November 20
@
1:00 PM
–
2:00 PM
UW-Madison Department of Materials Science and Engineering welcomes Professor Zetian Mi. His seminar, “The Soft Side of Hard Materials: Ferroelectricity in (Ultra)wide-Bandgap Nitrides”, will take place on Thursday, November 20 from 1-2 p.m. in MSE 265.
Bio
Zetian Mi is a Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His teaching and research interests are in the areas of semiconductor nanotechnology, optoelectronics, and photonics. He is a recipient of the Optica’s Nick Holonyak, Jr. Award (2025), the AVS NSTD Nanotechnology Recognition Award (2025), the ISCS Quantum Devices Award (2024), the Science and Engineering Award from W. M. Keck Foundation (2020), the IEEE Photonics Society Distinguished Lecturer Award (2021), the IEEE Nanotechnology Council Distinguished Lecturer Award (2020), and the David E. Liddle Research Excellence Award (2021), the Rexford E. Hall Innovation Excellence Award (2024), and the Wise-Najafi Prize for Engineering Excellence in the Miniature World (2025) from the University of Michigan. He is a fellow of IEEE, APS, Optica, and SPIE. He is a co-founder of NS Nanotech Inc. and NX Fuels Inc.
Abstract
Since the first discovery of ferroelectricity by Joseph Valasek in 1920, the field of ferroelectrics has been largely focused on oxide-based materials and devices. Recently, it has been shown that, the incorporation of group IIIB elements, e.g., Sc and Y, can transform conventional III-nitride semiconductors to be ferroelectric, with significantly enhanced electrical, dielectric, piezoelectric, catalytic, and linear and nonlinear optical properties. As such, ferroelectric nitride semiconductors have garnered significant attention for a wide range of applications in high power, high frequency, and high temperature electronics, optoelectronics, ferroelectrics, acoustoelectric, photocatalysis, and quantum photonic devices and systems. In this presentation, I will discuss the underlying physics and mechanisms of significantly enhanced piezoelectric response, ferroelectric switching, domain wall kinetics, and polarization dynamics. Additionally, the obstacles currently faced by nitride ferroelectrics in practical applications will be presented, followed by in-depth discussions of potential solutions, future research directions, and the prospects for further developments in this emerging field.