FuSe-TG: Co-Design of Germanium Oxide-based Semiconductors from Deposition to Devices

非技术概述：这个半导体的未来(FUSE)项目专注于发展研究能力和合作，重点是围绕电力电子和红外探测等应用感兴趣的氧化锗半导体。这笔赠款使一个由来自五所不同大学的12名研究人员组成的团队得以成立，该团队代表物理科学和工程领域的五个学科，以应对与材料设计、制造、财产控制和设备集成相关的基本科学和工程挑战，这些活动是将氧化锗半导体从学术实验室转移到社会所需的活动，这些技术有利于包括电动汽车在内的自动驾驶系统。同时，该团队协调活动，通过共同设计原则在新材料和设备的开发方面取得进展。在这些活动的同时，该项目还试行劳动力发展倡议，以帮助支持美国半导体部门的技术劳动力。这些措施包括为传统上代表性不足的群体的学生提供专注于氧化物半导体的暑期研究体验，以及为地理上靠近合作机构的以技术为重点的大学的学生创造教育和培训机会。此外，该团队还建立了机构间和行业合作伙伴关系，以确保研究和劳动力发展活动与国家技术需求保持一致。技术总结：该项目采用聚合和基于团队的方法来规划实现宽带隙和窄带隙的氧化锗半导体，这些半导体可以掺杂，形成用于带隙工程的合金，不含有毒元素，并可以加工成高性能器件。该团队正在建立研究合作，旨在促进与薄膜沉积、晶体生长、热力学和电子结构建模、缺陷表征和设备测试相关领域的基础知识。该团队致力于了解和实施所需的材料合成条件，以稳定异质结构的目标氧化锗，同时为性能工程实现掺杂和合金化。计算和实验活动为理解和控制这些半导体中的缺陷提供了策略，无论是那些想要的(掺杂剂)还是不想要的(位错、点缺陷)。该团队对基于氧化锗半导体的高功率电子和传感的结点、触点和器件的制造和性能的最终限制有了深入的了解。协同设计贯穿于整个科学目标，以便与异质结构设计和器件演示一起评估和研究与制造可伸缩性、基板开发和环境影响相关的问题。该项目试点了一项双管齐下的战略，以创造与半导体相关的新的教育机会。第一个奖项利用现有的NSF-PREM计划，每年为其中一个参与实验室的代表性不足群体的学生创造暑期研究机会；第二个奖项为社区或技术大学的学生提供教育机会。该奖项反映了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。

Non-Technical Summary:This Future of Semiconductors (FuSe) project focuses on developing research capabilities and collaborations centered around germanium oxide-based semiconductors that are of interest for applications such as power electronics and infrared detection. The grant enables the formation of a team, which consists of 12 investigators from five different universities representing five disciplines within physical science and engineering, to address fundamental scientific and engineering challenges associated with material design, manufacturing, property control and device integration, activities required to move germanium oxide semiconductors from academic laboratories into society-benefiting technologies including electric vehicles to autonomous systems. In parallel, the team coordinates activities to make progress on the development of new materials and devices through co-design principles. Concurrent with these activities, the project pilots workforce development initiatives to help bolster the United States technical workforce in the semiconductor sector. These include providing students from traditionally under-represented groups with summer research experiences focused on oxide semiconductors and creating educational and training opportunities for students at technical-focused colleges in geographic proximity to the teaming institutions. Additionally, the team builds inter-institutional and industrial partnerships to ensure the research and workforce development activities are aligned with national technological needs.Technical Summary:The project applies a convergent and team-based approach to plan the realization of wide and narrow band gap germanium oxide-based semiconductors that can be doped, form alloys for band gap engineering, are not comprised of toxic elements, and can be processed into high performing devices. The team is building research collaborations aimed at advancing fundamental knowledge in areas related to thin film deposition, crystal growth, thermodynamic and electronic structure modeling, defect characterization, and device testing. The team works to understand and implement the materials synthesis conditions required to stabilize targeted germanium oxides in heterostructure form, while enabling both doping and alloying for property engineering. Computational and experimental activities provide strategies for understanding and controlling defects, either those desired (dopants) or undesired (dislocations, point defects), within these semiconductors. The team develops an understanding of the ultimate limits to the fabrication and performance of junctions, contacts, and devices for high power electronics and sensing based on germanium oxide semiconductors. Co-design is infused throughout the scientific objectives such that issues related to manufacturing scalability, substrate development, and environmental impacts are evaluated and researched alongside heterostructure design and device demonstrations. The project pilots a two-pronged strategy for enabling new educational opportunities related to semiconductors. The first of these leverages the existing NSF-PREM programs to create a summer research opportunity for a student from an under-represented group in one of the participating labs each year; the second establishes educational opportunities for students at community or technical colleges.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.