PFI-TT: High Performance Pressure Sensors for High Temperature Operations

这一创新-技术转化伙伴关系(PFI-TT)项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力在于满足行业对能够在高温和恶劣环境条件下工作的先进压力传感器的关键需求。下一代电动汽车、石油钻井平台、发电厂和外层空间任务要求传感器和系统能够在极端环境条件下运行，具有高可靠性和出色的性能。其他潜在市场包括可用于救援任务的高性能传感器，以及具有更好位置检测的飞行和无人机操作。这些传感器的开发具有数亿美元的潜在市场，预计还将显著扩大对下一代半导体器件和芯片制造的知识。拟议的项目将促进对宽带隙半导体和器件制造工艺的科学理解。建议的传感器利用了这些材料的压电特性以及它们的化学惰性和热稳定性，将确保它们在高工作温度下的高性能，超过现有传感器的能力。此外，传感器将提供新颖的压力敏感度可调性和极低的工作功率要求，因为使用集成晶体管来检测由压力变化引起的膜偏转。传感器将使用硅衬底上的外延III-氮化物((Al，In，Ga)N)层构建，这将确保低成本和通过蚀刻轻松移除衬底。研究和翻译将与多项研究和商业合作进行。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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 Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is in addressing the critical industrial need for advanced pressure sensors that can operate at high temperatures and in harsh environmental conditions. Next generation electric vehicles, oil rigs, power plants and outer space missions require sensors and systems that are capable of operating under extreme environmental conditions with high reliability and outstanding performance. Additional potential markets include high performance sensors that can be used in rescue missions as well as flight and drone operations with better location detection. The development of these sensors, with a potential market in the hundreds of million dollars, is also expected to significantly expand knowledge of next generation semiconductor devices and chip manufacturing.The proposed project will advance scientific understanding of wide bandgap semiconductors and device manufacturing processes. The proposed sensor, which leverages the piezoelectric properties of these materials along with their chemical inertness and thermal stability, will ensure their high performance even at high operating temperatures, exceeding the capabilities of existing sensors. Additionally, the sensors would offer novel tunability of pressure sensitivity and very low operating power requirements, as an integrated transistor is used to detect membrane deflection caused by pressure changes. The sensors will be built using epitaxial III-Nitride ((Al, In, Ga)N) layers on a silicon substrate, which will ensure low cost and easy substrate removal through etching. The research and translation will be done with multiple research and commercial in partnerships.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.