Silicon carbide and other group IV-IV materials in their amorphous, microcrystalline, and crystalline forms have a wide variety of applications.The contributions to this volume report recent developments and trends in the field. The purpose is to make available the current state of understanding of the materials and their potential applications. Eachcontribution focuses on a particular topic, such as preparation methods, characterization, and models explaining experimental findings. The volume also contains the latest results in the exciting field of SiGe/Si heterojunction bipolar transistors. The reader will find this book valuable as a reference source, an up-to-date and in-depth overview of this field, and, most importantly, as a window into the immense range of reading potential applications of silicon carbide. It is essential for scientists, engineers and students interested in electronic materials, high-speed heterojunction devices, and high-temperature optoelectronics.
Silicon carbide and other group IV-IV materials in their amorphous, microcrystalline, and crystalline forms have a wide variety of applications.The contributions to this volume report recent developments and trends in the field. The purpose is to make available the current state of understanding of the materials and their potential applications. Eachcontribution focuses on a particular topic, such as preparation methods, characterization, and models explaining experimental findings. The volume also contains the latest results in the exciting field of SiGe/Si heterojunction bipolar transistors. The reader will find this book valuable as a reference source, an up-to-date and in-depth overview of this field, and, most importantly, as a window into the immense range of reading potential applications of silicon carbide. It is essential for scientists, engineers and students interested in electronic materials, high-speed heterojunction devices, and high-temperature optoelectronics.
Since the 1997 publication of "Silicon Carbide - A Review of Fundamental Questions and Applications to Current Device Technology" edited by Choyke, et al., there has been impressive progress in both the fundamental and developmental aspects of the SiC field. So there is a growing need to update the scientific community on the important events in research and development since then. The editors have again gathered an outstanding team of the world's leading SiC researchers and design engineers to write on the most recent developments in SiC.
Wide-band-gap semiconductors have been a research topic for many decades. However, it is only in recent years that the promise for technological applications came to be realized; simultaneously an upsurge of experimental and theoretical activity in the field has been witnessed. Semiconductors with wide band gaps exhibit unique electronic and optical properties. Their low intrinsic carrier concentrations and high breakdown voltage allow high-temperature and high-power applications (diamond, SiC etc.). The short wavelength of band-to-band transitions allows emission in the green, blue, or even UV region of the spectrum (ZnSe, GaN, etc.). In addition, many of these materials have favorable mechanical and thermal characteristics. These proceedings reflect the exciting progress made in this field. Successful p-type doping of ZnSe has recently led to the fabrication of blue-green injection lasers in ZnSe; applications of short-wavelength light-emitting devices range from color displays to optical storage. In SiC, advances in growth techniques for bulk as well as epitaxial material have made the commercial production of high-temperature and high-frequency devices possible. For GaN, refinement of growth procedures and new ways of obtaining doped material have resulted in blue-light-emitting diodes and opened the road to the development of laser diodes. Finally, while the quality of artificial diamond is not yet high enough for electronic applications, the promise it holds in terms of unique material properties is encouraging intense activity in the field. This volume contains contributions from recognized experts presently working on different material systems in the field. The papers cover the theoretical, experimental and application-oriented aspects of this exciting topic.
In the ten years since the scientific rationale for the design, synthesis and application of inorganic and organometallic polymers (IOPs) was first conceptualised, we have witnessed the first tentative exploration of IOPs as precursors to new materials, with efforts focusing on the design and synthesis of novel ceramic precursors. Developing expertise led to precursor studies combined with the characterisation of the transformation processes that occur when IOPs are converted to ceramic materials. Now at maturity, the science presented in this volume reveals the polymer precursor approach to materials synthesis together with examples of processing ceramic shapes for a range of mechanical properties, the development of sophisticated, noninvasive analytical techniques, and IOP design rationales relying on well-defined processing-property relationships. The production of multifunctional IOPs is described, providing ion conductivity, gas sensing, bioactivity, magnetic properties, etc., combined with processability. The existence of well-defined IOPs and the exquisite control that can be exerted on sol-gel systems now provide access to such a variety of mixed organic-organometallic and/or inorganic hybrid systems that their exploitation is likely to develop into an entirely new field of materials chemistry. Future exciting avenues of research are also being opened up with the advent of buckyballs, Met-Cars, dopable preceramics, rigid-rod organometallics, and molecular tinkertoys.
A comprehensive introduction and up-to-date reference to SiC power semiconductor devices covering topics from material properties to applications Based on a number of breakthroughs in SiC material science and fabrication technology in the 1980s and 1990s, the first SiC Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) were released as commercial products in 2001. The SiC SBD market has grown significantly since that time, and SBDs are now used in a variety of power systems, particularly switch-mode power supplies and motor controls. SiC power MOSFETs entered commercial production in 2011, providing rugged, high-efficiency switches for high-frequency power systems. In this wide-ranging book, the authors draw on their considerable experience to present both an introduction to SiC materials, devices, and applications and an in-depth reference for scientists and engineers working in this fast-moving field. Fundamentals of Silicon Carbide Technology covers basic properties of SiC materials, processing technology, theory and analysis of practical devices, and an overview of the most important systems applications. Specifically included are: A complete discussion of SiC material properties, bulk crystal growth, epitaxial growth, device fabrication technology, and characterization techniques. Device physics and operating equations for Schottky diodes, pin diodes, JBS/MPS diodes, JFETs, MOSFETs, BJTs, IGBTs, and thyristors. A survey of power electronics applications, including switch-mode power supplies, motor drives, power converters for electric vehicles, and converters for renewable energy sources. Coverage of special applications, including microwave devices, high-temperature electronics, and rugged sensors. Fully illustrated throughout, the text is written by recognized experts with over 45 years of combined experience in SiC research and development. This book is intended for graduate students and researchers in crystal growth, material science, and semiconductor device technology. The book is also useful for design engineers, application engineers, and product managers in areas such as power supplies, converter and inverter design, electric vehicle technology, high-temperature electronics, sensors, and smart grid technology.
A collection of 14 papers from the Armor Ceramics symposium held during The American Ceramic Society's 38th International Conference on Advanced Ceramics and Composites, held in Daytona Beach, Florida, January 26-31, 2014.