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Gallium nitride (GaN) is a very hard, mechanically stable wide bandgap semiconductor. With higher breakdown strength, faster switching speed, higher thermal conductivity and lower on-resistance, power devices based on GaN significantly outperform silicon-based devices. GaN is used in the production of semiconductor power devices as well as RF components and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The “gan process” has demonstrated the capability to be the displacement technology for silicon semiconductors in power conversion, RF, and analog applications. 1. What They Are They have a higher switching speed, a higher temperature threshold, and higher current density than both of these types. The “gan power transistors” boast several superiorities to other types of high-power semiconductors such as silicon and silicon carbide. They also boast increased power handling capabilities, which means that their size can be reduced compared to other high-power transistors without compromising on the amount of power they can handle. 2. How They Work GaN transistors are voltage-controlled devices. The gate terminal is what acts as the input and output of a GaN transistor, controlling how many current flows through it depending on its state (on/off). This makes GaN transistors extremely useful for any application where we need to control the flow of electricity very tightly. Some examples include cordless tools, inverter technology, and electric vehicle charging. 3. How they’re made GaN transistors are usually made by growing a thin layer of GaN on top of a sapphire substrate. This process is called epitaxy. It takes place in the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) machine at elevated temperatures between 500°C to 800°C. A gallium source, an arsine source, nitrogen source, and sometimes hydrogen are used during this growth process to form the semiconductor ingot on top of the sapphire substrate.