Only 'limited by your imagination': Gallium Nitride breakthrough could make LED displays more affordable and convert your smartphone screen into an antenna

"Dualtronics" allows for different uses of both sides of a GaN wafer

· TechRadar

News By Wayne Williams published 10 October 2024

The grey arrows indicate the chronological order of the growth procedure. a, Ga bonding of the GaN substrate and MBE growth of the (In,Ga,Al)N LED along the metal-polar direction. b, Unloading, cleaning, flipping, Ga bonding and reloading of the sample. c, MBE growth of the GaN/AlGaN HEMT along the N-polar direction. (Image credit: Nature)

Researchers at Cornell University, in collaboration with the Polish Academy of Sciences, have made a major breakthrough in semiconductor technology by developing the first-ever dual-sided chip - referred to as a "dualtronic" chip - that integrates both photonic and electronic devices on a single Gallium Nitride (GaN) wafer.

This innovation could shrink device sizes, improve energy efficiency, and reduce manufacturing costs.

The GaN wafer’s unique crystal structure is key to its dual functionality. Each side of the wafer has different properties, similar to how the poles of a magnet differ. The team utilized the metal-polar (Ga-polar) side to create light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and the nitrogen-polar (N-polar) side to construct high-electron mobility transistors (HEMTs). By doing so, they were able to achieve a configuration where the HEMT on one side powers the LED on the other - an accomplishment never before realized in any semiconductor material.

Limited only by the imagination

The research, led by Cornell professors Debdeep Jena and Huili Grace Xing, along with co-lead authors Len van Deurzen and Eungkyun Kim, has been published in the Nature journal.

"To our knowledge, nobody has made active devices on both sides, not even for silicon," noted co-lead author Len van Deurzen, emphasizing how this feat was possible only because of GaN's polarity-dependent properties. Traditional silicon wafers are cubic, making both sides nearly identical, which prevents such a design.

According to the researchers, this dualtronic approach could have immediate applications in making microLED displays more affordable and energy-efficient. By integrating photonic and electronic functions into a single chip, fewer components would be needed, leading to lower production costs and a smaller device footprint. This advancement could significantly impact display manufacturing, potentially making LED displays cheaper and more compact.

The technology’s potential goes even further. With the ability to use the same wafer for different functions, dualtronics could enable smartphone screens to be repurposed as antennas, supporting wireless communications directly through the display. The polarization properties of GaN and the dualtronic chip’s multifunctionality could transform not only displays but also radio frequency devices, lasers, and future 5G/6G technologies.

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