The United States is at risk of surrendering its leadership in gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor technology to China in the absence of new policies and investment, according to researchers from the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
“It is therefore concerning that Chinese firms like Innoscience, Suzhou Nanowin, HiWafer, and Sanan IC are today among the leading GaN technology companies around the world, operating a majority of the GaN fabrication and epitaxy facilities that grow the thin layers of crystals on substrates critical for the production of high-performance and reliable GaN devices,” the paper reads.
Semiconductors are tiny chips with microscopic circuitry that power a wide range of consumer products, from smartphones to electric vehicles. For decades, silicon has been the material of choice for making semiconductors due to its abundance and relatively low cost.
However, as electronic devices become more advanced and sophisticated, silicon semiconductors cannot meet the performance demands, which paves the way for the development of compound semiconductors such as GaN. Compared to conventional Silicon-based semiconductors, GaN semiconductors offer the advantages of lower power consumption, higher operating temperatures, and higher power density.
The process of manufacturing semiconductors requires thousands of steps, including deposition, lithography, and packaging. One of the deposition techniques is epitaxy, which is the formation of a layer of crystalline semiconductor material on a wafer.
Currently, the U.S. defense industry “already relies heavily” on GaN semiconductors in devices such as advanced radar systems, according to the article.
In October last year, New York-based chipmaker GlobalFoundries announced receiving $35 million in federal funding from the Department of Defense to accelerate the manufacturing of next-generation GaN semiconductors.
Due to China’s export restrictions, the researchers wrote that “there are growing concerns about the depletion of gallium stocks in North America.”
“As China starts to weaponize its critical minerals and restricts the rest of the world from accessing necessary resources for advanced technological development, there is a pressing need for the United States to reinforce its gallium supply chain more actively,” the paper reads.
Unlike some metals that can be mined, such as lithium and cobalt, gallium is extracted as a byproduct of aluminum and zinc production.
Other suggestions for the U.S. government included increasing local epitaxy capacity and focusing on research and development of GaN production technology.
“The growing adoption of GaN semiconductors is a major opportunity for the United States. It already leads in GaN technology research,” the paper reads. “With the correct mix of government policy and private initiative in developing and commercializing this new materials technology, the United States could be at the forefront of the next generation of semiconductor innovation.
