History of GaN: High-Power RF Gallium Nitride (GaN) from Infancy to Manufacturable Process and Beyond

Abstract

In the early 1990s, gallium nitride (GaN) was deemed an excellent, next generation, semiconductor material for high power/high frequency transistors based on the material parameters of bandgap, electron mobility, and saturated electron velocity. The lack of bulk GaN source material led to the need for GaN growth on mismatched substrates such as Si, SiC and sapphire, but fundamental material development controlled the pace of maturation of GaN technology for both electronic and optoelectronic applications. The development of GaN for RF electronics was significantly aided by the intense development that occurred in the race to first production of blue and, eventually, white light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Ultimately, advancements in the growth of device-grade aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN)/GaN heterostructures culminated in the demonstration of record power density RF amplifiers.