GaN (Gallium Nitride) is a third-generation semiconductor material with a large forbidden band width, and its superiority in characteristics compared with the first-generation Si and second-generation GaAs.
Due to the large band gap and high thermal conductivity, GaN devices can operate at temperatures above 200 degC, which can carry higher energy density and higher reliability. Larger forbidden band width and dielectric breakdown electric field reduce the on-resistance of the device, which is beneficial to improve the overall energy efficiency of the device; fast electron saturation and high carrier mobility allow the device to operate at high speed.

Therefore, people using GaN can obtain semiconductor devices with larger bandwidth, higher amplifier gain, higher energy efficiency, and smaller size, which is consistent with the consistent "tonality" of the semiconductor industry.

The RF GaN technology is a perfect match for 5G, and the base station power amplifier uses GaN. Gallium nitride (GaN), gallium arsenide (GaAs), and indium phosphide (InP) are commonly used semiconductor materials in radio frequency applications.

Compared to high-frequency processes such as gallium arsenide and indium phosphide, GaN devices output more power; compared to power processes such as LDCMOS and silicon carbide (SiC), GaN has better frequency characteristics. It is important that the instantaneous bandwidth of the GaN device is higher, the use of carrier aggregation techniques and the preparation of higher frequency carriers are all used to achieve greater bandwidth.

Gallium nitride is faster than silicon or other devices. GaN can achieve higher power density. For a given power level, GaN has the advantage of being small in size. With smaller devices, device capacitance can be reduced, making the design of higher bandwidth systems easier. A key component of the RF circuit is the PA (Power Amplifier).

From the current application point of view, the power amplifier is mainly composed of a gallium arsenide power amplifier and a complementary metal oxide semiconductor power amplifier (CMOS PA), in which GaAs PA is the mainstream, but with the advent of 5G, GaAs devices It will not be possible to maintain high integration at such high frequencies.

Thus, GaN becomes the next hot spot. As a wide-bandgap semiconductor, GaN can withstand higher operating voltages, which means higher power density and higher operating temperature, resulting in high power density, low power consumption, high frequency, and wide bandwidth.

Qualcomm President Cristiano Amon said at the Qualcomm 4G / 5G Summit: The first half of 2019 and the end of the Christmas and New Year period will be the wave of two wave 5G mobile phones, and the first commercial 5G mobile phones will debut. According to reports, 5G technology is expected to provide 10 to 100 times faster than current 4G networks, reaching the Gigabit per second level, while reducing latency more effectively.

In addition to the large increase in the number of RF devices required for the display of base station RF transceiver units, the density of base stations and the number of base stations will also increase greatly. Therefore, compared with the 3G and 4G eras, RF devices in the 5G era will be dozens of times or even The number of times increases, so cost control is critical, and silicon-based GaN has a huge cost advantage. With the maturity of silicon-based GaN technology, it can achieve market breakthrough with the most cost-effective advantage.

Looking back at the evolution of the previous two generations of semiconductors, any generation of semiconductor technology from the laboratory to the market is facing the challenge of commercialization. At present, GaN is also at this stage, and the cost will be toward civilians as the market demand accelerates, mass production, process innovation, etc., and will replace the traditional market with silicon-based power devices.

( Tech Co., Ltd ) is a professional Gallium Nitride manufacturer with over 12 years experience in chemical products research and development. If you are looking for high quality Gallium Nitride, please feel free to contact us and send an inquiry.

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