GaN-on-Si is entering in production. Under this context, what is the patent situation? KnowMade and Yole Développement decided to collaborate and combine their expertise to perform a patent analysis dedicated to the GaN-on-Si substrate market: GaN on Silicon Substrate Patent Investigation.
Under this report, the companies detail the technological challenges and known solutions. They provide an overview of the main players and up to 2020 market volume & revenue forecasts. Analysts give a deep understanding of the IP landscape and identify key patents per technology issues or patent assignee.
“GaN-on-Si technology appeared naturally as an alternative to GaN- on-Sapphire, the main stream technology for LED applications. Today, despite potential cost benefits, the mass adoption of GaN-on-Si technology for LED applications remains unclear,” explains Dr Hong Lin, Technology & Market Analyst, Compound Semiconductors & Power Electronics at Yole Développement.
Most major LED makers have a patenting activity related to GaN-on-Si technology, but so far, few have made it the core of their strategy and technology roadmap. Contrary to the LED industry, Yole Développement and KnowMade expect GaN-on-Si to be widely adopted by power electronics and RF applications because of its lower cost and CMOS compatibility.
The growth of GaN-on-silicon substrate was first reported in the early-1970s (T. L. Chu et al., J. Electrochemical Society, Vol. 118, page 1200), since the early 1990s more and more academics and industrials have been involved in developing this technology. GaN-on-Si technology is now poised for a list of technical challenges. The high lattice mismatch between GaN and Si results in a high defect density in epitaxial layers (dislocations). The high thermal expansion coefficient (TCE) mismatch between GaN and Si leads to a large tensile stress during cooling from the growth temperature to room temperature. The tensile stress causes film cracking and a concave bending of the wafer (warpage). These factors combine to make both dislocation density and crack/warpage reduction a challenging task.
Under GaN-On Si Substrate Patent Investigation report, Yole Développement and KnowMade cover patents published worldwide up to December, 2013.
“The patents addressing the above mentioned challenges have been selected, and an in-depth analysis of patent holders and corresponding patented technologies is provided. This report does not include patents related to active layers or GaN-based devices,” explains Dr Nicolas Baron, CEO & Co-founder, KnowMade.
Fundamental patents describing a gallium-nitride-based compound semiconductor grown on a silicon substrate were filed before the 1990s with the most significant assigned to TDK and Fujitsu. In the early 1990s, Toyoda Gosei and the University of Nagoya filed the first concepts of a buffer layer for improving the crystallinity of GaN. Those fundamental patents have been followed by an ever increasing number of applications since 1995 as more companies competed in GaN-on-Si technology to meet the technological challenges, the market demand and to lower manufacturing costs. Currently, the patented technologies reflect the significant improvements that have been made on key material issues such as dislocation density reduction and stress management for preventing cracks and warpage of the wafer.
According to Yole Développement & KnowMade analysis, GaN-on-Si IP is mature enough to initiate mass production.
What small companies currently make GaN on Silicon?
Thanks
Chris
Mg is neighbor of Al on periodic table. Mg has 3.21 lattice constant. Al is 4.05. Epitaxial TiN has lattice constant a: 4.24, epi-WSi2 has a:3.21; c:7.86, both films bond well with Si and Al. Growth of both materials are known to silicon industry. If they can play a role to grow p-type GaN on Si first, it may change lighting industry! Half of world is always in the dark! Light brings life!
Light colors life!