ON Semiconductor joins imec’s GaN-on-Si research program

ON Semiconductor, a global supplier of silicon solutions for energy-efficient electronics, has joined the multipartner, industrial research and development program at imec, a nanoelectronics research centre. It will collaborate on the development of next-generation gallium nitride (GaN) on silicon (Si) power devices.

“ON Semiconductor has been researching GaN silicon technologies for several years and is presently building a GaN processing line in its Oudenaarde facility in Belgium,” said Hans Stork, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at ON Semiconductor. “Partnering with imec will help strengthen our current market position and potentially assist us in adding a competitive leading-edge technology to our customer offerings. We look forward to collaborating with a broad consortium of like-minded companies on forward-looking research in this field.”

GaN is characterised by superior electron mobility, higher breakdown voltage and good thermal conductivity properties, making it ideal for power and radio frequency (RF) devices which need high-switching efficiencies. Today, GaN-based power devices are too expensive for large-volume manufacturing as they are fabricated on small diameter wafers using non-standard production processes.

Imec’s broad-scale research program is focused on developing GaN-on-Si technology on 200 mm wafers, as well as reducing the cost and improving the performance of GaN devices. By bringing together leading integrated device manufacturers (IDMs), foundries, compound semiconductor companies, equipment suppliers and substrate suppliers, imec has been successful in achieving significant technical advancements.

Imec’s power devices on 200 mm CMOS-compatible GaN-on-Si.

Last year, imec’s research program successfully produced 200 mm GaN-on-Si wafers, bringing processing within reach for standard high-productivity 200 mm fabs. Moreover, imec developed a fabrication process compatible with standard CMOS processes and tools, the second prerequisite for cost-effective processing.