Advancing Next-Generation Electronic Devices and Systems Using (Ultra)Wide-Bandgap Nitrides (and Oxides)

The growing demands of artificial intelligence, edge computing, and autonomous systems call for electronic hardware that is energy-efficient, highly integrated, high-speed, and capable of reliable operation in harsh conditions. Conventional silicon technologies are increasingly constrained in meeting these requirements, motivating the exploration of (ultra)wide-bandgap nitride and oxide semiconductors. In this talk, I will present my work on wide-bandgap electronic devices that bridge materials innovation with new device functionalities, spanning low-power IoT electronics, back-end-of-line (BEOL)-compatible logic-memory integration, and harsh-environment operation using TiO2, In2O3, and ScAlN/GaN material systems. I will place particular emphasis on nitride electronics for harsh environments relevant to next-generation defense, energy, and space applications, and show how ScAlN unlocks new opportunities for GaN electronics. Specifically, I will highlight two advances: (1) ferroelectric ScAlN/AlGaN/GaN HEMTs for high-temperature nonvolatile memory, and (2) lattice-matched ScAlN-barrier GaN HEMTs with suppressed gate leakage for future high-power and high-frequency technologies. Together, these examples illustrate how materials and device innovations can deliver new functionalities in GaN electronics, enabling high-power, high-speed systems and logic-memory integration with strong harsh-environment tolerance. I will conclude by outlining a future research vision spanning oxide-based CMOS logic and in-memory computing, high-speed oxide and nitride electronics for RF and radar systems, and ultra-wide-bandgap and ferroelectric devices for extreme-environment applications.

Bio: Jie Zhang is an EECS Research Fellow at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His research focuses on wide-bandgap nitride and oxide semiconductor devices for energy-efficient electronics, logic-memory integration, high-frequency and high-power operation, and extreme-environment applications. He received his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Delaware, where he developed high-performance TiO2 thin-film transistors for low-power IoT applications. His postdoctoral research at Purdue University focused on ultrascaled In2O3 transistors for back-end-of-line-compatible logic and memory integration with enhanced mobility-stability trade-offs. His current work on ferroelectric ScAlN/GaN devices targets resilient electronics for defense, energy, and space systems.