ARLINGTON, Va. – U.S. military researchers needed to develop new kinds of integrated circuit substrates, device layers, junctions, and low-resistance electrical contacts for a new generation of ultrawide-bandgap semiconductors. They found a solution from RTX Corp.
Officials of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Arlington, Va., announced a $5.3 million contract on 13 Sept. 2024 to The RTX Raytheon segment in Arlington, Va., for the Ultra-Wide BandGap Semiconductors (UWBGS) project.
The UWBGS program will develop and optimize ultra-wide bandgap materials and fabrication processes for the next revolution in semiconductor electronics.
Ultrawide-bandgap technology represents a new class of semiconductors for future applications of RF and high-power electronics, deep-ultraviolet electro-optics, quantum electronics, and systems that must operate in harsh environments.
UWBGS will establish the foundation for producible and reliable high-performance ultra-wide bandgap devices for a variety of military and commercial applications, such as high-power RF switches; high-power-density RF amplifiers; high-power RF protection devices; high-voltage switches; high-temperature electronics; and deep ultraviolet lasers and light-emitting diodes.
The program will address key technical challenges such as realizing high-quality ultra-wide bandgap materials; ability to tailor electrical characteristics of ultra-wide bandgap materials; ability to create homo- and heterostructures with abrupt junctions and low defect density; and ultralow resistance electrical contacts.
UWBGS will fabricate device test structures to quantify the improvements in these areas. To be successful, the program will leverage recent advances in ultra-wide bandgap materials.
Experts in the DARPA Microsystems Technology Office are focusing on two kinds of ultrawide-bandgap devices: low-defect-density substrates larger than 100 millimeters in diameter; and device layers with high doping efficiency abrupt homo- and hetero-junctions with low junction defect density and ultralow-resistance electrical contacts.
Ultrawide-bandgap materials like aluminum nitride, cubic boron nitride, and diamond have the potential to revolutionize semiconductor electronics for applications like high-power RF switches and limiters; high-power-density RF amplifiers for radar and communications systems; high-voltage switches for power electronics; high-temperature electronics and sensors for extreme environments; deep-ultraviolet light emitting diodes (LEDs); and lasers, DARPA researchers say.
Yet today's poor quality of ultrawide-bandgap materials limit their performance, and scientists must overcome several technical challenges to bring this technology to fruition.
In the three-year UWBGS program, Raytheon engineers will seek to improve the material quality of device layers and junctions, and improve the electrical quality of metal contacts.
To do this, Raytheon will focus on three areas: large-area ultrawide-bandgap substrates; dopants for ultrawide-bandgap materials for ultrawide-bandgap homo-and hetero-junctions; and blending ultralow-resistance electrical contacts and ultrawide-bandgap materials.
For more information contact RTX Raytheon online at www.rtx.com/raytheon, or DARPA at www.darpa.mil.
