The Fraunhofer Institute is developing efficient, gallium nitride-based semiconductor components for key energy transition technologies, aiming to enhance performance and reduce costs in power electronics. These advancements support crucial areas like electric vehicles and renewable energy, propelling a shift towards a climate-neutral society. Credit: Fraunhofer IAF
Key technologies crucial for the energy transition—including electric vehicles, charging infrastructure converters, energy storage systems, as well as solar and wind power plants—depend heavily on electronic components that deliver both high performance and efficiency. Wide band gapare essential in these components’ development because they operate with lower losses, handle higher voltages, and tolerate greater temperatures compared to traditional silicon-based semiconductors.
“The energy transition is not only necessary to maintain our quality of life, but it is also an opportunity to secure Europe’s economic strength through future technologies in the areas of mobility and the energy industry. Efficient, powerful, and cost-effective semiconductor components are the key components of this transformation,” explains Dr. Richard Reiner, scientist in the business unit Power Electronics at Fraunhofer IAF.
In the second approach, the researchers replace the conductive Si with highly insulating carrier substrates such as sapphire, SiC, or GaN, which virtually eliminates the voltage limit. Lateral GaN-on-sapphire HEMTs can be manufactured cost-effectively based on relevant preliminary work for light-emitting diode applications and can be produced in existing production lines.
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