9/2/2015

(2)WhatdrivesthedecisiontouseIIIV(GaNandGaAs)compoundsoversiliconforwafers?Quora

Search

Home

Write

Semiconductors:Whatdrivesthedecisiontouse
IIIV(GaNandGaAs)compoundsoversiliconfor
wafers?

8FOLLOWERS

ReAsk

Lastasked:26Nov,
2012

Follow 8

Comment Share Downvote

Havethisquestiontoo?ReAsktogetananswer.
QUESTIONTOPICS

Semiconductors

TapasRout
EditBioMakeAnonymous

AddTopics

Writeyouranswer,oranswerlater

QUESTIONSTATS

Views
Followers

1,857
8

5Answers
RichardGeorge

Edits

561Views

Speed(GaAs)orpowerhandling(GaN).GaAshashigherelectronmobility
thansilicon,thereforewhenelectronmobilityisthekeyfactorinperformance,
GaAscanbebetterthansilicon.LikewisethebandgapofGaN~x3islarger
thanthatofsiliconpowerhandlinggoeswiththebandgapsquared,sofor
highpowerdevices,GaNoffersmorecapabilityperdevicethantheequivalent
transistormanufacturedusingsilicon....alsoGaAsandGaNarebothdirect
bandgapmaterialswhichmeantheycanefficientlycovertelectricityintolight
youcanmakeinfraredLEDsusingGaAsandblueLEDswithGaN.
GaAshasalowerelectroneffectivemassthansilicon,whichmeansthat
quantumeffectsaremorepronouncedingalliumarsenidecomparedtosilicon
quantumwelltechnologyispracticalandmatureinepitaxiallygrown
GaAs/AlGaAswafers,whilstsilicon/silicongermaniumislackingthismaturity.
TheGunneffectisdependentonthevalleystructureoftheGaAsconduction
band,whilstthereisn'tanequivalenteffectfoundinsilicon,somicrowave
GunndiodesaretypicallymadeonGaAswafers
Written17Oct,2013

Upvote

Notifications

Tapas

AskQuestion

RELATEDQUESTIONS

Semiconductors:TheGalliumArsenide/
GalliumNitridewafermarketisgrowing
farlessquicklythanitsmobilehandset
endmarkets.Why...
Isthereasimplereasonwhysiliconand
germaniumhaveindirectbandgapswhile
manyIIIVandIIVIsemiconductors
haved...
Whydochipmakersusesiliconover
graphene?
Couldyoumakeasinglechipthatuses
theentiresiliconwafer?
HowcanIimprovethecontactbetweena
maskandawaferincontact
photolithographytoobtainsubmicron
featuresusingSU...
CanrealworlddiscreteGaAsMESFETs
orotherunusualsubstrateVHF
transistorsbeusedtoamplifyaudio
frequencysignals...
Howdosiliconboulesnotbreakoff
duringsemiconductorfabrication?
Isthereanyspecificflatconvention
beingfollowedforSiliconwafersnow?
Whichsemiconductorwafer
manufacturingtoolsarethemost
interestingtouseorwatchinafab?
Semiconductors:Couldwaferpackaging
beanontrivialgatingfactorinEUV
development?
MoreRelatedQuestions

Downvote Comment Share

SushmitMallik,EngineeratIntel|DevicePhysics/Optics/Circuits
1kViews

Prettymucheverythinghasbeenmentioned.Iwouldliketomentionaboutthe
intrinsiccarrierdensityofGaAs,whichisabout4ordersofmagnitudelower
thanthatofSi.Howdoesthishelp?
Well,intrinsiccarriersarelikeobstaclestoyourminoritycarrierswhichisthe
signalcarrier.So,GaAsgivesamuchbetterSignaltoNoiseRatio.
Written6Apr,2014

Upvote

Downvote Comment Share

DanielFishman
260Views

From$$perspectivethereisnosubstituteforSiwafernotfor300mmandof
coursenotfor450mm.Thefuture(andasitlooksnowfarfuture)isIII/V
semiconductoronSiwafers,depositedinactiveregionsonly.
Thiscombinestheabilityforlargeareaproduction(450mm)onwellknownSi
https://www.quora.com/Semiconductors/WhatdrivesthedecisiontouseIIIVGaNandGaAscompoundsoversiliconforwafers

1/3

9/2/2015

(2)WhatdrivesthedecisiontouseIIIV(GaNandGaAs)compoundsoversiliconforwafers?Quora

waferswithhighspeed(duetoIII/V)devices.
Therearemanytechnologicalproblemstosolvebeforethiscanbehighvolume
productiongrowingGaNorGaAsonSiisnotstraightforward,theGate
compositionandstructureshouldberebuildfornewmaterialsetc.
Written24Dec,2012

Upvote

Downvote Comment Share

JeffGruszynski
192Views

MostlynicheperformanceadvantagedeterminethechoiceofIIIVorother
compoundsemiconductor.Whensiliconcan'tstandin,thentheeconomics
allowIIIVtoplay.CurrentlyALLcompoundsemiconductor(whichincludes
allIIIV,allIIVIandIVIVsemiconductors)amountto1%ofworldwide
semiconductorproduction.Obviouslytherearestrongreasonstopickthe
defaultinyourcanmostlyrelatedtocosts.
Therearenumeroustechnical,economicandhistoricreasonsforthis.Usually
it'srelatedtospeed,electroopticcapabilityormorerecently,voltagehandling.
TechnologieslikeGaNMOSFETsareabletohavehighervoltageratings
thanconventionalsiliconMOSFETsorBJTs.Highervoltageisessential
forgreaterefficiencyinswitchingpowerconverterswhichareutterly
criticaltorenewableandportableelectricalenergy
Thenext"technologyfix"forMoore'sLawafterthecurrentsolutions
(FinFETandFDSOI)arelikelytobe"highmu"or"highmobility"channels
whichinvolveetchingchanneltrenchesanddepositingIIIV
semiconductorsintothechanneltrenchundertheMOSFETgate.This
couldbediceyhoweverbecauseofcostFinFETshavealready"brokenthe
Moore'sLawcostcurve"andthiswouldonlybefarworse.
CertainRF/WapplicationsarefacilitatedbyGaAs/AlGaAssuchas
HEMTandHBTdevicetechnologies.Leadingedgefrequency
performancestilltendstobethesetechnologieswhichcanonlybe
implementedincompoundsemiconductor.Aclosecousinofsilicon,SiGe,
canbeusedanditis"morecompatible"withsiliconthanmostIIIV.
LEDtechnologiesarecriticalforenergyconsumptionandrenewable
energyadoptionbecauseoftheirhighefficiency.AllAppleandprobably
mostothercompany'sLCDdisplaysare"backlit"byLEDsnow.Muchof
Asiahasalreadylongabandonedincandescentbulbsforlightingandare
intheprocessofobsoletingCFLsnow.Byvolume,LEDswillprobablybe
thedominantIIIVsemiconductorproductfordecadestocome.
Written8Apr,2014

Upvote

Downvote Comment Share

AshishKumarYadav,ResearchScholarIITIndore
80Views

1.Directbandgap,whichisnecessaryforoptoelectronicsapplication.
2.LargebandgapofGaN(3.43eV).
3.HighmobilityofchargecarriercanbeachievedinGaAsandGaN.
4.AsHighmobilityofCarrier,Highfrequencyapplicationcanbeachieved
usingGaNandGaAs.
5.Highbandgap.hightemperatureapplicationofGaNispossible.
Written27Mar

Upvote

Downvote Comment Share

https://www.quora.com/Semiconductors/WhatdrivesthedecisiontouseIIIVGaNandGaAscompoundsoversiliconforwafers

2/3

9/2/2015

(2)WhatdrivesthedecisiontouseIIIV(GaNandGaAs)compoundsoversiliconforwafers?Quora

TopStoriesfromYourFeed
SuchibratKarupvotedthisSat

Whatisthelatestfadamong
Indians?
AmitGoenka,24yearsintherich
culture!
43.5kViewsUpvotedbySuchibratKar

Abusingtheabusive
words.
Dude!thatguy
walkedinandIwas
likefuck!Fuck!I
madethisMaggiand
ittastessexy!Seriously?Whatthefuckis
wrongwithyou?Howcansomebodybelike
'fuck'or...
ReadInFeed

RishikaBeheraupvotedthisSun

Whataresomeamazingpictures
onehastoseetwiceto
understand?
SharathMV
121.4kViewsUpvotedbyRishika
Behera

AnuvabMohantyupvotedthisTue

Whydosomemenhatefeminists?
NikhilChaudhary,Equality.Period.
35.8kViewsUpvotedbyAnuvab
Mohanty

Manymen,includingmehatemany
feminists.Thatdoesn'tmeanIamagainst
theconceptoffeminism.
1. Whena17yearoldperfectlyhealthygirl
expectsmetooffermyseattoher,just
becauseshe...

ReadInFeed

https://www.quora.com/Semiconductors/WhatdrivesthedecisiontouseIIIVGaNandGaAscompoundsoversiliconforwafers

ReadInFeed

3/3