柠檬导航

News

Research project develops method for predicting radiation damage in semiconductors

Andrea Sand receives significant funding from European Research Council for research that can open doors for next-generation materials in electronics
Andrea Sand
Andrea Sand's five-year-project will be launched next year. Image: Jaakko Kahilaniemi / Aalto-yliopisto

Semiconductor materials have played a crucial role in the development of modern technology from computers to solar cells. Many equipment that are exposed to heavy particle radiation, such as satellites, nuclear reactors, and particle accelerators, also depend on semiconductor technology. Radiation damages the material though, shortening the life cycle of the equipment and disrupting its operation.

A new Aalto University research project has received 鈧1.5 million of funding from the European Research Council (ERC) to improve the prediction of radiation damage in semiconductors. The new method could increase the lifetime of equipment and promote the introduction of new materials in various electronic components.

At the moment, radiation damage is usually predicted with empirical research results. The researchers at Aalto University aim to predict and explain the damage with the help of fundamental physics, that is, mathematical models that explain the phenomenon.

鈥榃e will carry out computer simulations based on quantum mechanics models, which can be used to both explain and predict the formation of damage and its structure,鈥 says Assistant Professor Andrea Sand, who received the funding.

The researchers will compare the simulation predictions with the results of empirical tests, such as electron microscope images. This allows them to both confirm the accuracy of the simulation predictions and to produce a better understanding of the origin and nature of the damage.

鈥楢s the simulation is based on the concepts and models of physics, it also gives us an explanation of the phenomenon at hand. That鈥檚 not always possible with just empirical experiments.鈥

Breaking free of the limits of today's materials

Today, silicon is the most widely used semiconductor material. It has played a key role in the dramatic increase in computers鈥 computing power in recent years, but we are now reaching its limits.

鈥楾he potential of silicon has been almost fully exploited. We are now looking for new and even better materials,鈥 Sand explains.

Replacing silicon in applications for radiation-intensive environments is not, however, free of obstacles, as new materials鈥 functionality under such conditions is still largely a mystery. This is where Sand鈥檚 research can help: if the researchers learn to predict radiation damage based on mathematical models instead of empirical experiments, learning about the behaviour of new materials can become much faster and easier.

鈥楧etermining the radiation resistance of new materials experimentally is not only expensive but also time-consuming. If鈥攁nd when鈥攚e manage to reliably model the radiation damage in semiconductors that we are currently using, starting from the fundamentals of physics, we can then take the next step and make such predictions for new materials as well. Computational prediction reduces the experimental load significantly.鈥

The funding received by Sand is a 鈧1.5 million ERC Starting Grant. The five-year-project will be launched next year.

  • Updated:
  • Published:
Share
URL copied!

Read more news

A person in black touches a large stone sculpture outside a brick building under a blue sky.
Campus, Research & Art, University Published:

Glitch artwork challenges to see art in a different light

Laura K枚n枚nen's sculpture was unveiled on 14 October at the Otaniemi campus.
Book cover of 'Nanoparticles Integrated Functional Textiles' edited by Md. Reazuddin Repon, Daiva Miku膷ioniene, and Aminoddin Haji.
Research & Art Published:

Nanoparticles in Functional Textiles

Dr. Md. Reazuddin Repon, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Textile Chemistry Group, Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University, has contributed as an editor to a newly published academic volume titled 鈥淣anoparticles Integrated Functional Textiles鈥.
Person standing outdoors in autumn, wearing a grey hoodie and green jacket. Trees in the background with orange leaves.
Appointments Published:

Introducing Qi Chen: Trustworthy AI requires algorithms that can handle unexpected situations

AI developers must focus on safer and fairer AI methods, as the trust and equality of societies are at stake, says new ELLIS Institute Finland principal investigator Qi Chen
A person wearing a light grey hoodie stands indoors with a brick wall and green plants in the background.
Appointments, University Published:

The research puzzle of when humans and AI don鈥檛 see eye to eye

Francesco Croce works on robustness in multi-modal foundation models