Advanced III-Nitride Technologies for Power and RF Applications: Recent Breakthroughs and Future Prospects

Dear Colleagues,

Wide- and ultrawide-bandgap III-nitride semiconductors (GaN, Al_xGa_1-xN, AlN) exhibit remarkable properties that position them as pivotal materials in the production of next-generation power and RF electronic devices. Their high critical field, coupled with excellent transport properties, leads to the creation of power devices with enhanced efficiency and greatly improved SWaP (size, weight, and power) metrics for use in next-generation ultra-efficient electrical systems (electric vehicles, solar and wind farms, data servers, and smart grids). For high-frequency operations, these properties enable the creation of devices with record high-power densities and power-added efficiencies. These are suitable to be used in future high-frequency applications encompassing 5G/6G communication and radar systems. Furthermore, the elevated atomic displacement energies resulting from the strong bonds in III-nitrides make them intrinsically resistant to radiation. This quality has recently garnered significant attention for the potential use of III-nitride devices in space exposed to harsh radiation environments.

Despite significant advancements in the field of III-nitride materials, the associated devices have yet to attain their predicted performance levels in terms of the critical electric fields, particularly at high voltages and frequencies. In addition, the physics governing the radiation response of III-nitrides at the material and device levels has yet to be fully explored. The use of novel device designs with two-dimensional/three-dimensional carrier gases, the integration of field management strategies to engineer critical electric fields, a deep understanding of carrier transport mechanisms, and device characterization in extreme conditions, are therefore, essential to further propelling this technology towards next-generation applications.

The focus of this Special Issue is to provide a comprehensive overview of the most recent advances in the realm of III-nitride-based semiconductors, encompassing innovative device architecture, carrier transport, and emerging trends. The scope of this Special Issue extends across a diverse array of subjects. These include but are not limited to the following areas:

• Vertical and lateral III-nitride based unipolar and bipolar devices for efficient power electronics and/or high frequency operation.
• Carrier transport: electron and hole gases, modeling, and simulation.
• Contact and gate stack engineering, novel field management designs.
• Monolithic integration of III-nitride devices in power integrated circuits.
• Reliability and thermal management of III-nitride devices.
• III-nitride devices for radiation hard electronics. 

Dr. Chandan Joishi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Electronics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• GaN
• AlGaN
• AlN
• III-nitride HEMTs
• POLFETs
• field management
• radiation hard electronics
• power devices
• high-frequency devices