Employee spotlight: Hao Xue, Assistant Research Officer, Quantum and Nanotechnologies Research Centre

Dr. Hao Xue grew up with the aroma of beer wafting through his family home from the Tsingtao Brewery in the port city of Qingdao, in China’s Shandong province. However, beer production did not interest the young Hao. Instead, he devoted his spare time to understanding what made his father’s video player work.

Hao’s desire to understand how things work led him to Xiamen University Malaysia , where he studied electrical engineering and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2015. His next stop was The 美国俄亥俄州立大学 , where he studied for his master’s degree and became familiar with the mechanics of ultra-wide bandgap semiconductors. These materials allow electronic components used in electric cars and power electronics to operate at much higher voltages, frequencies, and temperatures, compared to conventional semiconductor materials.

After a year of supporting advanced research at the university’s department of electrical and computer engineering, Hao was invited to begin his PhD. His research focused on high-frequency and high-power applications for the next generation of ultra-wide bandgap semiconductors. He successfully defended his thesis in 2021.

With 2 advanced engineering degrees to his name, Hao had no problem getting a job as a senior research and development engineer in Shanghai. But since he dreamed of one day returning to academia, he could not pass up the opportunity for a postdoctoral fellowship in gallium nitride (GaN) electronics at the National Research Council (NRC). He joined the Advanced Electronics and Photonics Research Centre (now the Quantum and Nanotechnologies Research Centre) in August 2023.

Hao’s research focuses on the bridge between circuit design and fabrication. Working with his colleagues, his typical workday involves measurement and modelling of electronic devices at operating conditions few labs in the world can replicate. His goal is to help develop circuits that can operate at up to 500 degrees Celsius while maintaining their physical and electronic properties. With the Venusian surface temperature being 470 degrees Celsius an immediate application of his work is the communication link for a rover on Venus!

“The team and the world-class facilities that I have access to are among the many things that make the NRC an exceptional workplace,” according to Hao.

He still dreams of returning to an academic environment and making a name for himself. But for the next few years, he plans to prepare for his next adventure by pushing the limits of wide-bandgap semiconductors in extreme environments.?

Find out more about the NRC's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program and Quantum and Nanotechnologies Research Centre.

To learn about the contributions of many of the talented people that make up the NRC, visit our?stories web page.

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