Emerging GaN and SiC Technologies and Applications Workshop

This one-day workshop will feature 6+ hours of content with 125+ slides developed and presented by Harvey Weinberg, Director of Sensor Technologies at Microtech Ventures.

We will discuss compound semiconductors such as GaN, GaAs, SiC, and SiGe. We will explain the principal differences between them and compare them to conventional Si-based semiconductors. While we will offer short descriptions of several compound semiconductors and where they are used, we will focus on GaN and SiC due to their rapid adoption in automotive, power conversion, and RF (e.g. 5G) applications. We will describe GaN and SiC principal benefits, why they exhibit their special characteristics, and describe the application spaces where GaN and SiC excel. We will compare GaN and SiC to each other, as well as to state-of-the-art Si. There will also be a discussion on the GaN and SiC manufacturing processes with an eye towards the economics of each — particularly as compared to mature Si processes. Finally, we will offer prognostications as to the future of GaN and SiC, and what’s next in compound semiconductors.

1. What are compound semiconductors and what is unique about them? We’ll give examples of III-V materials (GaN, GaAs, InP, GaP), II-VI materials (ZnSe, MCdTe, CdS), and IV-IV materials (SiC, SiGe) and where these materials are used.
2. What is bandgap and how do GaN and SiC benefit from having a wide bandgap?
3. Why are compound semiconductors needed (and where are they not needed)? We’ll compare compound semiconductors to traditional Si devices in several applications.
4. What is the expected adoption growth for compound semiconductors by market?
5. What are typical GaN and SiC applications?
6. Why does SiC have an advantage over Si in high-power inverters and DC-to-DC converter applications? Where does GaN fit into these applications?
7. Why is GaN preferred over Si in RF applications?
8. How are GaN devices made and used?
9. How are SiC devices made and used?
10. GaN and SiC manufacturing costs.
11. Comparison of GaN and SiC to other esoteric semiconductor materials.
12. What comes next for GaN and SiC? Is there something even better around the corner?

We will also offer an overview of the notable players in the GaN and SiC ecosystem, including: II-VI, Allegro Microsystems, Analog Devices, Bosch, Broadcom, Clas-SiC, EPC, Finwave Semiconductor, Fuji Electric, Fujitsu, GaN Systems, Hunan Sanan, Imec, Infineon, Innoscience, Littlefuse, MACOM, Microchip Technology, Mitsubishi Electric, Navitas, NexGen Power Systems, Nexperia, OnSemi, Powerex, Qorvo, Renesas, Rhom, Semikon Danfoss, SK Silitron, Solitron, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments, Toshiba, Transphorm, TSMC, United Monolithic Semiconductor, VisIC Technologies, Wolfspeed, X-trinSiC, and Yes Powertechnix (non-exhaustive list).

This workshop will be presented by Harvey Weinberg, Director of Sensor Technologies at Microtech Ventures, a global firm focused on investments, M&A advisory services, management consulting, and business development for sensors, MEMS, and microtechnology companies.