STTR Phase I: Scaling of AlN/GaN/AlN HEMTs via molecular beam epitaxy

这项小型企业技术转让（STTR）第一阶段项目的广泛影响/商业潜力解决了与下一代高频通信系统相关的范围限制，这是商业和国防部门共同的痛点。毫米波防御雷达系统提供更精确的景观或目标地图，但与标准雷达系统相比，其射程能力有所降低。这种范围的缩小也会影响电信行业，并促使建设更多的基站，以提供更大范围的高频5G覆盖。通过氮化铝增强功率放大器增加距离，该项目旨在将国防雷达系统的目标探测极限和最大基站覆盖范围提高40%。这将进一步提高国防应用的性能，并减少未来（6G及以上）电信网络所需的基站数量。这个小型企业技术转移（STTR）一期项目旨在将氮化铝扩展为大功率高频功率放大器的新材料平台。目前的功率放大器材料，通常是硅和氮化镓，经常受到热量和电压的限制。通过加入氮化铝，该项目可以将功率放大器的功率密度提高两倍，并在相同功率水平下提供比传统功率放大器低25%的温度工作。为了实现这些目标，这个STTR项目将扩大氮化铝平台，并以商业相关的分立晶体管产量为目标。目标最小可行产品是氮化铝平台微波单片集成电路。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。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project addresses range limitations associated with next-generation high-frequency communication systems, a pain point shared by commercial and defense sectors. Millimeter-wave defense radar systems provide more accurate mapping of a landscape or objects, but have reduced range capabilities compared to standard radar systems. This reduced range also affects the telecommunication industry and motivates building more base stations to provide high-frequency 5G coverage over large areas. By increasing range via an aluminum nitride-enhanced power amplifier, this project aims to increase the object detection limit of defense radar systems and maximum base station coverage by up to 40%. This will enable more improved performance for defense application and also reduce the number of base stations necessary for future (6G and beyond) telecommunication networks.This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project aims to scale aluminum nitride as a new material platform for high-power, high-frequency power amplifiers. Current power amplifier materials, typically silicon and gallium nitride, are often constrained by heat and voltage limitations. By incorporating aluminum nitride, this project can potentially improve power amplifier power density by two-fold, and provides 25% lower temperature operation at the same power level as conventional power amplifiers. Towards these goals, this STTR project will scale up the aluminum nitride platform and target commercially relevant discrete transistor yields. The targeted minimum viable product is an aluminum nitride platform microwave monolithically integrated circuit.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.