In an effort to accelerate adoption of gallium nitride (GaN) process technology, STMicroelectronics and TSMC are teaming to produce a portfolio of power GaN and GaN IC devices. These devices will leverage GaN’s wide bandgap to achieve improved energy efficiency in power-conversion applications.
GaN is a wide bandgap semiconductor material which offers significant benefits over traditional silicon-based semiconductors for power applications. These benefits include greater energy efficiency at higher power, leading to a substantial reduction in parasitic power losses. GaN technology also allows the design of more compact devices. Additionally, GaN-based devices switch at speeds as much as 10X faster than silicon-based devices while operating at higher peak temperatures. Such robust and intrinsic material characteristics make GaN well-suited for broad-based adoption in evolving automotive, industrial, telecom, and specific consumer applications across both the 100V and the 650V clusters.
Power GaN and GaN IC technology-based products will enable ST to provide solutions for medium and high-power applications with better efficiency compared to silicon technologies on the same topologies, including automotive converters and chargers for hybrid and electric vehicles. Power GaN and GaN IC technologies will help accelerate the megatrend of the electrification of consumer and commercial vehicles.
ST expects the delivery of first samples of power GaN discrete devices to key customers later this year, followed by GaN IC products within a few months.
ST Microelectronics, www.st.com; TSMC, www.tsmc.com
