Power, Rf devices and passive components for high performance power electronics
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The demand to increase energy efficiency of our society involves the development of electronics systems towards zero loss. This is particularly true for power electronics, where up to the 30% of energy is lost in the system. High performance power devices are required. Due to the approaching of Si physical limits, the group concentrates its attention beyond the Si era considering development and implementation of innovative semiconductors (wide bandgap, SiC, GaN, AlN, Ge), advanced multi-functional materials (oxides, colossal k dielectrics, graphene) and innovative technologies (mesoscopic electronics, 2DEG devices, graphene electronics, nanosystems). |
| Group Leader: Vito Raineri |
The demand to increase energy efficiency of our society and the stringent restrictions to reduce the environment impact involve the development of electronics systems towards zero loss. This challenge is particularly performing for power electronics, where up to the 30% of energy is actually lost. So far, the driving power microelectronics roadmap was following the power density vs. year curve, in a semi-log scale similar to the Moore law, but with the insight that increasing the power density and consequently the unit power cost (similarly to memories the bit cost) new applications will grow and drive the market. Power efficiency was only considered in terms of device cost. Nowadays approaching the Si physical limits and facing new challenges, innovative methodologies are pursued in advanced research. Furthermore, alternative production of power require inverters (solar and wind energy) to convert the low voltage supply in the high voltage required by the users, while electric and hybrid vehicles require electric motor improved efficiency and high temperature operation power devices.
In the group, engineers, chemists and physicists work all together with the final aim to achieve results beyond the Si era from the materials to the devices by advanced processing development and device innovation within three sub-tasks:
- innovative semiconductors (wide bandgap: SiC, GaN, ALN, diamond; high mobility: Ge, SiGe, AlGaN/GaN).
The activity takes advantage by the use of the state of the art processing equipments (clean room and equipments there in, ion implantation, metal and materials deposition) as well as by advanced characterization tools (scanning probe microscopes, transmission electron microscopes, XRD, optical and electrical measurements). Running activities are:
- Devices in GaN (Schottky, HEMT, normally off switches, advanced process technology).
- Devices in SiC (MOSFET, power Schottky, advanced rectifiers, advanced process technology).
Pioneer activity is also carried out by exploiting the developed technologies in connected fields (wide band gap UV sensors, nuclear detectors and innovative passive components).
Contact person: Fabrizio Roccaforte
- advanced multi-functional materials (oxides and related materials, dielectrics, graphene).
The activity is devoted to develop new material synthesis and/or deposition taking advantage by the CVD developed competencies (deposition as well as characterization), established collaborations and availability of advanced tools and world wide recognized unique competencies on (nano)characterization. Running activities are:
- CVD of innovative and multifunctional materials (functional oxides, dielectrics, nanostructured materials )
A quite remarkable activity has been developed on colossal permittivity dielectrics and strategies for high capacitive density condensers.
Contact person: Raffaella Lo Nigro
- innovative nanotechnologies (graphene electronics, nanosystems, nanocharacterisation).
The activity is devoted to develop new methods for nanotechnology suitable in power and Rf electronics. Running activities are:
- Nanotechnology (nanoimprinting, self-assembled).
- Nanocharacterisation and nanomanipulation by scanning probe microscopy.
- Nanostructured devices (graphene: technology and devices).
A developed activity is on advanced electronics in graphene and nanostructured devices.
Contact person: Filippo Giannazzo
Research staff
Salvatore Di Franco
Jens Eriksson
Patrick Fiorenza
Alessia Frazzetto
Filippo Giannazzo
Raffaella Lo Nigro
Vito Raineri
Fabrizio Roccaforte
Sushant Sonde
Partners
Centre for Electronic Correlations and Magnetism, University of Augsburg (ECM), Germany
Tours University - Laboratoire d’électrodynamique des Matériaux Avancés (LEMA), France
Tours University – Laboratoire pur Electronique de putencies (LMP), France
University of Sheffield –Ceramics and Composites Laboratory, Great Britain
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPLF), Switzerland
Dipartimento di Chimica – Università di Catania, Italy
Institute National Polytechnique de Grenoble, France
Dipartimento di Fisica – Università di Catania, Italy
Aristotle University of Thesaloniki, Greek
Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, France
Universitat Erlangen-Nurnberg, Germany
Linkoping University, Sweden
Vilnius University, Lituania
Projects related to the activity
“New materials with Ultra high k dielectric constant fOr TOmorrow wireless electronics” NUOTO, Sixth Framework Programme - Priority 3 NMP Contract number: NMP3-CT-2006-032644. See: http://nuoto.imm.cnr.it
“Promote and structure a multidisciplinary training network for young researchers based on the challenging and promising development of 3C-SiC technology” MANSIC, Sixth Framework Programme - RTN Contract number: MRTN-CT-2006-035735. See: http://www.mansic.eu
“Large Area silicon carbide Substrates and heTeroepitaxial GaN for POWER device applications” LAST-POWER, ENIAC.
“Graphene on SiC wafers for high performant RF transistors” GRAPH-RF, EuroCores Programme of the European Science Foundation.
“Enabling technologies, characterisation, and modelling for wideband reconfigurable integrated electronic components for high frequency applications”, FIRB project RBIP068LNE. See: http://firbrf.imm.cnr.it
