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

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.