Introduction and Overview

Abstract

Today, gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor-based devices light up cell phones, car headlights, and computer screens and are slowly replacing incandescent bulbs, powering a solid-state lighting revolution. But GaN’s reach now extends far beyond optoelectronics and lighting; the maturing of this semiconductor material has given us GaN electronic devices that are vying to replace microwave amplifiers in mobile phone base stations because of their higher frequency- and power-handling capacity. Because GaN and related III-N semiconductors can sustain much higher electric fields than silicon and switch faster due to a higher channel electron mobility, GaN-based electronics is also making significant inroads into replacing silicon high-voltage transistors with much smaller and energy-efficient alternatives in data centers, miniature power adapters, and convertors, as well as making strides toward higher-power, high-voltage applications such as industrial and automotive motor control.