Physical properties, e.g. wide bandgap (Eg > 4.5 eV) and high critical breakdown field (8 MV/cm, higher than that in SiC or GaN), of doped and undoped Ga₂O₃ and related materials, make them promising for applications in power electronics and deep UV optoelectronics. Moreover, β-Ga₂O₃ is a radiation tolerant semiconductor. Structural diversity (existence of several polymorphs), structural (in)stability and the quality (eg. defects) of the grown thin film basically influence the quality and the lifetime of the fabricated device.

The task of the Ph.D. Applicant would be to study the nano- and microstructural character of the thin film (necessarily even at the atomic scale), understand the growth process, and feedback to the production of the device. These would be realized mainly with the new generation, Cs-corrected transmission electron microscope available at the EK MFA and with other analytical and structural characterization techniques available in the Institute. For these the Applicant would learn the main transmission electron microscopic techniques (diffraction techniques, amplitude- and phase contrast imaging, scanning transmission electron microscopy and connected analytical techniques) and main data processing issues.