Browse Topic: Semiconductors
Defense Advaned Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Arlington, VA
With plenty of references to national security and international competition, the University of Arkansas held the grand opening of MUSiC, the first multiuser silicon carbide (SiC) fabrication facility in the U.S. in mid-November. Helmed by Dr. H. Alan Mantooth, the founding director of the UA Power Group (UAPG), the new MUSiC facility will expand the UAPG's capabilities thanks in part to $20 million in funding from the National Science Foundation's Mid-scale Research Infrastructure-1 Program (Mid-scale RI-1), with additional support from the ARL's Army Research Office and X-FAB. Congressman Steve Womack (R) made it clear that, even when the federal government is pulling back funding for research efforts across the country, he still supports the work at MUSiC. “This facility is vital,” Womack said during MUSiC's opening ceremony. “Vital to our nation, vital to our national security, vital to our economic development, and we're in a fast-paced cavalry battle right now with near peers around the globe for research on these issues. It is essential we win that race.”
The global electronics supply chain has always run in cycles — tight supply followed by sudden gluts — but in recent years, the pace and scale of disruption have accelerated. From semiconductor shortages to shifting trade policies and pandemic-driven bottlenecks, OEMs across every sector have been forced to rethink how they source and secure critical components.
Over the past decade, significant progress in nano science and nanotechnology has opened new avenues for the development of high-performance photovoltaic cells. At present, a variety of nanostructure-based designs—comprising metals, polymers, and semiconductors—are being explored for photovoltaic applications. Advancements in the understanding of optical and electrical mechanisms governing photovoltaic conversion have been supported by theoretical analyses and modeling studies. Nevertheless, the high fabrication cost and relatively low efficiency of conventional solar photovoltaic cells remain major barriers to their large-scale deployment. One-dimensional (1D) nano materials, in particular, have introduced promising prospects for enhancing photovoltaic performance owing to their unique structural and electronic characteristics. Nanowires, nano rods, and nanotubes exemplify such 1D nanostructures, offering substantial potential to improve photon absorption, electron transport, and charge collection within photovoltaic devices. Graphene, a two-dimensional (2D) atomically thin lattice of carbon arranged in a hexagonal configuration, has emerged as a material of exceptional scientific interest. Its superior mechanical properties are attributed to the sp2-hybridized covalent bonds formed by three of the four valence electrons of each carbon atom with neighboring atoms. The remaining delocalized electron contributes to the remarkable optoelectronic properties of graphene, including its exceptionally high carrier mobility, which surpasses that of many conventional conductive materials. Furthermore, graphene thin films can be fabricated through a range of solution-based processing techniques, such as spin-coating, thereby enabling cost-effective, scalable, and versatile production. In the present study, a graphene-based two-dimensional solar cell is modeled and analyzed using the finite element method (FEM) to investigate its photovoltaic behavior and performance characteristics. It is found that the cell potential is 3.85V, VoC is 4.05V, Load cycle current is 4.25V with the surface temperature as 319K. The battery gets saturated at 1500s with graphene. Meanwhile, lithium battery produces cell potential as 3.05V, VoC is 3.05V, Load cycle current is 3.25V. Thus, grapene shows an improvement of 8% in cell potential, 25% in load current value. Lithium battery used for cell phones has the Qn=3500mAh capacity. In graphene, it is 3958mAh with an improvement of 13%.
Applications for AI are growing by leaps and bounds, which means we need many more data centers to handle the vast computing workload. Providing power to run all of them is a serious challenge. Part of the solution is to reduce their energy load by making them more efficient. The computing circuits could be designed to minimize losses, and the most efficient semiconductors can be chosen. But there is an upper limit to the efficiency of the electronics — there will always be losses in the form of heat.
A design is presented for an electro-mechanical switchgear, intended for reconfiguring the windings of an electric machine whilst in operation. Specifically, the design is developed for integration onto an in-wheel automotive motor. The motor features 6 phase fractions, which can be reconfigured by the switchgear between series-star or parallel-star arrangements, thereby doubling the torque or speed range of the electric machine. The switchgear has a mass of only 1.8kg – around one tenth of the equivalent 2-speed transmission which might otherwise be employed to achieve a similar effect. As well as the extended operating envelope, the reconfigurable winding motor offers benefits in efficiency and power density. The mechanical solution presented is expected to achieve efficiency and cost advantages over equivalent semiconductor-based solutions, which are practical barriers to adoption in automotive applications. The design uses only mechanical contacts and a single actuator, thereby offering a convincing techno-economic proposition. Furthermore, it is shown that a torque interruption time of <30ms is feasible for reconfiguration events using the mechanical relay; whilst this is longer than for a semiconductor-based solution, it is likely to be imperceptible to vehicle passengers and not affect the driver experience. The project outcomes show that mechanical relay designs can in fact provide a competitive all-round solution for this functionality, making reconfigurable motors a realistic prospect for automotive applications.
The advanced semiconductor material gallium nitride will likely be key for the next generation of high-speed communication systems and the power electronics needed for state-of-the-art data centers.
A new low-cost, scalable technology can seamlessly integrate high-speed gallium nitride transistors onto a standard silicon chip. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA The advanced semiconductor material gallium nitride will likely be key for the next generation of high-speed communication systems and the power electronics needed for state-of-the-art data centers. Unfortunately, the high cost of gallium nitride (GaN) and the specialization required to incorporate this semiconductor material into conventional electronics have limited its use in commercial applications.
Researchers in the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien) have invented a new type of tunable semiconductor laser that combines the best attributes of today’s most advanced laser products, demonstrating smooth, reliable, wide-range wavelength tuning in a simple, chip-sized design.
MEMS is a more complex technology than traditional semiconductors. They are 3D structures with moving parts, making them much more difficult to fabricate. If you’re designing a semiconductor, you may be able to take advantage of an existing process development kit (PDK), which your foundry can provide to you. There is no equivalent approach in MEMS. It’s a “one process, one product” paradigm that requires a high level of customization. That takes time, money, and resources.
The mass production of conventional silicon chips relies on a successful business model with large “semiconductor fabrication plants” or “foundries.” New research by KU Leuven and imec shows that this “foundry” model can also be applied to the field of flexible, thin-film electronics. Adopting this approach would give innovation in the field a huge boost.
Researchers have developed a multifunctional sensor based on semiconductor fibers that emulates the five human senses. Prof. Bonghoon Kim, department of robotics and mechatronics engineering of Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science & Technology (DGIST), conducted the study in collaboration with Prof. Sangwook Kim at KAIST, Prof. Janghwan Kim at Ajou University, and Prof. Jiwoong Kim at Soongsil University. The technology developed in the study is expected to be utilized in fields such as wearables, Internet of Things (IoT), electronic devices, and soft robotics.
University of Minnesota Twin Cities researchers, along with a team at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), have developed a breakthrough process for making spintronic devices that has the potential to become the new industry standard for semiconductors chips that make up computers, smartphones, and many other electronics. The new process will allow for faster, more efficient spintronics devices that can be scaled down smaller than ever before.
It might look like a roll of chicken wire, but this tiny cylinder of carbon atoms — too small to see with the naked eye — could one day be used for making electronic devices ranging from night vision goggles and motion detectors to more efficient solar cells, thanks to techniques developed by researchers at Duke University.
With continued progress towards aircraft electrification, power electronic devices and converter topologies have become increasingly critical to successful designs and to OEM competitiveness. This work treats both but focuses on the former, semiconductor devices in both actuation and propulsion applications. A comparative examination of silicon and silicon carbide is provided within the scope of energy loss mechanisms, EMI/EMC impacts at the system level, as well as non-technical considerations
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Researchers from the State Key Laboratory of Luminescence and Applications, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, have successfully developed a wide-bandwidth, low-polarization semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) based on tensile-strained quantum wells. The study, published in the journal Sensors, presents a significant advancement in optical communication technology, addressing the growing demand for higher bandwidth and lower polarization sensitivity.
As the U.S. military embraces vehicle electrification, high-reliability components are rising to the occasion to support their advanced electrical power systems. In recent years, electronic device designers have started using wide band-gap (WBG) materials like silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) to develop the semiconductors required for military device power supplies. These materials can operate at much higher voltages, perform switching at higher frequencies, and feature better thermal characteristics. Compared to silicon, SiC-based semiconductors provide superior performance. The growing availability of these materials, in terms of access and cost, continues to encourage electrification. With the ever-present pressure of size, weight, and power (SWaP) optimization in military applications, and a desire to keep up with the pace of innovation, there's a need for capacitors that can deliver higher power efficiency, switching frequency, and temperature resistance under harsh conditions. In this article, we explore the rise of electrification in military applications, the enabling role of high-reliability power supplies and converters, and how capacitors are meeting the rigorous requirements of modern electrified land systems.
After announcing a ferroelectric semiconductor at the nanoscale thinness required for modern computing components, a University of Michigan team has demonstrated a reconfigurable transistor using that material. The study is featured in Applied Physics Letters.
Scientists at the University of Florida have pioneered a method for using semiconductor technology to manufacture processors that significantly enhance the efficiency of transmitting vast amounts of data across the globe. The innovation, featured on the current cover of the journal Nature Electronics, is poised to transform the landscape of wireless communication at a time when advances in AI are dramatically increasing demand.
The ForgeStar® program, from U.K.-based Space Forge, aims to harness the unique environment of space to create ultra-pure materials that cannot be replicated on Earth. The key opportunities lie in producing high-performance semiconductors and super-alloys with fewer defects and superior properties, thanks to the low-gravity and vacuum conditions of space. Space Forge's ForgeStar satellites will be used to produce advanced materials such as alloys, proteins and semiconductors in the ultra-vacuum and microgravity conditions of space. Manufacturing in low Earth orbit (LEO) has huge potential across sectors from medicine to advanced electronics. Two examples - high frequency amplifiers and super alloys - that Space Forge is focused are described in the next two paragraphs.
Light is used in many ways in sensor technology for high precision applications. For example, white light technology can be used for confocal chromatic sensors and interferometers that can make extremely precise and accurate measurements of distance and thickness down to the sub-nanometer range. This makes them suitable for production monitoring in different industries, including semiconductor fabrication. However, even though both sensor types work with white light technology, the two measurement methods differ significantly, although they complement each other.
Northwestern University researchers have developed new devices based on a low-cost material to aid in the detection and identification of radioactive isotopes. Using cesium lead bromide in the form of perovskite crystals, the research team found that they were able to create highly efficient detectors in both small, portable devices for field researchers and in very large detectors. The results are more than a decade in the making.
A new industry-first open platform for developing the software-defined vehicle (SDV) combines processing, vehicle networking and system power management with integrated software. NXP Semiconductors' new S32 CoreRide Platform was designed to run “multiple time-critical, safety-critical, security-critical applications in parallel,” Henri Ardevol, executive vice president and general manager of Automotive Embedded Systems for NXP Semiconductors, told SAE Media. NXP's new foundation platform for SDVs differs from the traditional approach of using multiple electronic control units (ECUs), each designed to handle specific vehicle system control tasks. Since each unit requires its own integration work, the integration workload exponentially increases with each additional ECU on a vehicle.
A multi-institutional project led by a Penn State researcher is focused on developing an all-in-one semiconductor device that can both store data and perform computations. The project recently received $2 million in funding over three years as part of the new National Science Foundation Future of Semiconductors (FuSe) program, a $45.6 million investment to advance semiconductor technologies and manufacturing through 24 research and education projects across the United States.
To further shrink electronic devices and to lower energy consumption, the semiconductor industry is interested in using 2D materials but manufacturers need a quick and accurate method for detecting defects in these materials to determine if the material is suitable for device manufacture. Researchers have developed a technique to quickly and sensitively characterize defects in 2D materials.
To turn an ultra-small component on and off, one requires an actuator — a device that transmits an input, such as electricity, into physical motion. Actuators in small-scale technologies to date have critical limitations; for example, if it's difficult to integrate the actuator into semiconductor electronics, real-world applications of the technology will be limited. An actuator design that operates quickly, has precise on/off control, and is compatible with modern electronics would be immensely useful.
With a new microscopy technique that uses blue light to measure electrons in semiconductors and other nanoscale materials, a team of Brown University researchers is opening a new realm of possibilities in the study of these critical components, which can help power devices like mobile phones and laptops.
The sun has tremendous potential to address the world’s increasing energy needs, but the increased cost of employing lunar power is a considerable hurdle when equated to more conventional energy sources. The low energy density and low conversion efficiency of solar radiation, expensive raw materials, and labor-intensive manufacturing process all contribute to the high cost of a photovoltaic system. In the last ten years, advances in nano science and nanotechnology have opened up new possibilities for the creation of effective solar cells. Designing semiconductor, metal, and polymer nanostructure designs for solar cells has become possible. Understanding the methods involved in the photovoltaic energy conversion like optical and electrical process, has also benefited from theoretical and modelling studies. The high price and insufficient efficiency of current solar cells prevent the widespread usage of solar energy. One-dimensional (1-D) nanomaterials have particularly opened up new design possibilities for more effective solar cells thanks to nanostructured materials. These nanostructures of 1D, such as nanowires, nanotubes and nanorods, present great potential for enhancing photon absorption, electron transit, and electron collection in solar cells. Graphene is a 2D hexagonal lattice of carbon atoms that is atomically thin. The remarkable mechanical properties of graphene are due to its structure, in which each carbon atom shares three of its four electrons in covalent bonds with its nearest neighbours (sp2 bonds). At the same time, the remaining fourth electrons are delocalized across the two-dimensional lattice in an orbital that accounts for the majority of the material’s optoelectronic capabilities. Also, Graphene is noted for having mobility that exceeds that of good metals. Furthermore, since a number of solution-based techniques, such as simple spin coating, may be used to create thin films of graphene a range of compositions can be created utilising low-cost, straightforward, and large-scale processes. In this work, graphene based photovoltaic cell is modeled and analysed based on finite element method.
The process of bringing new materials to solar panels can be full of repetitive tasks, evaluations, and risk. It requires a researcher to prepare a sample and then go through multiple steps to test each sample using different instruments — a process that is both time consuming and requires a lot of electricity. Researchers at North Carolina State University have created RoboMapper, a robot capable of conducting experiments more efficiently and sustainably to develop a range of new semiconductor materials with desirable attributes.
Research into the synthesis of new materials could lead to more sustainable and environmentally friendly items such as solar panels and light emitting diodes (LEDs). Researchers from Ames National Laboratory and Iowa State University have developed a colloidal synthesis method for alkaline earth chalcogenides. This method allows them to control the size of the nanocrystals in the material. They were also able to study the surface chemistry of the nanocrystals and assess the purity and optical properties of the materials involved.
Rice University engineers are turning sunlight into hydrogen with record-breaking efficiency thanks to a device that combines next-generation halide perovskite semiconductors with electrocatalysts in a single, durable, cost-effective, and scalable device.
Semiconductor chips, micropatterned surfaces, and electronics all rely on microprinting, the process of putting precise but minuscule patterns millionths to billionths of a meter wide onto surfaces to give them new properties. Traditionally, these tiny mazes of metals and other materials are printed on flat wafers of silicon. But as the possibilities for semiconductor chips and smart materials expand, these intricate, tiny patterns need to be printed on new, unconventional, non-flat surfaces.
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