Fields
Semiconductor Physics
Semiconductor physics investigates the electronic properties of materials where conductivity can be controlled by doping, heterostructure design, and external fields—properties that underpin the entire microelectronics industry. Two-dimensional semiconductors like molybdenum disulfide exhibit valley degrees of freedom and direct bandgaps unavailable in bulk, opening valleytronic device concepts. Wide-bandgap semiconductors including silicon carbide and gallium nitride are replacing silicon in power electronics for electric vehicles and renewable energy conversion at higher efficiency and operating temperature. Topological insulators host surface states protected by time-reversal symmetry, making them candidates for low-dissipation interconnects and quantum computing. Semiconductor physics drives the roadmap for extending Moore's Law beyond classical CMOS scaling.
Details
- Avg Funding
- $620K
- Key Technologies
- Molecular Beam EpitaxyHall Effect MeasurementsAngle-Resolved PhotoemissionScanning Tunneling MicroscopyMOCVD
- Subfields
- Quantum WellsSpintronicsTwo-Dimensional SemiconductorsPower ElectronicsCompound Semiconductors
- Top Institutions
- MIT Research Laboratory of ElectronicsUniversity of California Santa BarbaraTU Munich WSIFraunhofer IAFUniversity of Illinois Beckman