PFI-TT: High Performance Pressure Sensors for High Temperature Operations

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is in addressing the critical industrial need for advanced pressure sensors that can operate at high temperatures and in harsh environmental conditions. Next generation electric vehicles, oil rigs, power plants and outer space missions require sensors and systems that are capable of operating under extreme environmental conditions with high reliability and outstanding performance. Additional potential markets include high performance sensors that can be used in rescue missions as well as flight and drone operations with better location detection. The development of these sensors, with a potential market in the hundreds of million dollars, is also expected to significantly expand knowledge of next generation semiconductor devices and chip manufacturing. The proposed project will advance scientific understanding of wide bandgap semiconductors and device manufacturing processes. The proposed sensor, which leverages the piezoelectric properties of these materials along with their chemical inertness and thermal stability, will ensure their high performance even at high operating temperatures, exceeding the capabilities of existing sensors. Additionally, the sensors would offer novel tunability of pressure sensitivity and very low operating power requirements, as an integrated transistor is used to detect membrane deflection caused by pressure changes. The sensors will be built using epitaxial III-Nitride ((Al, In, Ga)N) layers on a silicon substrate, which will ensure low cost and easy substrate removal through etching. The research and translation will be done with multiple research and commercial in partnerships. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.