Defect Science
Understanding the formation, physical structure, electronic and optical properties of defects, and their influence on large-scale transport properties (thermal, electronic) cut across the materials science foundation needed to advance future Ga2O3 technologies. With crystal growth in relatively early development, a comprehensive understanding is lacking for intentional and unintentionally incorporated defects in bulk materials, epitaxial layers, interfaces and heterostructures.
The MURI team will develop a broad understanding of defects and doping with four major interrelated tasks, on growth science,theory, defect spectroscopy, and scanning-transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Connecting defect spectroscopy (deep level transient (thermal) spectroscopy and deep level optical spectroscopy (DLTS/DLOS)) results with DFT-based predictions of defect formation and properties and with STEM will enable us to fingerprint properties of individual defects, and forms the unifying characteristic of this theme.
