The large-scale process of gallium nitride wafers is accelerating again
At the China International Compound Semiconductor Industry Expo held on April 8, 2024, GDZN showcased the world’s first 8-inch sapphire based gallium nitride high electron mobility transistor (GaN HEMTs) wafer device.
Previously, a senior executive from Texas Instruments also stated that the company is shifting its 6-inch gallium nitride from multiple wafer fabs to 8-inch wafer production. The significant increase in the number of chips produced from 6-inch wafers to 8-inch wafers is a necessary path for the development of semiconductor devices. With the gradual expansion of the gallium nitride market, the large-scale production of wafers is accelerating.
Yield exceeding 95%
GDZN showcased the world’s first 8-inch sapphire based GaN HEMTs wafer for the first time. Professor Li Xiangdong introduced at the meeting that by adjusting the epitaxial process, the unevenness of the gallium nitride epitaxial film was controlled within 4%. The CP test yield of the prepared HEMTs device exceeded 95%, and the breakdown voltage exceeded 2000V.
It is understood that currently, gallium nitride power HEMTs below 200V and around 650V have been mass-produced on 8-inch wafer lines. However, the display of gallium nitride devices at the 2000V level on 8-inch lines is still the first time. An 8-inch wafer will be the only way for gallium nitride to become a mainstream power electronic device. On the one hand, the use of sapphire substrates can significantly improve the voltage resistance of gallium nitride. In recent years, the sapphire substrate technology route has been widely regarded as the preferred solution for achieving 1200-3300V GaN HEMTs.
Due to the shift towards 8-inch wafers, the number of chips per GaN HEMTs wafer will be nearly twice that of 6-inch wafers, and the cost of gallium nitride devices will also be significantly reduced compared to the 6-inch solution. With the increasingly mature preparation process and large-scale shipment of 8-inch sapphire substrates, the price of individual chips will rapidly decline. By then, with the advantages of ultra-thin buffer layer and simple field board design, the cost of sapphire based GaN HEMTs wafers is expected to be further reduced, and it will have an impact on existing silicon-based MOSFETs, IGBTs, and silicon carbide MOSFETs.
Sapphire gallium nitride wafer is an advanced semiconductor material that combines the excellent electronic properties of gallium nitride with the high thermal conductivity of sapphire substrate. This material performs well in high-frequency, high-power, and high-temperature applications, especially in the fields of optoelectronics and power electronics.
In January 2024, GDZN also collaborated with Academician Hao Yue and Professor Zhang Jincheng’s team to tackle research and successfully achieved 1700V GaN HEMTs devices on a 6-inch sapphire substrate by using thin buffer layer AlGaN/GaN epitaxial wafers from GDZN Technology.
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