Electronic & Electrical Engineering: Fully Funded SUSPRS PhD Studentship: Cubic Silicon Carbide (3C-SiC) Transistor Structures for High-Efficiency Power Electronics (RS722)

Funding provider(s): Swansea University (UK) Strategic Partnership Research Scholarships (SUSPRS) with Grenoble Alps University, France

Project start date(s): 15 January 2025

Supervisors: Karol Kalna (Swansea) & Didier Chaussende (Grenoble), Second Supervisor: Mike Jennings

This is a joint PhD programme between Swansea University (SU) and Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)

Aligned programme of study: Electronic & Electrical Engineering PhD

Mode of study: Full-time

Project description:

Established in 2012/13, the Swansea and Grenoble (UGA) Institutional Strategic Partnership was one of the first major strategic partnerships between a UK and French university. It is a unique, institutional-wide multi-disciplinary collaboration, which includes joint research and publication, student and staff exchange, joint PhD’sand joint master’s programmes. Over 30 Joint Doctoral Degrees have been developed through the strategic partnership to date, across diverse subject areas, including medicine, engineering and law. Candidates spend 50% of their time in both Swansea and Grenoble and are jointly supervised by academic staff from both universities. Successful candidates receive a double degree from the Université Grenoble Alpes and Swansea University.

Embark on a transformative journey with our PhD scholarship in Power Electronics. This research focuses on wide band gap semiconductors, a vital technology for energy processing and distribution. This PhD studentship is an opportunity to contribute to a pioneering research project on cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC) power electronic transistors. This project is a culmination of extensive research efforts by our dedicated team at Grenoble and Swansea, who have made significant strides in the field of wide-bandgap power electronics. The research aims to explore the potential of 3C-SiC, a novel polytype of silicon carbide (SiC), in overcoming the limitations of its hexagonal counterpart (4H-SiC).

Unlike other materials, 3C-SiC offers a unique advantage - it can be doped, n- or p-type, over a wide range of resistivity, making it a promising candidate for power electronic applications. The 4H-SiC power electronic transistors suffer from low channel mobility, contact resistance, and poor reliability. The cubic polytype of SiC, 3C-SiC, can overcome these obstacles.

The studentship is funded by Swansea University Strategic Partnership Research Scholarships (SUSPRS) and Grenoble Alps University covering full tuition fees and an annual tax-free living stipend in line with UKRI minimum rates (currently £19,237 for 2024/25). 

A travel/training allowance of £1,500 over the duration of the studentship with maximum spend of £500 in any one financial year.

This is per the "Initiative de Recherche à Grenoble Alpes” (IRGA) and Swansea University Scholarship agreement.

To apply, please complete your application online with the following information:

Typical documents asked to be uploaded as part of the application:

• CV
• Degree certificates and transcripts
• A cover letter
• Evidence of meeting English Language requirement (if applicable)
• Copy of UK resident visa (if applicable)
• Confirmation of submission of EDI Form

Informal enquiries are welcome; please contact Karol Kalna (k.kalna@swansea.ac.uk)

External Partner Application Data Sharing – Please note that as part of the scholarship application selection process, application data sharing may occur with external partners outside of the University, when joint/co- funding of a scholarship project is applicable.