Telecom infrastructures are based on various standards using different modulation schemes (PSK, QPSK…..) characterized by a Peak to Average signal Ratio (PAR) which can reach 10.5dB for W-CDMA modulation. The expected 4G standards (Evolved UMTS and WiMax) are operating OFDM multiplexing technology which presents the advantage to be robust but leads to increase the PAR in parallel. Combining stronger electric performances requirement (linearity and RF power) and the economical constraint of the zero defect, it is evident that the reliability of power amplifier appears to be a crucial aspect. UMS, main industrial actor in the field of microwave electronic components and circuits, intends to industrialize GaN based power component covering such telecom applications. Wide band gap technologies represent the corner stone for the next generation of telecommunication systems and such development is critical to maintain independence and industrial competitiveness in Europe. The technological process maturity is a key factor to reach reliability requirement. This explains why the purpose of this project is the development of a specific and dedicated methodology for characterization and physical analysis of GaN technologies. The ReaGaN project clearly aims at supporting the industrialization of GaN technologies. This requires a deeper understanding of the physical mechanisms taking place in GaN devices as well as the investigation of material properties and their evolution during the process as they determines the resulting performances of the amplifier. To reach this end, new analysis techniques dedicated to Wide Band Gap semiconductor technologies have still to be improved or developed. These analytical techniques include electrical diagnostics as well as physical and structural characterization techniques. In particular, it is expected that the correlation of the results given by electrical and physical techniques proposed and used in this project will lead to the identification, characterisation and localization of nano-structural defects and physical mechanisms taking place in GaN technologies and potentially responsible for degradation. During this project, devices issued from the evaluation and qualification of UMS processes will be analyzed in significant details. UMS is currently developing two GaN technologies built on SiC substrate for high thermal properties: Power bar GH50, and Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) GH25 technologies based on 0.5µm and 0.25µm gate length transistor respectively. During this project, specific devices or structures will be procured to the consortium partners to investigate particular processing options of the technology (eg gate module, passivation, epistructure …). The life tests of the devices will be performed in the frame of UMS internal projects. The comparative analysis of different processing steps will provide important and pertinent information to support the step-up of the GH25 and GH50 technologies from one generation to the next one. The complementarities between techniques will be demonstrated as a proof of the existing interaction between electrical transport properties, light characteristic and material structural properties. This project involves three academic partners (IMS UMR CNRS, LAAS UPR CNRS, LEPMI UMR CNRS) and three companies (UMS, TRT, SERMA). The project duration isof three years.

Despite more than 200 years of development of batteries, the physical limits of battery performance are far from being reached. The complexity of physio-chemical processes inside batteries render any development strongly dependent on a proper description and monitoring of the inherent evolution and interaction of all materials involved in the functioning of an electrochemical cell. It can be said that rarely any progress in a technology where all basic processes are understood did depend so much on characterization than electrochemical energy storage systems. The mean figures of merit (specific energy per mass, volume or cost unit, cyclability) can all theoretically be substantially improved, under the condition of a proper understanding of where and how their limits are reached in today’s industrialized systems. This underlines how much this important branch of our technological future depends on novel and accessible characterization techniques. Given this grand challenge, access to advanced characterisation solutions for the EU industry will be key to accelerate innovation and reduce the large cost share of materials. However, several bottlenecks are preventing access by companies to novel techniques, to which TEESMAT brings a comprehensive response by leveraging European strengths from 11 Countries and facilitating access to physical facilities, capabilities and services implementing novel characterisation solutions with unprecendenteed capability & performance. Instrumental to this is the launch of a sustainable Open Innovation Test Bed in which qualified public/private partners will demonstrate high-value services for materials advanced characterisation on industrial cases in the value chain of electrochemical energy storage systems. A strong EU community will be built up to propel the continuity of the initiative beyond TEESMAT with a viable, business driven and lean model of operation to create a market for advanced characterisation services, ultimately.

FastLane targets a full, highly competitive and sustainable European value chain for Silicon Carbide (SiC) based power electronics. The goal is to provide a competitive technology excellence from engineered SiC substrates to novel devices, smart power modules and converters to broadened automotive and industrial applications. The next generation of SiC materials will be developed by improved quality of the crystalline starting material, material re-use and acceleration of substrate EU-based manufacturing. Based on the new materials the next generation SiC MOSFET power devices will be developed overcoming current limitations regarding efficiency, performance, robustness and sustainability and will integrate also new on-chip sensing technology. Power modules based on the devices will be further improved by several innovations, e.g. advanced sintering which will lead to improved power module reliability and therefore better sustainability. On component level, highly efficient and reliable inverters for automotive and industrial applications will be developed, including a variety of innovations in detail. In all steps, an improvement of SiC material characterization methodologies will increase the quality and the output of EU based semiconductors. Overall, performance and reliability are expected to increase greatly in all steps. These developments will lead to an overall reduction of cost and, by reduction of the footprint (lifetime increase, CO2 decrease, water consumption decrease), to a greener economy. With the envisioned goals, FastLane will decrease the environmental footprint all along the product lifecycle and contribute to the European Green Deal and ensure a sustainable European sovereignty in power electronics. Cost benefits for the end user will be achieved by the reuse of the automotive economy of scale. With these steps, FastLane contributes to the European societal goals and a greener economy.