Novel transistors for 6G wireless communications

Emerging wireless communication standards such as 6G target bandwidths exceeding 1 Gbit/s and will revolutionize the fields of sensing, artificial intelligence (AI), augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), and remote healthcare among others. The ultra-high wireless data transfer rates offered by these technologies require use of carrier frequencies in the sub-THz (90-300 GHz) range. This requirement increases the complexity and power consumption of these systems. Solid-state amplifiers based on semiconductor technologies have been one of the key building blocks of these systems. Among these, power amplifier (PA) is the most power-hungry element. Unfortunately, the power efficiency of all the known technologies declines in above 100 GHz regimes. Theoretically, PAs based on compound semiconductors (e.g. GaAs, InP, and GaN) have shown to improve overall energy efficiency of the system when compared to that based on Si-CMOS. However, manufacturing these devices at mass-scale requires innovations on the materials as well as device side. For instance, integration of III-V semiconductors and devices on large-area silicon substrates is a viable path which will be cost effective and environmentally sustainable.

With this aim, at imec, we have been developing III-V devices on Si platform with innovative integration technologies. As a PhD researcher, you will be working on design and experimental realization of advanced vertical III-V transistors targeting above 100 GHz amplifiers. As a device researcher, you will work at the intersection of material science, semiconductor physics, and circuit design acquiring unique skillset to make impact on this vibrant research field.