EPSRC Manufacturing Fellowship in Gallium Nitride

基于氮化镓（GaN）的光电器件有可能彻底改变我们的社会。它们比目前使用的替代设备技术更高效、更坚固，因此使用寿命更长，并能显著节省能源。例如，GaN led可用于替代我们家庭和工作场所的紧凑型荧光灯和白炽灯泡。这种LED灯泡有可能将我们用于照明的能源减少多达50%。由于我们产生的所有电力中约有20%用于照明应用，这将节省相当于英国每年8个发电站的电力。氮化镓可能产生重大影响的另一个更大的领域是电力电子。电力电子设备存在于电动汽车、笔记本电脑电源和主电源控制系统中。由于氮化镓电力电子设备可以处理更多的功率，在更高的电压下工作，并且比其他半导体技术效率更高，据估计，通过切换到氮化镓电力电子设备，每年可能节省高达1万亿英镑的全球能源成本。从这些例子可以清楚地看出，氮化镓器件可以显著地帮助减少我们对能源的需求，从而减少我们的碳足迹。然而，为了实现这一潜力，仍然需要进行研究，以提供这些设备所承诺的性能，并降低其制造成本，以便它们被广泛接受。半导体器件的生产涉及在圆晶圆上同时制造数千甚至数百万个器件。今天硅电子产品的低成本和普及性质的发展之一是当使用大直径晶圆时可以实现的规模经济。因此，制造低成本GaN器件的关键步骤是在大直径硅片上生长高质量的GaN层。这将允许为硅电子工业开发的大批量生产技术应用于GaN器件，将其成本降低高达80%。在本奖学金中进行的研究将提供有关如何生长和控制GaN器件层的新知识。这将使这些器件能够实现更高的效率，在大直径硅衬底（高达200mm）上实现新的应用和增长。通过与英国工业界密切合作开展这项研究，开发将集中在实际产品上，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发展中的氮化镓设备制造基地，并有助于氮化镓技术的商业开发。

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.