The State of Wide Bandgap The Evolving Landscape of Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Technology

Virtually any technological system that can benefit from electrical control, communication, power, actuation, and sensing has been electrified and electrically connected.

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Beginning in the 1950s, the element at the heart of this technology has been silicon (Si), an incredibly versatile semiconductor with decades of development. However, Si is limited in specific areas of high power, high frequency, efficiency, radiation resistance, low noise, and optoelectronic capability. Third-generation semiconductors, especially wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors, offer a performance advantage over Si that has justified the significant amount of time and effort required to develop economically viable semiconductor fabrication infrastructures and processes.

Many class IV, III-V, and II-VI compound semiconductor materials have wide bandgaps. These materials are often used for photonics, LEDs, and lasers, but only a few are suitable for broader semiconductor applications. The two leading WBG semiconductor technologies are silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN). Though diamond (C) semiconductors have many attractive properties, the relative cost of producing diamond semiconductors has been a barrier to their wider use and applicability. SiC and GaN are increasingly used in high-power, high-frequency, high-efficiency, and highradiation environments to enable performance levels that would otherwise be out of reach for other semiconductor technologies. Moreover, the maturity of SiC and GaN technologies has led to more significant economies of scale and larger wafer sizes, enabling cost reductions and extending the technology's suitability to many traditional Si power applications (Figures 1 and 2).

SiC in 2023