Mervi Paulasto-Kröckel

Marek Patocka

UWBG AlN and AlGaN are attracting increasing interest for next-generation power electronics, but their development involves major challenges in epitaxy, contacting and device design as material composition and device requirements become more demanding.

In this talk, we discuss key issues in AlGaN and AlN hetero- and homoepitaxy, emphasizing non-destructive characterization by X-ray diffraction together with electron and probe microscopies. We then address the formation of ohmic contacts between silicon-doped AlGaN and metal contact stacks, focusing on how annealing temperature affects the properties of the resulting junction. We will also share the latest TCAD modelling results on high Al content AlGaN/AlN vertical polarization doped field effect transistors (POLFETs) for power electronics applications and outline the key challenges and design approaches for pushing the performance toward material limits.

Mervi Paulasto-Kröckel is Full Professor at Aalto University’s School of Electrical Engineering in Finland. She leads the Electronics Integration and Reliability (EILB) group, focused on exploring innovative materials and design concepts for advanced electronics. Before returning to academia in 2008, she spent over 12 years in automotive semiconductor R&D in Germany. She has authored or co-authored more than 150 scientific papers.

Marek Patočka is a doctoral researcher in EILB group. His research is focused on the characterisation and fabrication of Al(Ga)N layers and devices. He received his MSc degree from Brno University of Technology in 2024.