communication and quantum devices for future ultra-fast wireless and optical communication systems. The broader impacts also include the highly interdisciplinary nature of this project and outreach to undergraduates, underrepresented minorities, and K- 12 through the appealing potential social impacts of the research.The researchers in this team will explore high-speed semiconductor devices by addressing the energy efficiency and connectivity challenges from ultrahigh-speed operation to a far-future goal of light-wave electronics and quantum information technology. Their co-design starts from wide and ultra-wide bandgap semiconductors, including the newly discovered ferroelectric nitrides and grafting-based heterogeneous integration, to spur advances in multifunctional electronic, acoustic, photonic, light-wave electronics, and quantum devices for future high-speed communication systems. The outcomes will ultimately include significantly improved RF power density, bandwidth, reduced power consumption of operation, enhancedsecurity, and possibilities to tap into quantum information with semiconductor technology. Team members from seven universities and four industrial partners, bring together expertise ranging from materials discovery, predictive theory for design, and state-of-the-art epitaxy/characterization to a broad range of emerging technologies. The team will ultimately focus on creating communication devices that reach 10-times higher speeds in a decade and potentially connect with emerging quantum and light-wave electronic components to revolutionize sensitivity and speed, respectively. Through this planning grant, they will identify the co-design challenges and opportunities for next-generation communication technologies, create a community outreach program, engage industry partners, and find new collaborators to complement the co-design team.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.