The EDGE project (acronym for ‘Exploring Dielectric breakdown in novel multi-layer nitride thin-film isolation for high voltaGE electronic devices’), submitted to the PathFinder Open 2026 call, was chosen from 2103 European proposals, achieving an acceptance rate of only 2%. This call is considered the most competitive research funding opportunity in Europe.
This selection marks an exceptional achievement for the University of Toulouse, the LAPLACE laboratory, and the international standing of the Toulouse region. The project, involving European academic and industrial partners, will receive €4 million over four years (mid-2027 to mid-2031).
EDGE aims to develop a new class of hybrid inorganic nitride-based dielectric materials, deposited as thin films, for more effective high-voltage protection in integrated components. This technology is vital for AC/DC electrical energy converters and applications in electrified transport (electric vehicles, more electric aircraft) and societal digitalization (AI, IoT, Industry 4.0).
The innovative materials proposed in EDGE represent a complete technological breakthrough in isolation architectures for integrated components compared to the state-of-the-art. They will promote the development of more efficient and reliable high-voltage power conversion systems, supporting Europe's electrical and digital transition. The project seeks to revolutionize the physical understanding of degradation mechanisms under strong electric fields in thin dielectric films.
Furthermore, it proposes using this new knowledge to construct advanced integrated isolation architectures that can halt these degradations, based on a complementary multi-scale experimental and modeling methodology observing dielectric breakdown from the atomic scale to the macroscopic component scale. The ultimate goal of the EDGE project is to transfer these innovative materials by integrating them into galvanic isolators and evaluating their high-voltage performance and reliability.
