News: Microelectronics
2 September 2021
Infineon and Panasonic agree to develop and produce Gen2 GaN technology
Infineon Technologies AG of Munich, Germany and Panasonic Corp of Osaka, Japan have signed an agreement for the joint development and production of the second generation (Gen2) of their proven gallium nitride (GaN) technology, offering higher efficiency and power density levels.
The performance and reliability combined with the capability of 8-inch GaN-on-silicon wafer production mark Infineon’s strategic outreach to the growing demand for GaN power semiconductors. In accordance with market requirements, Gen2 will be developed as 650V GaN HEMTs. The devices are intended to allow for ease of use and to provide an improved price-performance ratio, targeting, amongst others, high- and low-power switched-mode power supplies (SMPS) applications, renewables, and motor drive applications.
“In addition to the same high reliability standards as for Gen1, with the next generation customers will benefit from even easier control of the transistor as well as a significantly improved cost position, thanks to moving to an 8-inch wafer manufacturing,” says Andreas Urschitz, president of Infineon’s Power and Sensor Systems Division.
Like the jointly developed Gen1 devices (known as Infineon’s CoolGaN and Panasonic’s X-GaN), the second generation will be based on the normally-off GaN-on-Si transistor structure. This, in combination with the robustness of the hybrid-drain-embedded gate injection transistor (HD-GIT) structure, makes the components some of the most long-term reliable solutions on the market, it is claimed.
Market launch of the new 650V GaN Gen2 devices is planned for first-half 2023.
