An Opportunity to Increase Power Devices Performance

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

• Thanks to its high band gap and doping possibility at room temperature, Ga2O3 has been proposed for power electronics applications.Compared to existing SiC and bulk GaN technology, GaSO3 key selling point is the possibility of using melt growth to make large, inexpensive wafers. Under this process, much little energy is used compared to energy-consuming methods employed for GaN and SiC bulk crystals and substrates creation: sublimation, vapor phase epitaxy, and high-pressure synthesis.
  “It is estimated that the power dissipated per-unit-area of substrate at the time of production is just one-third of that associated with SiC sublimation, due to a lower growth temperature and a higher growth rate”, explains Dr Hong Lin, Technology & Market Analyst at Yole.
  And she adds: “As the same system configuration for sapphire is used, it should be possible to make cheaper Ga2O3 substrates than bulk GaN or SiC. If there is demand, it should be also possible to make 6” Ga2O3 substrates at a low unit cost. However, the demand is quite limited so far and the price remains high.”
• Diamond is the ideal candidate for power electronic applications, thanks to a combination of unique properties. Electronics applications identified by Yole are Schottky diodes, transistors, etc… They require high-quality single-crystalline CVD diamond.
• Having initially targeted UV LED applications but finding subpar demand, some AlN suppliers are now targeting the power market in order to diversify their activities. AlN’s key value proposition for power applications is the fact that it has the largest band gap.

Under its WBG materials report, Yole’s analysts reveal the state-of-the-art materials like SiC, GaN, Ga2O3, diamond, and AlN. They define a comprehensive technology roadmap and propose a deep understanding of the WBG materials evolution in the power electronics sector. A detailed description of this technology & market analysis is available on i-micronews.com, compound semi. reports section.

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