Emerging ultra-wide band gap semiconductors for future high-frequency electronics

TL;DR

This paper uses high-throughput computational screening to identify promising ultra-wide band gap semiconductors like diamond, BN, AlN, and Ga2O3 for future high-frequency electronic applications, addressing current material limitations.

Contribution

It introduces a computational approach to evaluate new UWBG semiconductors for RF and power devices, focusing on their high-frequency figures of merit and thermal properties.

Findings

Many alternative materials to current UWBG semiconductors are promising.

Certain materials show high potential based on Johnson and Baliga figures of merit.

Discussion on dopability and synthesis pathways for candidate materials.

Abstract

To meet the growing demands of advanced electronic systems, next-generation power and RF semiconductor devices must operate efficiently at higher power levels and switching frequencies while remaining compact. Current state-of-the-art GaN semiconductor devices alone cannot meet all these demands. Emerging ultra-wide band gap (UWBG) alternatives like diamond, BN, AlN, and Ga2O3, face significant challenges including limited wafer availability, doping difficulties, and thermal management constraints. Herein we conduct a high-throughput computational screening for new semiconductors for high-frequency electronics. In our analysis we compute the modeled Johnson and Baliga high-frequency figures of merit in combination with thermal conductivity to assess their potential for RF and power devices. We show that there are plenty of alternative materials to explore and conclude by discussing dopability and synthesis of select candidate materials. This study lays the foundation for discovering new semiconductors that can push the boundaries of performance in applications ranging from EV chargers and solid-state transformers to sub-THz communications and advanced radar technologies.