Gallium Nitride Integration: Going Where Silicon Power Can't Go [Expert View

Abstract

Discusses the challenges that existed in the late 1970s when power engineers working in the field of power metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) were given the challenge of integrating several power devices to form a monolithic half-bridge that could be used in a variable-speed motor drive. They quickly discovered the difficulty of integrating multiple silicon (Si) power devices into a monolithic component because of the migration of minority carriers from one power device to the next. Solving the problem involved expensive technology. Forty years later, and with the fast developments in gallium nitrideon- Si (GaN-on-Si) technology, multiple power devices can now be monolithically integrated economically. It has been more than eight years since discrete GaN-on-Si power devices hit the off-the-shelf commercial market as replacements for aging Si power MOSFETs. New applications, such as LiDAR and envelope tracking, have benefited from the faster switching speeds and small size of GaN devices.