Plenary Lecture | Tuesday, 20 June 2017 | 08:30 – 09:15 hrs

Nitride-Based Future Electronics for Establishing a Sustainable Society

Abstract:
In the early 1960s, red LEDs based on GaAsP were commercialized, and in the early 1970s, green LEDs based on GaP:N were commercialized. In the 1970s, many researchers thought that GaN-based blue LEDs would be the next LEDs to be commercialized. However, InGaN-based blue LEDs were next to be commercialized in 1993, almost 20 years after GaP:N-based green LEDs. The younger generation can now enjoy full-color portable games and cellular/smart phones because of the emergence of blue LEDs. In addition to their use in displays, blue LEDs are also essential for realizing white LEDs. In combination with phosphors, blue LEDs can act as a white light source and are also used in general lighting, reducing the energy consumed for lighting. This material system is also promising for electron devices. In mobile or smart phone base stations, high-frequency RF amplifiers employing GaAs-based heterojunction field-effect transistors (HFETs) are being replaced with those employing GaN-based HFETs because of their capability of higher-power operation. By replacing Si-based power devices, such as insulated gate bipolar transistors and super-junction MOSFETs, with GaN-based power devices, the average efficiency of inverters and converters can be improved from 95% to more than 99% in principle. As a result, we can expect a 9.8% reduction of electricity consumption. To realize a sustainable society and social resources based on nitride semiconductor devices and systems, several problems must be solved. In this presentation, I would like to discuss oure current understanding of nitride semiconductors, especially the problems to be solved, and the prospects for their future application.

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