According to the Infineon announcement, they have completed an acquisition of Gallium Nitride Systems. GaN Systems is located in Ottawa, Canada. With a complete gallium nitride product portfolio and industry-leading R&D capabilities, it will help Infineon to strengthen its leadership position in power systems.
Application of GaN in the Semiconductor Industry
Gallium nitride is a very hard and mechanically stable wide-band gap semiconductor material. With higher breakdown strength, higher electron density and electron speed, higher thermal conductivity, and lower on-resistance, gallium nitride-based power devices are significantly superior to silicon-based devices.
As a new semiconductor material, gallium nitride can be used in the fields of optoelectronics, microwave radio frequency, and power electronic power devices.
Compared with silicon carbide, the advantages of gallium nitride are reflected in the high-frequency small power field, concentrated below 1000V, such as communication base stations, millimeter waves, etc. In the field of optoelectronics, gallium nitride is the basic material of blue LEDs and has important applications in Micro LEDs and ultraviolet lasers. 5G base stations require higher peak power, wider bandwidth, and higher frequency. With the popularity of 5G, the market growth of gallium nitride in wireless communications has been promoted.
Advantages of GaN in Improving Semiconductor Performance
Based on its high-frequency characteristics, gallium nitride is a good material for preparing ultraviolet light devices. In addition, the application of gallium nitride in power electronic power devices has also begun, mainly in power-related chips, which can be used in consumer electronic chargers, data center power systems, photovoltaic inverters, and other fields.
Source: Internet
In terms of the application of new energy vehicles, the electric vehicle developed by a Japanese research team using gallium nitride devices is 20% more energy-efficient than ordinary products, and indicators such as heat generation have also been significantly improved. It is reported that the European Union has launched a project in 2021, with the goal of increasing the voltage of GaN to 1200V and increasing the wafer size from 6 inches to 12 inches. This means that GaN products have begun to be used in areas such as electric vehicles. With the construction of base stations, the demand for gallium nitride will continue to grow.
In terms of consumer electronics applications, gallium nitride has the advantages of superthermal conductivity, high-temperature resistance, acid and alkali resistance, etc. When used in charging, it has the advantages of high efficiency, low heat generation, high power and small size. The charging power conversion is also faster than traditional charging. The device has more advantages.
According to Yole's forecast, the gallium nitride power supply market will exceed US$350 million by 2024, with an average annual growth rate of 85%. Gallium nitride power devices outperform silicon devices in terms of high frequency, high conversion efficiency, low loss, and high-temperature resistance. As the downstream application market expands, scale effects will gradually emerge.
Infineon Acquired GaN System to Improve its Leadership in Power System
Infineon is one of the leading manufacturers in Mosfet. The acquisition of GaN Systems will bring it a rich portfolio of gallium nitride power conversion solutions and leading application technologies.
Source: Internet
Jochen Hanebeck, CEO of Infineon Technologies, said that gallium nitride technology clears the way for creating more low-carbon and energy-saving solutions and helps promote the low-carbon process. The acquisition of GaN Systems will significantly advance the company's gallium nitride technology roadmap and give us access to all major power semiconductor technologies simultaneously, further strengthening Infineon's leadership in power systems.
At present, Infineon has a total of 450 gallium nitride technology experts and more than 350 gallium nitride technology patent families, which further expands Infineon's leading advantage in the field of power semiconductors and will significantly shorten the launch cycle of new products. Infineon and GaN Systems complement each other in terms of intellectual property rights, deep understanding of applications, and mature customer project planning, which creates extremely favorable conditions for Infineon to meet various rapidly growing application needs.
Challenges of GaN in Semiconductor Industry
GaN-based power conversion technology is widely used in consumer electronics, data centers, and other fields, which is conducive to improving the efficient use of power and achieving energy conservation and emission reduction.
GaN is moving from the low-power consumer electronics market to high-power data centers, photovoltaic inverters, communication power supplies, and other markets. Despite the huge market potential of gallium nitride, its popularization in the automotive market still faces some challenges. The main challenges include issues such as reliability, product model, production model, and design process. At present, the main products of gallium nitride are 650V devices. If you want to meet higher voltage applications, you need to continuously improve its process and design.
Due to its high performance, equipment that uses a large number of gallium nitride components will inevitably face the challenge of small size and high efficiency. With the adoption of 800V battery systems, the real challenge lies in where to go next.