Gallium nitride has a larger bandgap than silicon (energy required to free an electron from its orbit around the nucleus). This make GaN's wide bandgap easier to operate at higher voltages and enables the device to support higher voltages. The GaN device can be packed very densely. This property also makes it more versatile than silicon in terms of high voltage applications.
GaN on Si material has many advantages over silicon, including its greater efficiency, improved thermal stability, and greater capability for higher frequencies and load. In the future, this material may help advance the field of semiconductors, as it could be used to produce smaller, high-frequency power products. In the meantime, however, it's time to start learning about the benefits of this material.
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GaN-on-Silicon Wafer Series Prime Grade |
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| Dia" | Ori | Thickness | Pol | GaN Template Thickness | Type | Dopant | |||||
| 2 | <111> | 1000+/-25um | P/E | 100~5000nm | N-type | Un-doped | |||||
| 4 | <111> | 525~1000+/-25um | P/E | 100~5000nm | N-type | Un-doped | |||||
| 6 | <111> | 675~1000+/-25um | P/E | 100~5000nm | N-type | Un-doped | |||||
| 8 | <111> | 725~1000+/-25um | P/E | 100~5000nm | N-type | Un-doped | |||||
| 2~8 | <111> | 500~1000+/-25um | P/E | HEMT Structure GaN | N/S.I-type | S.I-doped | |||||
| 4~6 | <111> | 500~1000+/-25um | P/E | Blue/Green LED GaN on Si | N/P-type | N/P-doped | |||||
| 2~8 | <111> | 500~1000+/-25um | P/E | 100~500nm AlN | S.I-type | Un-doped | |||||
One type of semiconductor device is a Gallium nitride on silicon transistor. This type of semiconductor device has several advantages. The device is flexible, and its dimensions allow it to be used in a wide variety of applications. It also exhibits excellent stability and reliability. The process of making this semiconductor device is relatively simple and cheap, and the device has very good performance. Further, it can be manufactured to meet a wide range of applications.
While a traditional silicon transistor is normally off, GaN devices are switched on when voltage is applied. The input capacitance of these devices must be charged and discharged by the driver. The slew rate and shape of the charge/discharge drive waveform are important factors in the device's performance. Typically, the device's operating voltage should be regulated to maintain a steady performance.
Gallium nitride on silicon transistor technology is still at its early stages. Navitas, a semiconductor company based in China, has already produced millions of GaN devices for OEMs. The company's logo shows two characters side-by-side: XiaoDan and XiaoJia. These two components are essential to the functioning of any semiconductor device.
In comparison to silicon, Gallium nitride has a larger bandgap (energy required to free an electron from its orbit around the nucleus) than silicon. Thus, GaN's wide bandgap characteristic makes it easier to operate at higher voltages and enables the device to support higher voltages. The GaN device can be packed very densely. This property also makes it more versatile than silicon in terms of high voltage applications.
Due to its superior switching characteristics, GaN-based semiconductors are already usurping silicon MOSFETs in several applications. They have greater breakdown voltages, lower on-resistance, and improved thermal stability. However, they will not replace silicon completely in all applications, for quite some time. And while this technology may not be as useful as silicon, it has great potential in the semiconductor industry.
The performance of eGaN gallium nitrides on siliconi is superior to its MOSFET counterparts, based on several metrics. In particular, the forward voltage of the body-diode of an eGaN FET is higher than its MOSFET counterpart, which is a significant loss in high-current applications. Other performance metrics that are impacted by the package inductances are diode reverse recovery and output capacitance, as well as the dead-time management.
Another application of eGaN is in the field of LiDAR, which uses pulsed lasers to create three-dimensional images. It is commonly used in geographic mapping functions, and it is the driving force behind driverless cars. This semiconductor technology is becoming the basis of many new applications, including video gaming and open compute dense servers. The higher switching speed of eGaN FETs enables faster response time and better resolution.
Compared to silicon-based devices, eGaN has a larger band gap, which maintains its performance at higher temperatures. This feature also helps in mitigating the effects of thermal generation of charge carriers. In 1993, the first GaN-on-siliconi transistors were experimentally demonstrated and are currently being developed. With this breakthrough, silicon-based semiconductors can compete with GaN-based silicon-based semiconductors in several key areas.
Another promising application of eGaN technology is microLED chips for displays. These chips based on GaN on silicon nanowires are patented by Aledia. Aledia is currently constructing a factory near Grenoble to commercialise its product. These chips can be used in power supplies, adapters, motor drives, and even electric vehicle base stations. If they can prove their utility in a real-world application, they could become an important part of the future of electronics.
The second technology for eGaN-based devices is gallium nitride on silicon substrate. This technology is based on gallium nitride, a very hard semiconductor with an excellent wide bandgap. Its performance in power conversion is superior to that of silicon-based devices. Because silicon has reached its limits, eGaN-on-Si is a promising alternative for power semiconductors.