Staff Profile

Introduction

By background, Prof Wright is an electrical engineer who has a distinguished track record of research into the application of novel materials in electronics and related technolgies.

Background

Professor Nick Wright joined University of Newcastle in 1994. He previously completed both his undergraduate and PhD qualifications at Edinburgh University where he worked on the understanding the physics of materials under pressure.

At Newcastle, Prof. Wright has worked on a number of projects in the area of electronics and sensors.. In recent years, Prof. Wright has concentrated on using novel electronic materials to develop technology for extreme environments in collaboration with leading industrial companies (e.g. Rolls Royce, BAE Systems and others). He is currently working primarily on aerospace, subsea and manufacturing technologies.

Prof Wright has a strong interest in the use of AI and machine learning techniques - for object identification from camera images, sensor data fusion and control in challenging environments such as factories, marine and subsea and aerospace.

Nick is a member of the Emerging Technology and Materials Research group and his profile can be viewed on Google Scholar. He is a Fellow of the Turing Institute.

Research Interests

My main research interests lie in the application of novel materials to electronics and sensors with a particular interest in electronics for unusual and extreme environments. I have worked extensively on the use of emerging semiconductor materials, such as silicon carbide, as well as novel forms of data science and image analysis. I am currently developing my activities in the manufacturing/aerospace/marine/subsea sectors. I am particularly interested in combining soft materials (such as advanced polymers) with embedded electronics for applications such as image analysis, soft robotics, healthcare and consumer electronics.

Potential PhD Research Projects

• Novel sensors for healthcare
• Deep learning and AI for sensor data analysis
  
• Silicon carbide electronics
• Subsea electronics
• soft robotics

The School website has more information on research degrees and funding.

• Idris MI, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. Analysis of 3-dimensional 4H-SiC MOS capacitors grown by atomic layer deposition of AL2O3. In: International Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials (ICSCRM 2017). 2018, Washington, DC, USA: Trans Tech Publications Ltd.
• Idris MI, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. Effect of post oxide annealing on the electrical and interface 4H-SiC/Al₂O₃ MOS capacitors. In: International Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials (ICSCRM 2017). 2018, Washington, DC, USA: Trans Tech Publications Ltd.
• Arith F, Urresti J, Vasilevskiy K, Olsen S, Wright N, O'Neill A. Increased Mobility in Enhancement Mode 4H-SiC MOSFET Using a Thin SiO₂ / Al₂O₃ Gate Stack. IEEE Electron Device Letters 2018, 39(4), 564-567.
• Fayyaz A, Romano G, Urresti J, Riccio M, Castellazzi A, Irace A, Wright N. A Comprehensive Study on the Avalanche Breakdown Robustness of Silicon Carbide Power MOSFETs. Energies 2017, 10(4), 452.
• Roy SK, Ibanez JU, O'Neill AG, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. Characterisation of 4H-SiC MOS capacitor with a protective coating for harsh environments applications. In: 2016 European Conference on Silicon Carbide & Related Materials (ECSCRM). 2017, Halkidiki, Greece: Trans Tech Publications Ltd.
• Idris MI, Weng MH, Chan H-K, Murphy AE, Smith DA, Young RAR, Ramsay EP, Clark DT, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. Electrical stability impact of gate oxide in channel implanted SiC NMOS and PMOS transistors. In: 11th European Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials 2016 (ECSCRM 2016). 2017, Halkidiki, Greece: Trans Tech Publications Ltd.
• Fayyaz A, Castellazzi A, Romano G, Riccio M, Irace A, Urresti J, Wright N. Influence of gate bias on the avalanche ruggedness of SiC power MOSFETs. In: Proceedings of the 29th International Symposium on Power Semiconductor Devices and ICs, ISPSD 2017. 2017, Sapporo, Japan: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
• Chan HK, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. Live demonstration: Extreme environment analogue electronics for sensor nodes. In: Proceedings of 2016 IEEE Sensors. 2017, Orlando, FL, USA: IEEE.
• Vasilevskiy KV, Roy SK, Wood N, Horsfall AB, Wright NG. On electrons mobility in heavily nitrogen doped 4H-SiC. In: 11th European Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials 2016 (ECSCRM 2016). 2017, Halkdiki, Greece: Trans Tech Publications Ltd.
• Weng MH, Clark DT, Wright SN, Gordon DL, Duncan MA, Kirkham SJ, Idris MI, Chan HK, Young RAR, Ramsay EP, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. Recent Advance in High Manufacturing Readiness Level and High Temperature CMOS Mixed-Signal Integrated Circuits on Silicon Carbide. Semiconductor Science and Technology 2017, 32(5), 054003.
• Wright NG. SeaDrone a low cost dual drone/ROV technology that can cross the sea boundary. In: OCEANS 2017 - Anchorage. 2017, Anchorage, AK, USA: IEEE.
• Mohamed NS, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. Self-powered X-Ray sensors for extreme environments. In: 2017 IEEE SENSORS. 2017, Glasgow, UK: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
• Mohamed NS, Idris MI, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. Silicon carbide radiation detectors for medical applications. In: 11th European Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials 2016 (ECSCRM 2016). 2017, Halkdiki, Greece: Trans Tech Publications Ltd.
• Castellazzi A, Fayyaz A, Romano G, Riccio M, Irace A, Urresti-Ibanez J, Wright N. Transient out-of-SOA robustness of SiC power MOSFETs. In: 2017 IEEE International Reliability Physics Symposium (IRPS). 2017, California, USA: IEEE.
• Lioliou G, Chan HK, Gohil T, Vassilevski KV, Wright NG, Horsfall AB, Barnett AM. 4H-SiC Schottky diode arrays for X-ray detection. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A 2016, 840, 145–152.
• Lioliou G, Chan HK, Gohil T, Vassilevski KV, Wright NG, Horsfall AB, Barnett AM. 4H-SiC Schottky diode arrays for X-ray detection. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment 2016, 840, 145-152.
• Vershinin K, Efika I, Trainer D, Davidson C, Wright N, Tiwari A. Experimental demonstration of a solid-state damping resistor for HVDC applications. In: PCIM Europe 2016; International Exhibition and Conference for Power Electronics, Intelligent Motion, Renewable Energy and Energy Management. 2016, Nuremberg, Germany: VDE.
• Mohamed NS, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. High linearity silicon carbide detectors for medical applications. In: 2016 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium, Medical Imaging Conference and Room-Temperature Semiconductor Detector Workshop, NSS/MIC/RTSD 2016. 2016, Strasbourg, France: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
• Idris MI, Weng MH, Chan HK, Murphy AE, Clark DT, Young RAR, Ramsay EP, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. Instability of phosphorous doped SiO₂ in 4H-SiC MOS capacitors at high temperatures. Journal of Applied Physics 2016, 120, 214902.
• Coates G, Li C, Wright NG, Ahilan S. Investigating the flood responsiveness of Small and Medium Enterprises using agent-based modelling and simulation. International Journal of Safety and Security Engineering 2016, 6(3), 627-635.
• Wright NG, Chan HK. Low-cost Internet of Things ocean observation. In: OCEANS 2016 MTS/IEEE Monterey, OCE 2016. 2016, Monterey, CA, USA: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
• Chan HK, Wood NG, Vassilevski KV, Wright NG, Peters A, Horsfall AB. Silicon carbide based instrumentation amplifiers for extreme applications. In: 2015 IEEE Sensors. 2016, Busan, South Korea: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
• Vassilevski K, Roy SK, Wood N, Horsfall AB, Wright NG. Process compatibility of heavily nitrogen doped layers formed by ion implantation in silicon carbide devices. In: European Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials (ECSCRM 2014). 2015, Grenoble, France: Trans Tech Publications Ltd.
• Tiwari AK, Horsfall AB, Wright NG, Clark DT, Young RA, Wallace P, Mills L, Turvey S. Realization of SiC-current limiting devices for serial protection of aircraft electronics. In: 2015 73rd Annual Device Research Conference (DRC). 2015, Columbus, Ohio: IEEE.
• Tiwari AK, Horsfall AB, Wright NG, Clark DT, Young RA, Wallace P, Mills L, Turvey S. SiC Current Limiting Devices for Surge Protection. In: 2015 IEEE International Conference on Electron Devices and Solid-State Circuits (EDSSC). 2015, Singapore: IEEE.
• Roy SK, Vassilevski K, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. Silicon nitride encapsulation to preserve ohmic contacts characteristics in high temperature, oxygen rich environments. In: European Conference on Silicon Carbide & Related Materials (ECSCRM 2014). 2015, Grenoble, France: Trans Tech Publications Ltd.
• Mahapatra R, Maji S, Horsfall AB, Wright NG. Temperature impact on switching characteristics of resistive memory devices with HfO_x/TiO_x/HfO_x stack dielectric. Microelectronic Engineering 2015, 138, 118-121.
• Wells GH, Hopf T, Vassilevski KV, Escobedo-Cousin E, Wright NG, Horsfall AB, Goss JP, O'Neill AG, Hunt MRC. Determination of the adhesion energy of graphene on SiC(0001) via measurement of pleat defects. Applied Physics Letters 2014, 105(19), 193109.
• Hopf T, Vassilevski KV, Escobedo-Cousin E, King PJ, Wright NG, O'Neill AG, Horsfall AB, Goss JP, Wells GH, Hunt MRC. Dirac point and transconductance of top-gated graphene field-effect transistors operating at elevated temperature. Journal of Applied Physics 2014, 116(15), 154504.
• Roy SK, Vassilevski KV, O'Malley CJ, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. Discriminating High k Dielectric gas Sensors. In: 15th International Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials (ICSCRM 2013). 2014, Miyazaki, JAPAN: Scientific.Net.
• Roy SK, Vassilevski KV, O'Malley CJ, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. Discriminating High k Dielectric Gas Sensors. In: International Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials 2013. 2014, Miyazaki, Japan: Trans Tech Publications Inc.
• Martin LC, Chan HK, Clark D, Ramsay EP, Murphy AE, Smith DA, Thompson RF, Young RAR, Goss JP, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. Low Frequency Noise Analysis of Monolithically Fabricated 4H-SiC CMOS Field Effect Transistors. In: 15th International Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials (ICSCRM 2013). 2014, Miyazaki, JAPAN: Scientific.Net.
• Martin LC, Chan HK, Clark D, Ramsay EP, Murphy AE, Smith DA, Thompson RF, Young RAR, Goss JP, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. Low Frequency Noise Analysis of Monolithically Fabricated 4H-SiC CMOS Field Effect Transistors. In: International Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials 2013. 2014, Miyazaki, Japan: Trans Tech Publications Inc.
• Escobedo-Cousin E, Vassilevski K, Hopf T, Wright N, O'Neill A, Horsfall A, Goss J. Solid phase growth of graphene on silicon carbide by nickel silicidation: graphene formation mechanisms. In: International Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials 2013. 2014, Miyazaki, Japan: Scientific.Net.
• Escobedo-Cousin E, Vassilevski K, Hopf T, Wright N, O'Neill AG, Horsfall AB, Goss JP. Solid Phase Growth of Graphene on Silicon Carbide by Nickel Silicidation: Graphene Formation Mechanisms. Materials Science Forum 2014, 778-780, 1162-1165.
• Pate J, Zamora F, Watson SMD, Wright NG, Horrocks BR, Houlton A. Solution-based DNA-templating of sub-10 nm conductive copper nanowires. Journal of Materials Chemistry C 2014, 2(43), 9265-9273.
• Tiwari AK, Goss JP, Briddon PR, Horsfall AB, Wright NG, Jones R, Rayson MJ. Unexpected change in the electron affinity of diamond caused by the ultra-thin transition metal oxide films. Europhysics Letters 2014, 108(4), 46005.
• Tiwari AK, Goss JP, Briddon PR, Horsfall AB, Wright NG, Jones R, Rayson MJ. Unexpected change in the electron affinity of diamond caused by the ultra-thin transition metal oxide films. EPL (Europhysics Letters) 2014, 108(4), 46005.
• Martin LC, Clark D, Ramsay EP, Murphy AE, Thompson RF, Smith DA, Young RAR, Cormack JD, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. Charge Pumping Analysis of Monolithically Fabricated 4H-SiC CMOS Structures. In: 9th European Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials. 2013, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation: Trans Tech Publications, Inc.
• Habib H, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. Complementary JFET Logic for Low-Power Applications in Extreme Environments. In: 9th European Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials. 2013, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation: Trans Tech Publications, Inc.
• Nagareddy VK, Chan HK, Hernandez SC, Wheeler VD, Myers-Ward RL, Nyakiti LO, Eddy CR, Walton SG, Goss JP, Wright NG, Gaskill DK, Horsfall AB. Detection of polar chemical vapors using epitaxial graphene grown on SiC (0001). Applied Physics Letters 2013, 102(17), 173103-1-173103-5.
• Mostaghimi O, Stevens RC, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. Electromagnetic Interference in Silicon Carbide DC-DC Converters. In: 9th European Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials. 2013, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation: Trans Tech Publications Inc.
• Nagareddy VK, Hernandez SC, Wheeler VD, Nyakiti LO, Myers-Ward RL, Eddy CR, Goss JP, Wright NG, Walton SG, Gaskill DK, Horsfall AB. High Temperature Stability of Oxygen Functionalized Epitaxial Graphene/Metal Contact Interfaces. In: 9th European Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials. 2013, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation: Trans Tech Publications, Inc.
• Nagareddy VK, Chan HK, Hernandez SC, Wheeler VD, Nyakiti LO, Myers-Ward RL, Eddy CR, Goss JP, Wright NG, Walton SG, Gaskill DK, Horsfall AB. Improved Chemical Detection and Ultra-Fast Recovery Using Oxygen Functionalized Epitaxial Graphene Sensors. IEEE Sensors Journal 2013, 13(8), 2810-2817.
• Furnival BJD, Roy SK, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. Influence of Contact Metallisation on the High Temperature Characteristics of High-K Dielectrics. In: 9th European Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials. 2013, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation: Trans Tech Publications, Inc.
• Escobedo-Cousin E, Vassilevski K, Hopf T, Wright N, O'Neill A, Horsfall A, Goss J, Cumpson PJ. Local solid phase growth of few-layer graphene on silicon carbide from nickel silicide supersaturated with carbon. Journal of Applied Physics 2013, 113(11), 114309.
• Tiwari AK, Goss JP, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. Nano scale vacuum gap thermo-tunnel device of energy harvesting applications. In: MRS Fall Meeting & Exhibit. 2013, Boston, Massachusetts: Cambridge University Press.
• Al-Hinai MN, Hassanien R, Wright NG, Horsfall AB, Houlton A, Horrocks BR. Networks of DNA-templated palladium nanowires: structural and electrical characterisation and their use as hydrogen gas sensors. Faraday Discussions 2013, 164, 71-91.
• Chan HK, Stevens RC, Goss JP, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. Reliability evaluation of 4H-SiC JFETs using I-V characteristics and Low Frequency Noise. In: 9th European Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials. 2013, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation: Trans Tech Publications, Inc.
• Roy SK, Furnival BJD, Wood NG, Vassilevski KV, Wright NG, Horsfall AB, O'Malley CJ. SiC gas sensor arrays for extreme environments. In: 2013 IEEE SENSORS. 2013, Baltimore, MD, USA: IEEE Computer Society.
• Tiwari AK, Goss JP, Briddon PR, Wright NG, Horsfall AB, Rayson MJ. Transition metal oxide-diamond interfaces for electron emission applications. In: 9th European Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials. 2013, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation: Trans Tech Publications, Inc.
• Tiwari AK, Goss JP, Briddon PR, Wright NG, Horsfall AB, Rayson MJ. Ultra thin transition metal oxide coatings on diamond for thermionic applications. In: MRS Fall Meeting & Exhibit. 2013, Boston, Massachusetts: Cambridge University Press.
• Tiwari AK, Goss JP, Briddon PR, Wright NG, Horsfall AB, Rayson MJ. Bromine functionalisation of diamond: An ab initio study. Physica Status Solidi A 2012, 209(9), 1703-1708.
• Furnival BJD, Roy SK, Vassilevski KV, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. CMOS compatible gas sensor arrays for hostile environments. In: Sensors. 2012, Taipei, Taiwan: IEEE.
• Furnival BJD, Roy SK, Vassilevski KV, Wright NG, Horsfall AB, O'Malley CJ. CMOS Compatible Gas Sensor Arrays for Hostile Environments. In: 2012 IEEE SENSORS PROCEEDINGS. 2012, 345 E 47TH ST, NEW YORK, NY 10017 USA: IEEE.
• Martin LC, Clark D, Ramsay EP, Murphy AE, Thompson RF, Smith DA, Young RAR, Cormack JD, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. Comparison of Oxide Quality for Monolithically Fabricated SiC CMOS Structures. In: 14th International Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials (ICSCRM). 2012, Cleveland, Ohio, USA: Trans Tech Publications Ltd.
• Tiwari AK, Goss JP, Briddon P, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. Density functional simulations of transition metal terminated (001)-diamond surfaces. In: 14th International Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials (ICSCRM). 2012, Cleveland, Ohio, USA: Trans Tech Publications Ltd.
• Tiwari AK, Goss JP, Briddon P, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. Density Functional Simulations of Transition Metal Terminated (001)-Diamond Surfaces. Materials Science Forum 2012, 717-720, 1311-1314.
• Brennan D, Vasilevskiy K, Wright N, Horsfall A. Direct Frequency Modulation of a High Temperature Silicon Carbide Oscillator. In: 14th International Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials (ICSCRM). 2012, Cleveland, Ohio, USA: Trans Tech Publications Ltd.
• Tiwari AK, Goss JP, Briddon PR, Wright NG, Horsfall AB, Rayson MJ. Effect of different surface coverages of transition metals on the electronic and structural properties of diamond. Physica Status Solidi A 2012, 209(9), 1697-1702.
• Tiwari AK, Goss JP, Briddon PR, Wright NG, Horsfall AB, Rayson MJ. Electronic and structural properties of diamond (001) surfaces terminated by selected transition metals. Physical Review B 2012, 86(15), 155301.
• Pinto H, Jones R, Palmer DW, Goss JP, Tiwari AK, Briddon PR, Wright NG, Horsfall AB, Rayson MJ, Oberg S. First-principles studies of the effect of (001) surface terminations on the electronic properties of the negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy defect in diamond. Physical Review B 2012, 86(4), 045313.
• Mahapatra R, Horsfall AB, Wright NG. Forming-Free Reversible Bipolar Resistive Switching Behavior in Al-Doped HfO2 Metal-Insulator-Metal Devices. Journal of Electronic Materials 2012, 41(4), 656-659.
• Furnival BJD, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. High Temperature Reliability of High-kappa/SiC MIS Hydrogen Sensors. In: 14th International Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials (ICSCRM). 2012, Cleveland, Ohio, USA: Trans Tech Publications Ltd.
• Spargo CM, Furnival BJD, Mahapatra RM, Goss JP, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. Identification of Slow States at the SiO2/SiC Interface Through Sub-Bandgap Illumination. In: 14th International Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials (ICSCRM). 2012, Cleveland, Ohio, USA: Trans Tech Publications Ltd.
• Escobedo-Cousin E, Vassilevski K, Nikitina I, Wright N, O'Neill A, Horsfall A, Goss J. Local Solid Phase Epitaxy of Few-Layer Graphene on Silicon Carbide. In: 14th International Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials (ICSCRM). 2012, Cleveland, Ohio, USA: Trans Tech Publications Ltd.
• Chan HK, Stevens RC, Goss JP, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. Low Frequency Noise in 4H-SiC Lateral JFET Structures. In: 14th International Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials (ICSCRM). 2012, Cleveland, Ohio, USA: Trans Tech Publications Ltd.
• Brennan DR, Mostaghimi O, Vassilevski KV, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. Novel SiC self starting DC-DC converter for high temperature wireless sensor nodes. In: Sensors. 2012, Taipei, Taiwan: IEEE.
• Brennan DR, Mostaghimi O, Vassilevski KV, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. Novel SiC Self Starting DC-DC Converter for High Temperature Wireless Sensor Nodes. In: 2012 IEEE SENSORS PROCEEDINGS. 2012, 345 E 47TH ST, NEW YORK, NY 10017 USA: IEEE.
• Nagareddy VK, Goss JP, Wright NG, Horsfall AB, Hernandez SC, Wheeler VD, Nyakiti LO, Myers-Ward RL, Eddy CR, Walton SG, Gaskill DK. Oxygen Functionalised Epitaxial Graphene Sensors for Enhanced Polar Organic Chemical Vapour Detection. In: 2012 IEEE SENSORS PROCEEDINGS. 2012, 345 E 47TH ST, NEW YORK, NY 10017 USA: IEEE.
• Hassanien R, Al-Said SAF, Siller L, Little R, Wright NG, Houlton A, Horrocks BR. Smooth and conductive DNA-templated Cu2O nanowires: growth morphology, spectroscopic and electrical characterization. Nanotechnology 2012, 23(7), 075601.
• Watson SMD, Hedley JH, Galindo MA, Al-Said SAF, Wright NG, Connolly BA, Horrocks BR, Houlton A. Synthesis, Characterisation and Electrical Properties of Supramolecular DNA-Templated Polymer Nanowires of 2,5-(Bis-2-thienyl)-pyrrole. Chemistry: A European Journal 2012, 18(38), 12008-12019.
• Nagareddy VK, Gaskill DK, Tedesco JL, Myers-Ward RL, Eddy CR, Goss JP, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. Temperature Dependent Chemical Sensitivity of Epitaxial Graphene. In: 14th International Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials (ICSCRM). 2012, Cleveland, Ohio, USA: Trans Tech Publications Ltd.
• Barker S, Vassilevski KV, Nikitina IP, Wright NG, Horsfall AB. Thermal Stress Response of Silicon Carbide pin Diodes Used As Photovoltaic Devices. In: 14th International Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials (ICSCRM). 2012, Cleveland, Ohio, USA: Trans Tech Publications Ltd.
• Tiwari AK, Goss JP, Briddon PR, Wright NG, Horsfall AB, Jones R, Pinto H, Rayson MJ. Thermodynamic stability and electronic properties of F- and Cl-terminated diamond. Physica Status Solidi A 2012, 209(9), 1709-1714.