In celebration of the 45th anniversary of the University of Macau, the Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering (IAPME) hosted a distinguished seminar featuring Prof. Wenrui Zhang, Professor at Yongjiang Laboratory and the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences. The seminar, titled “Thin Film Epitaxy and Electronic Devices of Ultrawide-Bandgap Gallium Oxide,” The seminar was hosted by Prof. Hui Pan and drew an engaged audience of faculty, researchers, and students.
Prof. Zhang delivered an insightful presentation on gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃), an emerging ultrawide-bandgap semiconductor with significant promise for next-generation information technologies. He highlighted the critical role of thin film epitaxy in enabling high-performance electronic devices, while addressing key challenges such as synthesis-induced defects and phase instability that can compromise device performance.
Through systematic investigation, Prof. Zhang’s team has achieved precise phase control, composition tuning, and conductivity modulation in gallium oxide thin films. By leveraging substrate orientation and extrinsic doping, they have successfully stabilized phase-pure β-, α-, and ε-Ga₂O₃ thin films on sapphire substrates. These advances have led to the development of kilovoltage-level Ga₂O₃-based power diodes and deep ultraviolet photodetectors with enhanced photocarrier transport and collection efficiency.
Prof. Zhang’s talk also explored the influence of defect distribution on carrier dynamics, offering new insights into the design of high-performance optoelectronic devices.
