Estudante inventa alternativa aos transistores de silcio

Redao do Site Inovao Tecnolgica 14/05/2008 Uma srie impressionante de descobertas consecutivas veio tona s vsperas da entrega do ttulo de Doutor ao estudante Weixiao Huang, no Instituto Politcnico Rensselaer, nos Estados Unidos.

Ao reunir seus 15 artigos cientficos publicados ao longo do curso, o que se percebe um avano sem precedentes em um campo pesquisado por cientistas do mundo todo: o desenvolvimento de uma alternativa ao transstor de silcio. Agora, sendo possvel ver o "conjunto da obra" de Huang, percebe-se que seus pequenos avanos incrementais resultaram em um descoberta muito significativa. Transstor de nitreto de glio O ainda quase-doutor Huang - a recepo oficial do ttulo ser no prximo sbado, dia 17 desenvolveu um novo transstor base de nitreto de glio (GaN), um material que permitiu a construo de um transstor com menor consumo de energia e maior eficincia em aplicaes de eletrnica de potncia. "O silcio tem sido o burro de carga na indstria de semicondutores nas ltimas dcadas," disse Huang. "Mas, medida em que a eletrnica de potncia se torna mais sofisticada e exige transistores de mais alto desempenho, os engenheiros vm procurando uma alternativa, como os transistores base de nitreto de glio, que desempenham melhor do que o silcio e tambm funcionam em ambientes extremos." MOSFET O burro de carga a que se refere Huang um transstor base de silcio conhecido como MOSFET ("Metal/Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor"). O silcio reina to absoluto no campo da eletrnica que, ao se falar desses componentes, subentende-se que seja um MOSFET de silcio.

Weixiao Haung segura uma pastilha com transistores de nitreto de glio. [Imagem: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute]

O que Huang fez foi desenvolver um MOSFET de nitreto de glio, ou GaN MOSFET. A indstria toda sabe h muito tempo que o nitreto de glio possui propriedades superiores s do silcio. Entretanto, at agora ningum havia conseguido fabricar um transstor de GaN prtico e vivel. LEDs azuis e nanolasers Os novos transistores reduzem significativamente as perdas de energia, o que significa que chips que os utilizem aquecero menos. Esses chips, que ainda no foram construdos, tambm podero ser utilizados em ambientes com extremos de calor e rudo eletromagntico e at de radiao. Foi o nitreto de glio que permitiu a fabricao de LEDs azuis e de nanolasers de estado slido. Ele tambm entrou na fabricao de diversos transistores, mas sempre como coadjuvante. Seu "primo", o arseneto de glio mais comumente utilizado em transistores. ................................................................................................................................................

GaN Transistor Bests Silicon

TROY, N.Y., May 13, 2008 -- A new gallium nitride (GaN) -based transistor, the first GaN metal/oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) of its kind, performs better than silicon transistors in high-power and high-temperature electronics. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute doctoral student Weixiao Huang invented the new transistor, which could reduce energy consumption and improve the efficiency of power electronics systems in everything from motor drives and hybrid vehicles (it has captured the attention of some American and Japanese auto companies) to house appliances and defense industry equipment. Silicon has been the workhorse in the semiconductor industry for the last two decades, said Huang, the son of farmers in rural China. But as power electronics get more sophisticated and require higher performing transistors, engineers have been seeking an alternative like gallium nitride-based transistors that can perform better than silicon and in extreme conditions. Most households contain dozens of silicon-based electronics. An important component of each of those electronics is usually a silicon-based transistor known as a silicon MOSFET. To convert the electric energy to other forms as required, the transistor acts as a switch, stopping or starting the flow of current through the device. Huang said he first developed a new process that demonstrates an excellent GaN MOS (metal/oxide/GaN) interface. Engineers have known that GaN and other gallium-based materials have some extremely good electrical properties, much better than silicon. However, no useful GaN MOS transistor has been developed. His innovation has already

shown world-record performance, according to Huang. In addition, he has shown that his transistor can integrate several important electronic functions onto one chip like never before. This will significantly simplify entire electronic systems, Huang said. He has also designed and experimentally demonstrated several new novel high-voltage MOS-gated FETs that have shown superior performance compared to silicon MOSFETs in terms of lower power consumption, smaller chip size, and higher power density. The new transistors can greatly reduce energy loss, making energy conversion more efficient. If these new GaN transistors replaced many existing silicon MOSFETs in power electronics systems, there would be global reduction in fossil fuel consumption and pollution, Huang said. The new GaN transistors can also allow the electronics system to operate in extremely hot, harsh, and high-power environments and even those that produce radiation. Because it is so resilient, the device could open up the field of electronic engineering in ways that were not previously possible due to the limitations imposed by less tolerant silicon transistors, he said. Huang has published more than 15 papers during his time as a doctoral student in the Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering. He received a bachelors in electronics from Peking University in Beijing in 2001 and a masters in physics from Rensselaer in 2003. He will receive his doctorate from Rensselaer May 17 and plans to work as a device engineer in the semiconductor industry. .

GaN transistors to replace silicon in 'extreme' devices

A chemical compound known as gallium nitrade (GaN) could replace silicon for highpower and high-temperature electronics. According to electronics engineer and physicist Weixiao Huang, transistors built with GaN could be used in motor drives, hybrid vehicles, house appliances, and defence equipment. Silicon has been the workhorse in the semiconductor industry for the last two decades, said Huang, who this month graduated with doctorate qualifications from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. But as power electronics get more sophisticated and require higher performing transistors, engineers have been seeking an alternative like gallium nitride-based transistors that can perform better than silicon and in extreme conditions, he said.

Huang has developed a transistor that exploits material properties of GaN to reduce power consumption and improve efficiency of current silicon-based electronics. GaN has a semiconductor bandgap three times that of silicon, and an electric field ten times that of silicon, which reduces power loss, improves efficiency, and enables operation under extreme conditions. Hence, the material is well-suited for use in metal/oxide semiconductor field-effect (MOSFET) transistors, which operate within electronic devices to convert electric energy to other forms as required. The transistor is said to have achieved world-record performance in laboratory tests, as well as being able to integrate several electronic functions onto one chip, hence simplifying electronic systems. It [GaN] simplifies and reduces the volume and weight of the electronic systems, improves the system efficiency and allows electronic system to operate under extreme conditions, Huang told iTnews. Because it is so resilient, the device could open up the field of electronic engineering in ways that were not previously possible due to the limitations imposed by less tolerant silicon transistors. The GaN chip can also integrate optoelectronic devices, sensors, power devices and control circuits to make the electronic system more sophisticated and smarter, he said. If these new GaN transistors replaced many existing silicon MOSFETs in power electronics systems, there would be global reduction in fossil fuel consumption and pollution. Although it is anticipated to enter the semiconductor industry in no less than three years time, the technology already has received interest from the automobile and electronics industries. While Huang did not disclose the names of the companies, he said they were some of the largest automobile and electronics companies from the U.S. and Japan. These companies can help strengthen the research efforts in this area and commercialise GaN transistors to realise its full material advantages, he said, noting that research into the transistors is still in its early stages. Material quality, size, price and device long-term reliability need to be further investigated for any successful commercialisation. At least 3 years will be needed to see any commercial GaN transistors in the semiconductor market, he said.

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Nitreto de glio agora pode ser produzido em baixas temperaturas

Redao do Site Inovao Tecnolgica - 23/02/2006 Uma equipe de pesquisadores do Laboratrio Los Alamos, Estados Unidos, desenvolveu um novo mtodo para o crescimento de filmes cristalinos de nitreto de glio que funciona a baixas temperaturas e em ambiente no-corrosivo. As tcnicas atuais limitam os tipos de materiais que podem ser utilizados como substratos, em conjunto com o nitreto de glio, justamente pela caracterstica inspita do ambiente de produo.

Esse semicondutor , por exemplo, utilizado na fabricao dos painis solares de satlites e tambm foi o material que permitiu a criao dos LEDs azuis. Mas a nova descoberta poder aumentar enormemente sua utilizao em componentes optoeletrnicos, como diodos a laser, dispositivos de armazenamento de dados de alta densidade, telas planas e lmpadas de estado slido. Os cientistas utilizaram uma tcnica conhecida como litografia energtica por feixe de tomos neutros, um feixe de tomos de baixa energia cintica que pode ser utilizado para vrias operaes qumicas superficiais a temperaturas baixas. Eles conseguiram crescer os filmes cristalinos de nitreto de glio sobre safira em temperaturas entre 100 e 500 C. Os processos atuais funcionam entre 900 e 1.100 C. "As baixas temperaturas empregadas [...] permitem a incorporao de dopantes eletrnicos e magnticos nos filmes, ao mesmo tempo em que evita os problemas de aglomerao e segregao de fase que esto limitando o uso disseminado desse material em outras aplicaes," explica o cientista Alex