Gallium Nitride is emerging as a leading technology for high power, high frequency semiconductor applications. Gallium Nitride exhibits several characteristics that approach the performance of an ideal semiconductor substrate:
- High breakdown voltage
- High power density
- High frequency operation
- High Efficiency
- Good thermal conductivity properties
Though there are several competing technologis that can match some of the capabilities of Gallium Nitride (GaN), GaN has several advantages over legacy RF technologies:
- High Breakdown Voltage
- Enhances Carrier Density and Saturation Velocity
- Enables Higher operating Junction Temperatures
Further, since most GaN is Grown on semi-insulating substrates, parasitic losses are diminished, compared with other technologies. the result? High power density and high power output over a wide bandwidth and improved performance for a variety of applications.
There has been much debate in the industry about the use of LDMOS versus GaN for high power applications. while LDMOS dose have a manufacturability advantage (LDMOS is fabricated on silicon wafers), the performance of LDMOS cannot match that of GaN. A comparison table is shown below.
GaN vs LDMOS Comparison
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