What is GaN (gallium nitride)?

GaN (gallium nitride) in the explanations

• In a GaN HEMT, the difference in spontaneous and piezoelectric polarization at the AlGaN/GaN interface creates a dense two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) of about 10¹³ cm⁻².

  Which is the channel through which current flows in a GaN H…

• Semiconductors with bandgaps of roughly 3 eV or more are called wide-bandgap semiconductors; SiC (about 3.3 eV) and GaN (about 3.4 eV) are the main examples.

  What is the general term for semiconductors with a larger b…

• SiC and GaN switch with extremely steep voltage and current slopes—tens to 100 V/ns—so parasitic wiring inductance produces surge voltages and current through parasitic capacitances generates electromagnetic interference (EMI).

  When SiC or GaN power devices switch at high speed, which p…

Questions that mention GaN (gallium nitride) (47)

1. Which is the channel through which current flows in a GaN HEMT?
2. What is the general term for semiconductors with a larger band gap than silicon, such as SiC and GaN?
3. When SiC or GaN power devices switch at high speed, which problem particularly needs countermeasures?
4. Which is an example of an everyday product in which GaN power devices are increasingly used?
5. In GaN devices, which substrates are commonly used for growing the GaN layers?
6. Why is GaN well suited to high-frequency, high-power transistors?
7. What is one main reason SiC is used as the substrate for GaN HEMTs?
8. Which impurity is typically used to make p-type layers in GaN?
9. What is the typical crystal structure of GaN?
10. What structure do most of today's widely used GaN power devices adopt?
11. Which configuration combines a normally-on GaN HEMT in series with a low-voltage silicon MOSFET so it can be used safely with normally-off behavior?
12. Why does Mg-doped GaN grown by MOCVD remain highly resistive rather than p-type right after growth, and what is the countermeasure?
13. In GaN and similar materials, what is the technique called that reduces dislocations by growing crystal from mask openings and then laterally over the mask?
14. What is the main challenge in growing GaN on Si substrates?
15. Which method is used to grow thick GaN layers quickly to make free-standing GaN substrates?

Related terms

SiC (silicon carbide) GaAs (gallium arsenide) 2DEG (two-dimensional electron gas) InP (indium phosphide) HEMT (high-electron-mobility transistor) MOCVD (metal-organic chemical vapor deposition) Mobility Ga2O3 (gallium oxide) On-resistance Band gap