Research Projects

The main focus of this project is towards the advancement of Gallium/Indium based HEMT technology in India with regards to Space and Defence applications. The project will be carried out in collaboration with Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) - Solid State Physics Laboratory (SSPL) for experimental support (Letter of Support is uploaded along with the Endorsement from PI). The primary focus will be on optimizing Gallium and Indium based HEMT technology to target mm-wave applications. In this regard, the project aims to establish reliable HEMT devices with technology nodes (Gate Length - Lg) ranging from 0.15 µm down to 0.07µm InAlN/GaN HEMT for Ku band application. This is essential in scaling the device operation to Ku band and beyond applications. In this project, we aim to qualify novel device architecture i.e. epi-layer stack for Gallium/Indium HEMTs for Ku band application. This involves exhaustive characterization in the form of temperature-dependent DC and Pulse IV measurements in conjunction with deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) for quantitative and qualitative assessment of different traps, electrothermal simulations for the fabricated devices to monitor peak channel temperatures in an attempt to optimize the device architectures for reducing the hot-electron effect. Another important application of Gallium/Indium based HEMT is in space electronics, where the fabricated MMICs would be exposed to harsh operational conditions, including elevated temperatures, ionising radiations, and heavy ion particle strikes. Radiation chamber facilities from Inter-University Accelerator Centre (IUAC) and The Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS) would be utilized to emulate similar conditions to analyse and improve the radiation robustness of the optimized device architecture. Radiation Effects Module (REM) of VICTORY Software of Silvaco will be utilized for gaining insights into the radiation robustness of the optimized device. Process recipe of the optimized device would be developed and consequently validated through Silvaco's Victory Process. The fabricated test structures and the final Gallium/Indium based HEMT devices would be irradiated to test their performance. Post irradiation, the devices would be characterized and evaluated in conjunction with TCAD to determine the trapping parameters that affect the device performance.