Energy efficient power semiconductor devices using (ultra)wide bandgap materials

Dr. Matthew Smith is a Senior Lecturer and researcher at the School of Physics, University of Bristol, UK, with expertise in wide and ultrawide bandgap material growth, device design, fabrication and characterisation.

As a member of the Center for Device Thermography and Reliability (CDTR), led by Prof. Martin Kuball, his research focuses on the development of novel materials and devices for power electronic applications.

He leads the VertiGaN project on vertical GaN power transistors, leads workpackages on the ULTRAlGaN Programme Grant focusing on vertical AlGaN power devices and a UK Space Agency project on AlGaO optoelectronics, and also contributes to Ga2O3 power device research.

Dr. Smith was the 2020 Toshiba Fellow, working in Kawasaki, Japan for two years, with his research into normally-off GaN power transistors leading to record high GaN MOSFET mobility values. Prior to this he worked on GaN-on-diamond RF power transistor design and front/back end fabrication based at the University of Glasgow, working as lead postdoc on the GaN-DaME Programme Grant led by Prof. Kuball at the University of Bristol.

He completed his PhD on the development of InAlN/GaN transistors for space applications in 2016 at the Tyndall National Institute, Ireland, co-funded by the European Space Agency.