SBIR-STTR Award

Low Temperature Homogeneous Epitaxy of 4H-SiC Using Novel Precursors
Award last edited on: 9/20/2021

Sponsored Program
STTR
Awarding Agency
DOD : AF
Total Award Amount
$899,927
Award Phase
2
Solicitation Topic Code
AF19B-T015
Principal Investigator
Arul C Arjunan

Company Information

Structured Materials Industries Inc (AKA: Nanopowders Enterprises~SMI)

201 Circle Drive North Units 102-103
Piscataway, NJ 08854
   (732) 302-9274
   sales@structuredmaterials.com
   www.smicvd.com

Research Institution

University of South Carolina

Phase I

Contract Number: FA8649-20-P-0347
Start Date: 12/12/2019    Completed: 12/12/2020
Phase I year
2020
Phase I Amount
$150,000
Currently, Silicon Carbide based power electronic market is at inflexion and expected to grow at a faster rate from 28% CAGR to 40% CAGR. To meet the market demand, tools and processes to grow 4H-SiC device layers needs significant improvement. The device layers grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method uses higher temperatures, and unoptimized chemistries. Such a growth process leads to low yield and longer process, time, and reduces the reactor lifetime by degrading graphite parts. Hence, there is need to develop a CVD process that can yield high quality device layers, improve tool life and with reduced process time. The temperature of the process can be reduced by using novel precursor gases that can yield growth rates higher than 20 um/hr at reduced temperatures of >100 C compared to conventional growth process while maintaining the same quality.

Phase II

Contract Number: FA8650-22-C-2321
Start Date: 7/25/2022    Completed: 10/11/2024
Phase II year
2022
Phase II Amount
$749,927
Currently, the Silicon Carbide based power electronic market is at an inflexion point from which it is expected to grow at a faster rate – increasing from ~28% CAGR to ~40% CAGR and to do so on increasingly larger wafers – presently moving from 150mm to