Texas Instruments (TI) declared that it has started manufacturing power semiconductors based on gallium nitride (GaN) at its facility in Aizu, Japan. As Aizu ramps up production, TI will now produce four times as many GaN-based power semiconductors in-house in addition to its current GaN manufacturing in Dallas, Texas.
The Power of GaN Technology
GaN is a semiconductor substitute for silicon that has advantages in terms of energy efficiency, switching speed, power solution weight and size, total system cost, and performance at high voltages and temperatures. Applications like power adapters for laptops and cell phones, or smaller, more energy-efficient motors for home appliances and heating and cooling systems, are made possible by GaN chips’ increased power density, or power in smaller spaces.
To enable the most dependable, power-dense, and energy-efficient electronics, TI now provides the broadest range of integrated GaN-based power semiconductors, from low- to high-voltage.
Furthermore, TI GaN chips are made to ensure the safety of high-voltage systems thanks to the company’s unique GaN-on-silicon process, over 80 million hours of reliability testing, and inbuilt protection features.
Most advanced GaN manufacturing technology available today
TI’s additional capacity allows for improved product performance and manufacturing process efficiency, as well as a cost advantage, by utilizing the most cutting-edge technology currently available for GaN chip manufacture.
Additionally, TI’s extended GaN manufacturing process uses more sophisticated, effective technologies that may create smaller chips with even more power. End goods that use GaN chips benefit from the same environmental advantages as this design innovation, which may be produced with less water, energy, and raw materials.
Scaled for future advances
By scaling its GaN chips to higher voltages—beginning at 900V and gradually increasing to higher voltages—TI is able to further advance power-efficiency and size innovations for applications such as server power supplies, robotics, and renewable energy. This is made possible by the performance advantages of its additional GaN manufacturing.
A successful pilot project earlier this year for the development of GaN manufacturing methods on 300mm wafers is another aspect of TI’s increased commitment. Furthermore, TI is in a position to easily scale to client needs and transition to 300mm in the future because its enhanced GaN manufacturing methods are entirely transferable to 300mm technology.
Committed to responsible, sustainable manufacturing
The most recent illustration of TI’s dedication to ethical, sustainable manufacturing is the expansion of supply and innovation in GaN technology. TI has pledged to run its operations entirely on renewable energy by 2027 in the United States and by 2030 globally.
Key Comments
“Building on more than a decade of expertise in GaN chip design and manufacturing, we have successfully qualified our 200mm GaN technology – the most scalable and cost-competitive way to manufacture GaN today – to start mass production in Aizu,” said Mohammad Yunus, TI’s senior vice president of Technology and Manufacturing. “This milestone enables us to manufacture more of our GaN chips internally as we grow our internal manufacturing to more than 95% by 2030, while also sourcing from multiple TI locations, ensuring a reliable supply of our entire GaN portfolio of high-power, energy-efficient semiconductors.”
“With GaN, TI can deliver more power, more efficiently in a compact space, which is the primary market need driving innovation for many of our customers,” said Kannan Soundarapandian, vice president of High-Voltage Power at TI. “As designers of systems such as server power, solar energy generation and AC/DC adapters face challenges to reduce power consumption and enhance energy efficiency, they are increasingly demanding a reliable supply of TI’s high-performance GaN-based chips. TI’s product portfolio of integrated GaN power stages enables customers to achieve higher power density, improved ease of use and lower system cost.”
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