Towards gallium oxide thin film based electronic devices

Project ID: 2228cd1383 (You will need this ID for your application)

UCL Lead department: Chemistry

Project Summary:

Power electronics are needed to control and convert power in applications ranging from everyday appliances such as washing machines to a future smart grid. They are particularly crucial for our move towards renewable energy and electric mobility, underpinning key technologies such as solar cells, wind turbines, and electric vehicles and trains. The main difference to conventional electronic systems is the need to handle substantial amounts of electrical energy, which is only possible by replacing established small band gap semiconductor materials with wide and ultra-wide band gap materials. A key component enabling the successful incorporation of any new material in device structures is a complete understanding of its fundamental structure-electronic structure relationship. This is a complex, incomplete task for gallium oxide, a promising, emerging ultra-wide band gap material. Further challenges are the availability of high-quality samples and the optimisation of interfaces necessary to create device heterostructures. This project will tackle these areas by (i) developing a solution-based, energy-efficient manufacturing processe for Ga2O3-based materials, (ii) interfacing Ga2O3 with varying metallisation schemes to create device-relevant heterostructures, and (iii) exploring the formed interfaces using advanced X-ray spectroscopy techniques. These ambitious goals will require a combination of laboratory-based synthetic work developing sol-gel approaches for high-quality gallium oxide thin films and the preparation of heterostructures, as well as hands-on materials characterisation involving a range of laboratory and synchrotron-based techniques, chiefly photoelectron spectroscopy. Dr Anna Regoutz will supervise this project, which will involve close interactions with collaborators in the UK and Europe, that will support the project with expertise in theoretical simulations and complementary characterisation techniques. This project would suit a student with a background in chemistry, physics, or materials science, who wishes to work on the fundamental characterisation of materials, and who is interested in semiconductor devices, renewable energy, and related fields.