Innovative Photonic and Electronic Devices Based on Wide Band Gap Materials

Jean Paul Salvestrini Professor at the University of Lorraine -­‐ France
Adjunct Professor at Georgia Tech
UMI 2958 Georgia Tech CNRS

The most recent and significant developments in optoelectronics and electronics are mostly related to advances in the crystal growth of semiconductor heterostructures. The outcomes of these breakthroughs have been successfully demonstrated and have yielded understanding of the subjects beyond quantum phenomena. Furthermore, they have given rise to tremendous industrial growth and replaced several conventional systems. Gallium nitride (GaN) related alloys have been recognized as among the most promising materials for optical and electronic devices in the short-wavelength region because of their wide and direct bandgaps, enabling strong optical direct transition.

Research and development of GaN has reached a stage where several devices (e.g. LEDs, diodes) have been commercialized. Several other devices are on the verge of commercialization. After the major breakthroughs and successful commercialization of GaN based LEDs, the development of other devices based on these materials has followed an accelerated course, prime examples of which being deep UV sources and detectors, high power electronic (converters, inverters, rectifiers...), sensors and harvesting energy.

The group of A. Ougazzaden at Georgia Tech Lorraine has made impressive progress in the epitaxy of both GaN and, more recently, BN based materials and nanostructures and their alloys. Analogous and complementary to graphene, the two dimensional atomic layers of h-BN are very interesting from the perspectives of both basic science and application. Furthermore, low dimensional BN systems are biocompatible, easily functionalized, and exhibit rich, reliable and superior physical properties in comparison with carbon nanotubes

All of this could pave the way to develop new generation of photonic and electronic devices and more specifically deep UV sources and detectors, sensors, and, solar and betavoltaic cells. In this talk, I will be presenting the recent progress obtained by our group in the realization of innovative wide band gap material based devices.