Agnitron Showcases Ultra-Wide-Bandgap MOCVD Advances at E-MRS 2026

CHANHASSEN, MN – September 2026 —

Agnitron Technology, Inc. participated in the 2026 Fall Meeting & Exhibit of the European Materials Research Society (E-MRS), held September 14-17, 2026, at the Warsaw University of Technology in Warsaw, Poland. The international meeting featured 25 symposia spanning electronic and functional materials, nanotechnology, characterization, energy, and environmental applications.

Agnitron was represented by Dr. Andrei Osinsky, President and CEO, and William Brand, Senior Process Engineer. Together, they delivered three presentations demonstrating how advances in MOCVD reactor design and process control can address critical materials challenges in AlN, AlScN, AlGaScN, and β-Ga₂O₃.

Deep-UV-assisted growth improves donor activation in AlN

Dr. Osinsky presented “Deep-UV-Assisted MOCVD for Enhanced Donor Activation in Si-Doped AlN,” highlighting work led by Agnitron in collaboration with Arizona State University and the University of Florida. The study addresses a central limitation of AlN electronics: achieving low-resistivity n-type material despite deep silicon donor levels and compensation by native defects and defect complexes.

The team modified an Agnitron Agilis 100 MOCVD reactor for in situ deep-ultraviolet exposure during growth on native AlN substrates. The UV-assisted process produced Si-doped AlN with a free-electron concentration of approximately 3 × 10¹⁶ cm⁻³ and electron mobility of approximately 80 cm²/V·s, corresponding to a resistivity of approximately 2.7 Ω·cm. This represents a substantial improvement over the team’s best value from process optimization alone, approximately 11 Ω·cm.

The estimated silicon activation efficiency reached approximately 22%, supporting the role of above-bandgap illumination in controlling compensating defect formation during growth. Applied to Al-rich AlGaN with aluminum compositions above 87%, the approach also produced free-electron concentrations above 3 × 10¹⁹ cm⁻³. These results support the development of conductive ultra-wide-bandgap layers and improved contact structures for power, high-temperature, and deep-ultraviolet devices.

MOCVD expands the design space for AlScN and AlGaScN alloys

William Brand presented “MOCVD Growth and Characterization of Al(Ga)ScN Alloys,” highlighting Agnitron’s development of a high-temperature scandium precursor delivery system designed to provide stable vapor transport without condensation. Process optimization enabled controlled scandium incorporation while preserving the wurtzite crystal structure at scandium contents above 30%.

Across 2-inch wafers, the AlScN films achieved thickness non-uniformity below 1% and RMS surface roughness below 0.3 nm, together with high scandium-composition uniformity. Preliminary AlScN/AlN/GaN HEMT structures on SiC exhibited a two-dimensional electron gas sheet density of approximately 2 × 10¹³ cm⁻² and electron mobility of approximately 900 cm²/V·s. The presentation also addressed quaternary AlGaScN layers as a path toward improved lateral scandium homogeneity in polarization-engineered GaN HEMT barriers.

Large-area MOCVD growth and repeatable β-Ga₂O₃ FET structures

Brand also presented “MOCVD Growth and Characterization of β-Ga₂O₃ Field Effect Transistors Grown on 2-inch (010) Substrates.” The work, conducted by Agnitron Technology in collaboration with Soctera, highlighted results from a recently completed Air Force Research Laboratory Direct-to-Phase II SBIR program focused on scaling MOCVD growth of epitaxial β-Ga₂O₃ to larger wafers.

Using Agnitron’s large-area showerhead, developed under the program and integrated into the Agilis 700 MOCVD platform, the team demonstrated uniform β-Ga₂O₃ growth on both 2-inch and 4-inch substrates. The system also produced smooth, uniform surfaces across entire 2-inch (010) β-Ga₂O₃ wafers.

A nitrogen-doped buffer layer grown using ammonia diluted in nitrogen (NH₃/N₂) effectively suppressed parasitic conduction at the substrate–epitaxy interface, with no measurable interface charge in the reported capacitance–voltage profiles. The presentation also highlighted wafer-to-wafer and run-to-run repeatability of FET structures grown using the Agilis 700 platform, demonstrating the interface control and process consistency needed to advance β-Ga₂O₃ device technology.

A unified approach to ultra-wide-bandgap materials

Together, the three E-MRS presentations showcased the breadth of Agnitron’s MOCVD capabilities. Deep-UV excitation provides a new route to controlling dopant activation and compensating defects in AlN; specialized precursor delivery enables compositionally controlled AlScN and AlGaScN alloys; and large-area reactor engineering supports uniform, repeatable β-Ga₂O₃ device structures. These capabilities address complementary materials challenges across next-generation power electronics, RF electronics, acoustic devices, and deep-ultraviolet optoelectronics.

About Agnitron Technology

Agnitron Technology is a pioneer in advanced MOCVD equipment design and epitaxy development, specializing in ultra-wide-bandgap materials including AlN, AlGaN, β-Ga₂O₃, and Ga₂O₃-related alloys.

Media Contact:

Agnitron Technology, Inc.

Email: nate.broscoff@agnitron.com

Website: www.agnitron.com