IIT-Guwahati-led research develops cost-effective, semiconductors for high-power applications

Guwahati, Feb 5 (PTI) A cost-effective method to grow a special semiconductor with the potential to significantly enhance the efficiency of power electronics used in high-power applications even at very high temperatures has been developed in a collaborative effort led by researchers of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, a statement said on Monday.

A team of IIT-Guwahati came together with researchers of IIT-Mandi and Institute of Sensor and Actuator Systems, Technical University Wien, to develop this special semiconductor which can be used in high-power applications like electric vehicles, high-voltage transmission, traction and industry automation.

The research team has developed an innovative and cost-effective technology to grow ultrawide bandgap semiconducting material named gallium oxide.

This is achieved through a customised low-pressure chemical vapour deposition (LPCVD) system, the statement said.

Emphasising on the need of this research, Ankush Bag, assistant professor, Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering and Centre for Nanotechnology, IIT-Guwahati, said, "Power semiconductor devices are the heart of every power electronic system and function primarily as efficient switches, toggling ON and OFF to condition incoming power from grid to be used by end-user. For emerging high-power applications, there is a demand for compound semiconductor materials with an ultra-wide bandgap".

Power electronic systems play a vital role to manage and control the flow of electricity. They are crucial for converting electrical energy from both renewable including solar and wind, and non-renewable sources including thermal power plants, into a form compatible with end-user applications in terms of voltage, current and frequency.

However, there will always be some losses incurred when the electrical energy passes through a typical power electronic system.

Researchers globally have been working on improving the efficiency of power electronic systems using materials like Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Silicon Carbide (SiC) but these have limitations, especially in terms of cost, for high-power applications.

"The main challenge was to make thin and smooth films out of the material. We have successfully developed a superior quality ultra-wide bandgap compound semiconductors and fabricated two terminal devices. The applications of this technology extend to electric vehicles, high voltage transmission, traction systems, and industrial automation," Bag added.

He said a key challenge was creating a Gallium oxide thin film on a sapphire substrate, deviating from the common use of Gallium oxide substrates.

This shift enhances cost-effectiveness and thermal performance, addressing issues related to the expense and poor thermal conductivity of Gallium oxide substrates, the assistant professor added.

The findings of the study have been published in multiple research papers in 'Journal of IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices' and 'Thin Solid Films'.

Besides Bag, the co-authors include Satinder K Sharma and Arnab Mondal from the School of Computing and Electrical Engineering, IIT Mandi, and Manoj K Yadav from Institute of Sensor and Actuator Systems, TU Wien, Vienna, Austria.

The research has received funding from the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Department of Science and Technology, the statement added. PTI SSG RG