Project Id
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BITS025F001438
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Project Detail
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Project Title
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Development and Analysis of ß-Gallium Oxide-based Junction Barrier Schottky Diodes (JBSD)
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Senior Supervision Team (BITS)
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Supervisor name and Title
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Apurba Chakraborty
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School or Department (or company, if applicable)
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BITS PILANI, GOA CAMPUS
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Email ID
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apurbac@goa.bits-pilani.ac.in
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URL for more info
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https://www.bits-pilani.ac.in/goa/apurba-chakraborty/
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a) Are you currently supervising a BITS or RMIT HDR student?
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YES
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Please comment how many you are supervising
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2
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b) Have you supervised an offshore candidate before?
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NO
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If no, what support structures do you have in place?
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If yes, please elaborate
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Senior Supervision Team (RMIT)
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Supervisor name and Title
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Dr Hiep Tran
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School or Department (or company, if applicable)
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STEM
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Email ID
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hiep.tranlengoc@rmit.edu.au
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URL for more info
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https://www.rmit.edu.au/profiles/t/hiep-tranlengoc
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a) Are you currently supervising a BITS or RMIT HDR student?
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YES
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Please comment how many you are supervising
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3
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b) Have you supervised an offshore candidate before?
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NO
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If no, what support structures do you have in place?
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If yes, please elaborate
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N
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Other Supervisors (BITS)
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Supervisor name and Title
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Professor RAHUL KUMAR
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School or Department (or company, if applicable)
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BITS PILANI, PILANI CAMPUS
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Phone Number (Optional)
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+919958161442
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Email ID
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rahul.kumar@pilani.bits-pilani.ac.in
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URL for more info
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https://www.bits-pilani.ac.in/pilani/rahul-kumar/
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Other Supervisors (BITS)
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Supervisor name and Title
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A/Prof James Partridge
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School or Department (or company, if applicable)
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STEM
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Phone Number (Optional)
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+61 3 9925 2865
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Email ID
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james.partridge@rmit.edu.au
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URL for more info
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https://www.rmit.edu.au/profiles/p/james-partridge
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Field of Research (For Codes)
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401603 | Compound semiconductors | 30.00 |
401805 | Nanofabrication, growth and self assembly | 70.00 |
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Project Description
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1. State of the Art:
ß-Gallium Oxide (ß-Ga2O3)-based devices have gained significant interest for next-generation power electronics due to their superior material properties. With a high bandgap (4.4 – 4.9 eV) compared to Gallium Nitride (GaN) (3.4 eV) and Silicon Carbide (SiC) (3.2 eV), Ga2O3 enables a much higher breakdown electric field (8 MV/cm), making it an attractive candidate for power devices. The suitability of a semiconductor for power application is often evaluated using Baliga’s Figure of Merit (BFOM), which considers bandgap, breakdown electric field, and electron mobility. ß-Ga2O3 exhibits a BFOM of around 3000, which is four times higher than GaN and ten times higher than SiC, making it a strong candidate for high-power electronic applications.
2. Methodology
*Device design and fabrication:
•Ga2O3 will be grown via Low-Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition (LPCVD) on industry-standard c-plane sapphire substrates. The growth process will utilise a Lindberg tube furnace with a solid gallium source, while oxygen and argon serve as the carrier gases.
•NiO will also be deposited using LPCVD, with deposition conditions optimised for uniformity, crystallinity, and interface quality.
•Ohmic contacts (Ti/Au) and Schottky contacts (Pt or Ni/Au) will be formed using RF magnetron sputtering.
*Material characterization:
•X-ray Diffraction (XRD) & Raman Spectroscopy: To analyse crystalline quality.
•Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) & Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM): For surface morphology, grain structure, and roughness assessment.
•X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS): To investigate chemical states, bonding configurations, and interface quality.
*Electrical characterization:
•Hall effect measurement: To determine carrier mobility, type, and doping concentration.
•Current-Voltage (I-V) measurement: To extract diode performance metrics such as turn-on voltage, leakage current, breakdown voltage (VBR), and on-resistance (Ron).
•Temperature-Dependent measurement: To investigate device performance over a wide temperature range and assess thermal stability.
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Project Deliverable/Outcomes
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Project Deliverables:
1. Development of NiO/Ga2O3-based Junction Barrier Schottky Diodes (JBSD) optimised for high-power electronic applications.
2. Detailed growth kinetics and device fabrication methodologies to guide future industry applications.
3. Comprehensive performance analysis of JBSD structures, including doping effects, layer thickness impact, and field plate benefits.
4. Knowledge base creation to support semiconductor research and contribute to workforce development, aligning with the Indian Semiconductor Mission (ISM).
5. Establishment of national and international collaborations for advancing Ga2O3-based semiconductor technology.
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Research Impact Themes
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Semiconductors | Energy applications |
Semiconductors | Fabrication |
Semiconductors | Power electronics |
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Which RMIT Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) does your project align to
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INDUSTRY, INNOVATION, AND INFRASTRUCTURE
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Which RMIT Enabling Impact Platform (EIP) does your project align to
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ADVANCED MATERIALS, MANUFACTURING AND FABRICATION
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Which RMIT Program code will this project sit under?
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DR220 (ELECTRICALANDELECTRONIC)
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Student Capabilities and Qualifications
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Knowledge of semiconductor growth and characterization
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Prior experience on semiconductor material growth and characterization
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ME/M.Tech in ECE, EI, Electrical, Nanotechnology or MSc Physics/Electronics or equivalent with minimum 60% aggregate overall.
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Preferred discipline of Student
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Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Power Engineering |
Materials, Composites, Material Science, Functional Materials, Mettalurgical Engineering |
Nanotechnology, Nanomaterials, Nanomedicine, Nanoscience |
Physics, Condensed Matter Physics |
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