EPSRC Manufacturing Fellowship in Gallium Nitride

基于氮化镓(GaN)的光电子器件有可能给我们的社会带来革命性的变化。它们比当今使用的替代设备技术更高效、更坚固，因此寿命更长，并可显著节省能源。例如，GaN LED可以用来取代我们家庭和工作场所的紧凑型荧光灯和白炽灯。这种LED灯泡有可能将我们用于照明的能源减少高达50%。由于我们产生的所有电力中约有20%用于照明应用，这将相当于英国每年节省约8000个发电站的电力。氮化镓可能产生重大影响的另一个可能更大的领域是电力电子。电力电子器件可以在电动汽车、笔记本电脑的电源和电源控制系统中找到。由于GaN电力电子可以处理更多的功率，在更高的电压下工作，而且比其他半导体技术更高效，据估计，通过改用GaN电力电子，每年可能在全球节省高达1万亿GB的能源成本。从这些例子中可以清楚地看到，GaN设备可以显著帮助我们减少对能源的需求，从而减少我们的碳足迹。然而，要实现这一潜力，还需要进行研究，以实现这些器件的承诺性能，并降低它们的制造成本，以便它们被广泛接受。半导体器件的生产涉及在一个圆形晶片上同时制造数千甚至数百万个器件。使今天的硅电子产品具有低成本和普及性的发展之一是当使用大直径晶片时可以实现的规模经济。因此，开发生长在大直径硅片上的高质量GaN层是制造低成本GaN器件的关键一步。这将使为硅电子工业开发的大批量生产技术应用于GaN设备，使其成本降低高达80%。这项研究将为如何生长和控制GaN器件层提供新的知识。这将使这些设备的承诺得以实现，从而在大直径硅衬底(最大200 mm)上实现更高的效率、新的应用和增长。通过与英国业界密切合作开展这项研究，开发将专注于真正的产品，并解决与提供高性能和可靠设备相关的一些现实世界挑战。这也将确保这项研究支持英国正在发展的GaN器件制造基地，并可以为GaN技术的商业开发做出贡献。

Gallium Nitride (GaN) based optoelectronic devices have the potential to revolutionise our society. They are more efficient and more robust than the alternative device technologies used today and therefore last longer and deliver significant energy savings. For example, GaN LEDs can be used to replace compact fluorescent and incandescent light bulbs in our homes and places of work. Such LED light bulbs have the potential to reduce by up to 50% the energy we use for lighting. Since about 20% of all the electricity we generate is used for lighting applications this would save the equivalent of about 8 power stations worth of electricity in the UK each year. Another, potentially even larger area where Gallium Nitride could have a significant impact is power electronics. Power electronic devices are found in electric cars, power supplies for laptop, and the control systems for mains electricity. Since GaN power electronics can handle more power, operate at higher voltages and are again significantly more efficient than other semiconductor technologies, it is estimated that by switching to GaN power electronics it may be possible to save up to £1 trillion each year in global energy costs.From these examples it is clear that GaN devices can significantly help to reduce our demand for energy and therefore our Carbon footprint. However, for this potential to be realised, research still needs to be done to deliver the promised performance of these devices and to reduce their manufacturing cost so that they are widely accepted.Production of semiconductor devices involves the manufacture of thousands or even millions of devices simultaneously on a circular wafer. One of the developments which has allowed the low cost and pervasive nature of Silicon electronics today are the economies of scale that can be achieved when large diameter wafer are used. A key step therefore in the manufacturing of low cost GaN devices is the development of high quality GaN layers grown onto large diameter Silicon wafers. This will allow the high volume production techniques that have been developed for the Silicon electronics industry to be applied for GaN devices reducing their cost by up to 80%. Research carried out in this fellowship will provide new knowledge about how to grow and control GaN device layers. This will allow the promise of these devices to be realised enabling higher efficiencies, new applications and growth on large diameter Silicon substrates (upto 200mm). By carrying out this research in close collaboration with UK industry, the developments will be focused towards real products and address some of the real world challenges associated with delivering high performance and reliable devices. This will also ensure that the research supports the developing GaN device manufacturing base in the UK and can contribute to the commercial exploitation of GaN technology.