On Breakthrough in GaN Research Opening New Areas of Applications

 

Details

Presenter: Ion Tiginyanu
Title: On Breakthrough in GaN Research Opening New Areas of Applications
Affiliation: Academy of Sciences and Technical University of Moldova, Chisinau 2001, Republic of Moldova
Date: 12.05.2022
Time: 16:30 h
Place: Online via zoom

 

Contents of the Talk

Gallium Nitride is one of the most investigated semiconductor materials and interest in its further exploration is caused by a combination of inherent unique characteristics. Over the last two decades, gallium nitride registered a fascinating increase in the crystalline quality of epitaxial layers which determined its leading role in the development of the modern solid-state lighting industry. The demonstration and successful commercialization of blue light emitting diodes based on GaN and related materials resulted in the physics Nobel prize to I. Akasaki, H. Amano and S. Nakamura in 2014. In the last decade, remarkable achievements have been reached in the area of high-power/high-frequency electronic applications of GaN. In this presentation, we show that the unique properties of GaN enables one to considerably enlarge the fields of research and applications of this compound towards microfluidics, nano-biomedicine, biocompatible nano-electronics etc. First, we report on Surface Charge Lithography developed in the Republic of Moldova at the National Center for Materials Study and Testing allowing us to demonstrate memristive networks exhibiting basic learning mechanisms of habituation and dishabituation to a certain electrical stimulus. Second, we report on biocompatible hollow GaN nanoparticles with piezoelectric and magnetic properties. These nanoparticles are shown to be taken up by the living cells and, with the time, to penetrate in the cells which can be subsequently guided in a controlled fashion using external magnetic fields. Third, we report on a novel nature-inspired three-dimensional nanoarchitecture of GaN (aero-GaN) which represents the first artificial material exhibiting dual hydrophobic-hydrophilic behaviour (see this Link). The aero-GaN is shown to exhibit shielding capabilities against electromagnetic radiation in both Gigahertz and Terahertz regions, the shielding effectiveness in the frequency range from 0.25 to 1.37 THz exceeding 40 dB, thus placing aero-GaN among the best Terahertz shields known today. Prospects for use of GaN microtubular and more complex structures in sensorics and microfluidics will be discussed. Financial support by the European Commission under the H2020 grant #810652 ‘NanoMedTwin’ is acknowledged.