European Projects
Faculties, researchers, post-docs, and Ph.D students are actively invested in different European projects aimed at improving the efficiency of semiconductor devices.
NEST PNRR
“Network 4 Energy Sustainable Transition—NEST”, Spoke 1
The project “Network 4 Energy Sustainable Transition—NEST”, Spoke 1 is part of the “Green Energies for the Future” project, selected by the Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca (MUR) and funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU – under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP).
In the NEST framework a national network, between recognized research centers and university research laboratories, has been created. The main goal the project is to synergically develop new technologies for an efficient transition to sustainable and renewable resources.
The topic of Spoke 1 is “Solar: PV, CSP, CST”, meaning a research focused in photovoltaics (PV), concentrated solar power (CSP) and concentrated solar thermal (CST) with the aim of an enhancement of the energy production from solar power based technologies.
A further important goal is the promotion of a pipeline of new and advanced versions of existing technologies, overcoming obstacles from the lab to factory production, enabling a strong and continuous increase in performance, developing new applications and facilitating further cost reduction, improving the eco-profiles of materials.
GaN4AP
EU-funded GaN for Advanced Power Applications (GaN4AP)
Gallium nitride (GaN), a wide-bandgap material, offers the potential for enhanced electronic performance with minimal energy losses, reduced weight, and lower costs. The EU-funded GaN4AP project aims to establish GaN-based electronics as the primary technology for power conversion systems, focusing on innovative power systems, materials, and vertical power devices. The project targets intelligent GaN solutions in system-in-package and monolithic forms to address EU industries’ competitiveness, aspiring to make GaN-based electronics the main power device in all converter systems, potentially achieving close-to-zero energy loss. Specific project goals include developing advanced power electronic systems, innovating Aluminum Scandium Nitride (AlScN) material, engineering vertical power GaN-based devices, and creating intelligent and integrated GaN solutions for E-Mobility power converters. The emphasis is on scalability, efficiency, and wire-bond-free packaging.
MOST PNRR
MOST – National Center for Sustainable Mobility -SPOKE 13
The National Center for Sustainable Mobility aspires to achieve the implementation of modern, sustainable and inclusive solutions for the entire national territory, through collaboration between the CNR, 24 universities and 24 big companies. The technological areas and topics of greatest interest in the project are: aerial mobility, sustainable road vehicles, water transport, rail transport, light vehicles and active mobility. MOST works towards making the mobility system “greener” as a whole and more “digital” in its management. It does this through lightweight solutions, electric and hydrogen propulsion systems, digital systems for reducing accidents, more effective solutions for public transport and logistics, a new model of mobility “as a service”, accessible and inclusive to all.In particular, Spoke 13’s main objective is to develop advanced and sustainable solutions in the field of electric traction and energy storage technologies. Through the design and development of devices, efficient power converters and innovative electric machines, and software for Intelligent Electric Mobility Systems, it aims to redefine the standards of efficiency, reliability and system integration
PRIN PNRR 2022
Fondo per il Programma Nazionale di Ricerca e Progetti di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale (PRIN)”Finanziato dall’Unione EuropeaNextGenerationEU,”Studio di LED UV, e relative affidabilità e applicazioni”
The goal of this project is to substantially contribute to the development of high-efficiency UV LED emitters, and to investigate the use of UV LEDs for virus inactivation. For the first time, will use a bottom-up approach, from semiconductor fabrication/research, to device modeling, to illuminator design, to testing in the field.
AGAMI_EURIGAMI
EDF -European Defence fund
The AGAMI_EURIGAMI project (European Innovative GaN Advanced Microwave Integration) in Europe seeks to bolster and facilitate the development of an unlimited, competitive, and strategic supply chain for high-performance radio frequency electronic components utilizing Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology. These components are crucial for various technological fields including existing and future critical military systems. The project’s research activity are concentrated on enhancing European technological solutions to incorporate high-performance GaN technology across the supply chain, semiconductor manufacturing, integrated devices, circuit processing, and encapsulated systems.
Establishing a supply chain within Europe yields numerous benefits, including a more streamlined system, enhanced device reliability, and the production of highly competitive products.
AI-TWILIGHT
ECSEL Joint Undertaking (JU) under grant agreement No 101007319
The main goal of AI-TWILIGHT is to merge the virtual and physical worlds to pave the way for innovations in fields where the European lighting industry is likely to be competitive. Self-leaning digital twins of lighting systems (LED source, driver of a lighting application) will be created and used as input for predicting performance and lifetime of product and infrastructure design and management in an autonomous world.
When translated to business goals, objectives will result in the introduction of more customized and connected products by 20% while reducing the time to market by 30%, and reducing by 25% the total cost of ownership of an AI-TWILIGHT powered system.
5G_GaN2
5G_GaN2 project will substantially lower the cost and power consumption, and increase the output power of mm-wave active antenna systems. The maximum output power and energy efficiency results will be possible thanks to the use of advanced Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology. In addition, low-cost packaging techniques for digital applications will be further developed to reach the cost and integration targets.
Ultimate GaN
UltimateGaN will focus on the next generation of GaN technology particularly addressing six major objectives along and across the entire vertical value chain of power and RF electronics focusing on research and innovation in the fields of technology (including materials, equipment and device concepts), packaging, reliability and application.
EuGaNic
Under the coordination of the European Defense Agency, several companies and universities have decided to make Europe become a leading supplier of GaN-on-SiC devices, competing with traditional centres. EuGaNiC will create a positive environment to develop a fully European value chain.
IRel4.0
Intelligent Reliability 4.0
Intelligent Reliability 4.0 (iRel40)” has the ultimate goal of improving reliability of electronic components and systems by reducing failure rates along the entire value chain
InRel Npower
Innovative Reliable Nitride-based Power devices and applications
Efficient power conversion systems are at the heart of the worldwide effort for a green economy, since they can minimize losses and save energy. Semiconductor power devices are a central part of any power conversion circuit and are ubiquitous in our daily lives: they transform voltages for a multitude of appliances, such as from the 220V AC mains to a 12V DC end-user appliance and enable to convert from DC (such as a battery in an electric car) to AC (such as a motor drive) and vice versa. Highly efficient power switching devices are a key for successful introduction of full electric vehicles into the market.The InRel-NPower project aims to contribute to this world-wide challenge through the development of GaN- and AlN-based power devices
RelGaN
Reliability physics of scaled, high-frequency GaN HEMT technology: a built-in reliability approach
The aim of this project is studying the physics of failure of 0.25 and 0.15 µm AlGaN/GaN HEMTs for space applications.
Prin GANAPP
Enpowering GaN-on-SiC and GaN on SI technologies for the nexr challenging millimiter wave applications
The aim of this project is an in-depht analysis of the potential problems that may hinder the scaling of GaN HEMTs at or below 0.15um