This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
The objective of this research is to study the characteristics and operational phenomena of new ballistic nanoscale devices and circuits based on compound materials and graphene. The project also includes the study of the impact of defects on high power GaN power performance. All experimental studies are conducted using the acquired multi-probe wide temperature range semiconductor parameter analysis system. The system consists of a high precision semiconductor parameter analyzer system combined with a multi-probe high accuracy system with integrated wide and rapid temperature control.
Intellectual Merit: Issues addressed by the research focus on two topics: development of a new class of digital/analog circuits based on newly invented room temperature ballistic deflection transistors operating at terahertz frequency, and the investigation of failure mechanisms causing gate leakage and power failures in GaN transistors, particularly for short channel GaN HEMTs at frequencies above 20GHz and at temperatures up to 400C.
Broader Impacts: The broader impacts of this research include improved nanodevice research capability and enhanced graduate and undergraduate education. UMass Lowell provides education for a diverse group of students. It is located in a region with a high concentration of immigrant families, especially from Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa. This population represents the three largest minority groups. The acquired system will be instrumental in research training and preparing the next generation of minority engineering students for advanced study in nanotechnology and nanodevices. Further, the acquired system will expand research collaborations with other research institutions and partners in the area.
