N.C. State Patents Computer Chip Materials Technology

(Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)

Researchers from North Carolina State University in Raleigh have patented technology that the developers say can change the global energy and communications infrastructure. The researchers, led by Jay Narayan, professor of materials science and engineering and co-holder of the patent, have developed the means to integrate gallium nitride (GaN) sensors and devices directly into silicon-based computer chips.

“GaN can handle more power than conventional transistors. And it can do so faster, because it can be made into single crystals that are integrated into a silicon chip – so electrons can move more quickly,” Narayan says in a press release . The direct integration of GaN on the silicon platform without buffer layers, adds Narayan, “has enabled the creation of multifunctional smart sensors, high-electron mobility transistors, high-power devices, and high-voltage switches for smart grids….”

Integrating GaN into silicon chips can also make available a broader range of radio frequencies, which is expected to encourage development of advanced communication technologies.

The research that led to the GaN breakthrough was done by Narayan and former N.C. State Ph.D. student Thomas Rawdanowicz, and granted U.S. patent 20050124161. The university says a company in the U.S. is in the process of licensing the technology. National Science Foundation funded this research and Narayan’s current work in this field.