An ambitious 5-year project entitled Novel Interlayer Cooling for the Harsh Environment (NICHE) began in the summer of 2012, funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng). This interdisciplinary project makes use of the combined expertise of two World class groups within the University and the National Centre for Microelectronics (CNM) in Spain. The aim of the project is to use novel combinations of wide- and narrow-bandgap semiconductors to produce a range of devices that can work in adverse conditions, including temperatures that exceed 300°C. Layers of the traditional semiconductors silicon and germanium will be formed upon silicon carbide (SiC) wafers, through MBE, CVD and wafer bonding techniques. These will be used to produce electronic devices within several low-carbon applications including high temperature CMOS devices, power electronics, electronic vehicles, solar cells, and photonics.

Dr. Peter Gammon, a RAEng Research Fellow in the PEATER group, will be coordinating the project from Engineering, working closely with Prof. David Leadley and Dr. Vishal Shah from the Nano-Silicon group in Physics, and Dr. Amador Perez-Tomas at CNM, forging links between the three groups, who are in turn experts in silicon carbide power electronics, silicon epitaxy and device fabrication and characterisation.

As part of this project, funding is available for a motivated UK/EU PhD student to design, fabricate, and characterise a range of high temperature electronic devices including transistors and diodes. This is a unique opportunity to work in world class fabrication facilities, working together with experts in the field and with access to both departments, including the brand new Science City clean room. Those interested in the project should contact Dr. Gammon: P.M.Gammon@Warwick.ac.uk.

Further information, and future developments on the NICHE project may be found here: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/eng/staff/pmg/.