Characterization of gallium nitride microsystems within radiation and high-temperature environments

Heather C. Chiamori; Minmin Hou; Caitlin A. Chapin; Ashwin Shankar; Debbie G. Senesky

doi:10.1117/12.2046690

7 March 2014 Characterization of gallium nitride microsystems within radiation and high-temperature environments

Heather C. Chiamori, Minmin Hou, Caitlin A. Chapin, Ashwin Shankar, Debbie G. Senesky

Proceedings Volume 8975, Reliability, Packaging, Testing, and Characterization of MOEMS/MEMS, Nanodevices, and Nanomaterials XIII; 897507 (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2046690
Event: SPIE MOEMS-MEMS, 2014, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

New milestones in space exploration can be realized through the development of radiation-hardened, temperature-tolerant materials, sensors and electronics. This enables lightweight systems (reduced packaging requirements) with increased operation lifetimes. Gallium nitride (GaN) is a ceramic, semiconductor material that is stable within high-radiation, high-temperature and chemically corrosive environments. Recently, this material platform has been utilized to realize sensors and electronics for operation under extreme harsh conditions. These devices exploit the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) formed at the interface between AlGaN/GaN heterostructures, which is used as the material platform in high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs). In this paper, a review of the advancements in GaN manufacturing technology such as the growth of epitaxially deposited thin films, micromachining techniques and high-temperature metallization is presented. In addition, the compelling results of fabricating and operating micro-scale GaNbased sensors within radiation environments and at elevated temperatures are shown. The paper will close with future directions GaN-based microsystems technology for down-hole, propulsion and space exploration applications.

Citation Download Citation

Heather C. Chiamori, Minmin Hou, Caitlin A. Chapin, Ashwin Shankar, and Debbie G. Senesky "Characterization of gallium nitride microsystems within radiation and high-temperature environments", Proc. SPIE 8975, Reliability, Packaging, Testing, and Characterization of MOEMS/MEMS, Nanodevices, and Nanomaterials XIII, 897507 (7 March 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2046690

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