Thursday 25 June 2020

All about Gallium Nitride and GaN power semiconductors

Gallium Nitride or GaN is often called the silicon of the future. As technology continues to advance at an exponential rate, the need for faster, more efficient semiconductors has created a demand for GaN semiconductors.

As gallium nitride semiconductors have replaced traditional silicon MOSFETs in many applications, many manufacturers are wondering if GaN will ultimately replace silicon as the reigning supreme? Semiconductor industry analysis shows a positive outlook for GaN but it will still be sometime before GaN will be at the heart of all semiconductor manufacturing. 

What is GaN?

Gallium nitride is a direct bandgap semiconductor compound that is used to make semiconductor devices like transistors, diodes etc. It is considered to be an extremely high-performance material that was first introduced in the 1990s as a component in LEDs or light emitting diodes. The reason why GaN is very efficient is because it has a wide bandgap of 3.2 eV. It is a very hard material and has a Wurtzite crystal structure. This enables the semiconductor to handle extremely high voltages and temperatures.

The applications are many and wide ranging. GaN is used in optoelectronic devices, high-frequency radio communications etc. It can be used in the manufacturing of semiconductor power devices and RF compounds. In fact, researchers are now working on developing high temperature microprocessors using GaN for space applications.


Some of its current applications include

  • Radiation-hardened transistors used in satellites
  • Lasers and photonics applications like LEDs
  • Radio frequency compounds, for example RF power amplifiers
  • Solar cells for photovoltaic systems
  • Wireless power transmission
  • DC-DC converters
  • Light detection and ranging that is devices in autonomous cars that measure distance with lasers

GaN versus silicon

Semiconductor market report shows that GaN semiconductors have significant advantages over silicon technology. GaN is superior in terms of power and temperature tolerance and it has unique characteristics like high-speed switching capacity, high current density, low resistance and a higher dielectric strength. Moreover GaN semiconductors have matchless carrier mobility. The band gap is three times that of silicon and it also has higher electric breakdown capabilities.

Semiconductor industry analysis reveals that there is a surge in demand for GaN semiconductors especially in military and space applications. This is expected to drive the market further owing to their superior stability in radiation environments.

GaN is also seen to have a higher demand in power electronics. This is because of its ability to control electrons which is more than 1000 times of silicon and yet it is manufactured at a lower cost.

According to semiconductor market Data analysis, the global GaN devices market is expected to reach 25 billion by 2023 growing at the rate of 8% CAGR. The market is typically segmented into type, wafer size, devices and end users.

As per semiconductor industry data analysis, the GaN semiconductor market is further segmented into

  • Opto semiconductor
  • Power semiconductor and
  • RF semiconductors

The target market for gallium nitride semiconductor devices include wafer equipment manufacturers, integrated devices manufacturers, technology providers, research organizations and consulting companies, government agencies, distributors and traders etc.

Some of the key providers in this market are launching new products, upgrading their existing product range and finding newer applications in their product offerings. As the demand rises, the market is predicted to keep experiencing a greater level of competition. Some of the top vendors in this GaN semiconductor devices market include Cree, Infineon, Qorvo, Mitsubishi Electric, Efficient Power Conversion, GaN Systems, Microsemi, Macom etc.