Ultra-Wide-Bandgap Semiconductors – Challenges and Opportunities
July 8 (Thursday), 2021
11:30 am to 12:30 pm (EDT)
Virtual via Zoom
Abstract: Ultra-wide-bandgap (UWBG) materials constitute the next frontier in semiconductor physics, and also hold great promise to revolutionize applications such as power conversion and high-frequency electronics, among others. This talk will discuss the key properties of UWBG semiconductors, some of the challenges facing the research community, and how these materials and devices may advance selected applications. The talk will review several results on Aluminum Gallium Nitride (AlGaN) materials and devices at Sandia, and will also survey important activities and results from the broader UWBG community.
Biography: Bob Kaplar received a B.S. degree in Physics from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Ohio State University, Columbus. He subsequently joined Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, as a postdoctoral researcher, worked for a dozen years as a technical staff member, and is now the manager of the Semiconductor Material and Device Sciences department at Sandia. His scientific work has included wide-bandgap optoelectronics and reliability physics, and he is currently focused on wide- and ultra-wide-bandgap materials and devices, primarily the III-Nitrides, for power conversion and other applications.