GaN Industry Applications

The application areas of SiC-based and Si-based GaN are not strictly separated. In GaN-On-SiC devices, the cost of SiC substrate is relatively high, and with the growing maturity of SiC long crystal technology, the cost of the device is expected to fall further, and it is used in power devices in the field of power electronics.

GaN in the RF market

Currently there are three main processes in the RF market: the GaAs process, the Si-based LDMOS (Laterally Diffused Metal Oxide Semiconductor) process, and the GaN process.The drawbacks of GaAs devices and LDMOS devices are There is a limit to the operating frequency, with the maximum effective frequency below 3 GHz.

GaN bridges the gap between GaAs and Si-based LDMOS technologies, combining the power processing capability of Si-based LDMOS with the high-frequency performance of GaAs. GaAs is mainly used in small base stations, and with the reduction of GaN cost, GaN is expected to occupy part of the small base station PA market by virtue of its high-power, high-frequency and high-efficiency characteristics, forming a pattern jointly dominated by GaAs PA and GaN.

GaN in power device applications

Due to the structure contains can realize the high-speed performance of the heterojunction two-dimensional electron gas, GaN devices compared to SiC devices have a higher operating frequency, coupled with can withstand the voltage is lower than the SiC device, so GaN power electronic devices are more suitable for high-frequency, small volume, cost-sensitive, low power requirements of the power supply field, such as lightweight consumer electronics power adapters, Ultra-light power supply for drones, wireless charging devices, etc.

At present, fast charging is the main battlefield of GaN. The automotive field is one of the key application scenarios for GaN power devices, which can be used in automotive DC/DC converters, DC/AC inverters, AC/DC rectifiers, and OBCs (on-board chargers).GaN power devices have low on-resistance, fast switching speed, higher power output density and higher energy conversion efficiency, which not only reduce power loss and energy saving, but also enable system miniaturization. This not only reduces power loss and saves energy, but also miniaturizes and lightens the system, effectively reducing the size and weight of power electronic devices.