InRel-NPower logo
Innovative Reliable Nitride based Power Devices and Applications
 
This project has received funding from the European Union under grant agreement No 720527.
   
 

Newsletter #1 - December 2017
 
 
 

Foreword
 

On January 1st, 2017 we began with the InRel-NPower project. Eleven different partners from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and Japan are gathered in our consortium, aiming to push the nitride-based semiconductor technology to the next level. 

Now, 12 months later, we present to you our first newsletter. In the following pages, we hope to inform you on some of our major milestones from the past year. Where we aim these pages to be accessible for a broad public, more interested readers are referred to more in-depth articles on our website www.inrel-npower.eu!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Projects' participants
 

 InRel-NPower partner logo's
 
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Content
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

InRel-NPower in brief

The way in which electric energy is used has great impact on the economy, the environment and society. However, a major part of the produced electricity is lost in electric power conversion. To reduce such losses we must create electronic devices that use new materials with higher efficiency.

The InRel-NPower project researches GaN and AlN-based transistor devices for application in power electronics. These material could result in conversion systems achieving a 99% conversion efficiency!

We aim to mature the technology: by focusing on the raw material, on the packaging and by demonstrating its potential in a final device.
 
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Work package 1 - Material and Epitaxy

Our goal is the development of mature epitaxial GaN and AlN substrates. GaN-on-Si will obtain improved reliability by different epitaxial buffer structures. AlN will be re-grown on templates with high epitaxial quality. Finally, the correlations between material properties and device performance will be investigated.

From the lab: 

  • Epitaxial GaN on Si wafers with very low sheet resistance obtained (Read more)
  • AlN with very high crystal quality on sapphire characterised (Read more)
 
Read more
 
 
 
 
 
 

Work package 2 – Device Processing

Our goal is the optimization and qualification of GaN-on-Si power device processing on a 6-inch pilot line while targeting on-resistance < 20mΩ for 650V applications. Furthermore, we will develop devices for beyond 2000V applications by optimizing the substrate-removal technique for GaN-on-Si technology as well as achieving novel power devices based on bulk AlN.

From the lab: 

  • The partner Uni-Padova has demonstrated highly robust and reliable 650V D-mode power devices produced by the partner ONSemi. (Read more)

  • The partner CNRS showed lower current collapse in silicon-substrate-removal GaN devices observed subsequently to high bias switching operation (Read more)

In the scientific community:

  • Substrate grounded GaN-on-Si HEMTs with record vertical breakdown above 2 kV, E. Dogmus et al, (12th ICNS, Strasbourg, France, 2017).

 

 
 Read more
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Work package 3 - Advanced Characterization & Reliability

Our goal is to identify specific limitations in terms of parasitic effects and reliability issues for GaN lateral power devices. Focus is on the identification of degradation mechanisms and prediction of physical models/laws , which can be used for accurate lifetime extrapolation  and qualification for GaN based power devices.

From the lab: 

  • Development of Enhancement Mode Technology with p-GaN Gate (Read more)
  • Unit Probe Yield Improvement on Baseline Activity
    (Depletion Mode Device Platform, Read more)

In the scientific community:

  • Recessing Process for Au free Ohmic Contacts Formation on AlGaN/GaN Heterostructures with AlN Spacer, Constant et. al., (CS Mantech 2017).
  • Reliability Assessment of (Al)GaN Power Devices under Soft and Hard Switching Conditions,Banerjee et. al., (ON Semi Engineering & Tech Forum, 2017).
  • Rdyn in hard-switch and soft-switch applications, Gassot et. al., (BODO Power Electronics Conference, 2017).
 
Read more
 
 
 
 
 
 

Work package 4 - Packaging and Demonstration

Shear test with Ag-sintering on LTCC

Our goal of this last technical work package will be the development of two innovative packaging systems and two demonstrators in order to fully exploit the potential of the GaN devices

From the lab: 

  • First design/ layout adaption for the assembly process of the GaN Chips (Read more)
  • comparative shear-test analysis on Ag-sinter pastes have been performed (Read more)

In the scientific community:

  • Poster at PCIM fair May, 2017 in Berlin
 
Read more
 
 
 
 
 
 

Take a look at our online lectures!

 

You may have had the chance to meet us at our summer school in Brixen (Italy), together with 70 other participants.

Several lectures were given by members of the consortium, which will be made available on our YouTube channel!
  • "General Overview of GaN based Power devices"
    by P. Moens (ONSemiconductor)
  • "Materials and Epigrowths for wide bandgap semiconductor devices"
    by J. Derluyn (EpiGaN)
  • "Defects in Nitride semiconductors materials and their relevance to electronic devices"
    by E. Meissner (Fraunhofer IISB)
  • "Device processing and architectures in Gallium Nitride based semiconductors"
    by F. Medjdoub (CNRS-IEMN)
  • "Reliability of GaN-power transistors: an overview"
    by M. Meneghini (Padova University)
  • "Modern high performance assembly and interconnection technologies for wide-band-gap power semiconductor basing power electronics"
    by M. Rittner (Bosch)
  • "Industrial applications of wide bandgap semiconductor devices"
    by K. Kriegel (Siemens)
  • "Applications in Energy saving of wide bandgap semiconductors devices"
    by P. Bleus (CE+T)
  During the summer of 2019, our second and last summer school will include a discussion of the obtained results by the InRel-Npower consortium.
 
 
 
 
 

Stay in Touch!

  
 
  • March 2018 – meet our partner, Siemens, at the CIPS conference (Stuttgard, Germany)!
  • March 2018 – meet our partner, UGent, at the MAM conference (Milano, Italy)!
  • March 2018 – meet our partner, CNRS, at the IPRS conference (San Francisco, USA)!
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InRel-NPower

Innovative Reliable Nitride based Power Devices and Applications
 
InvestEUresearch - H2020
 
This project has received funding from the European Union under grant agreement No 720527.
 
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