Research into semiconductor materials at LiU is a major player in the international field. Work here is focussed on materials such as silicon carbide, III-nitrides and graphene, which are of major interest for both Swedish and European companies.
The researchers grow, simulate and characterise various materials at the nanometre scale, and investigate the effects of doping and various types of defect in the material.
In the case of silicon carbide, the research is looking at future applications within high-power electronic devices with more tightly packed electronic components, achieving in this way lower distribution losses. Applications are found within the field of the electricity distribution and power transfer in hybrid vehicles.
III-nitrides have extremely advantageous properties at high frequencies, and this means that they have the potential for a critical contribution to future rapid data-transfer systems. Their excellent light-emitting properties make them also well suited as new light sources such as LED-based lamps and blue lasers. Research is also being carried out into ultraviolet lasers, which may be used in, for example, water purification.
Research into graphene is also part of the semiconductor materials research area, and is described in a separate article.
Highly ranked research is also carried out into functional electronic materials, which are electronic, magnetic and optical semiconductor materials and nanostructures. Example of such materials are the new spintronic materials and optical materials with large bandgaps. The goal of the research is to understand in more detail the fundamental physical properties of different nanostructures and in this way gain full control of the properties of the material for future microelectronics and nanoelectronics. One highly exciting application here is the development of quantum computers.
Organic semi-conducting materials are described in the Soft materials research area.
