June/July 2021

6 MARKET NEWS Issue 3 2021 Power Electronics Europe www.power-mag.com The GaN power market doubled in 2020 according to market researcher Yole, highlighting the impressive growth of smartphone fast chargers and leading the way for telecom and automotive markets. “Following Oppo’s adoption of GaN in its 65 W inbox fast chargers for its Reno Ace model in late 2019, several phone OEMs and accessory charger providers released GaN-solution design wins for their fast chargers in 2020”, commented Ahmed Ben Slimane, Technology & Market Analyst at Yole Développement. “The GaN power market doubled in 2020 compared to 2019 and is poised to surpass the $1 billion mark in 2026. As further confirmation of this impressive GaN market growth, is that the markets for telecom & datacom and automotive & mobility will contribute in the mid- to long-term to overall growth, benefiting from GaN’s ascension in fast chargers.” As analyzed by Yole’s team in the GaN Power 2021 Trends report, in the consumer market, GaN enjoyed a successful year in 2020 thanks to several companies, such as Xiaomi, Lenovo, Samsung, Realme, Dell and LG, as well as other Chinese aftermarket companies that adopted GaN technology. Yole expects the GaN consumer power supply market to be the main driver, as this market is forecast to grow from almost $29 million in 2020 to around $670 million in 2026 with a CAGR of 70 %. The adoption of GaN in the smartphone market is fueled by system compactness, high efficiency, and adapter multifunctionalities. Fast charging is likely to be the killer application for the GaN power device market. So far, at least 10 smartphones OEMs have launched more than 18 phones with an inbox GaN charger. This growth will continue in the aftermarket as well, with companies like Apple, Xiaomi, and Samsung opting for an out-of-the-box charger solution. In the telecom & datacom market, which requires more efficient, smaller power supply amidst tighter regulations for energy consumption, datacenter & telecom operators are already interested in GaN devices. While GaN continues its ascension in the mass consumer market, the markets for telecom & datacom will benefit from the “economy of scale effect” and price erosion. Indeed, in these markets where reliability and cost are paramount, Yole expects that GaN penetration will see increasing volumes starting from 2023 – 2024. Following the first small-volume adoption of GaN-based power supplies by Eltek, Delta, and BelPower in recent years, Yole expects a larger penetration of GaN, with a market valued at $9 million in 2020 and a CAGR 2020-2026 of 70 %, reaching more than $220 million in 2026. “The automotive & mobility market is also paying lots of attention to GaN, following big incentives for the electrification of cars and the interest in increasing driving range through system efficiency optimization. Players such as EPC, Transphorm, GaN Systems, Texas Instruments and Nexperia are AEC qualified. The major IDM STMicroelectronics, through partnership and acquisition, is also targeting GaN for EVs. Starting from 2022, GaN is expected to penetrate in small volumes in applications such as OBC and DC/DC converters, mainly related to sampling by OEM s and Tier-1s. Yole expects the automotive & mobility market to reach more than $155 million in 2026. In the long term, in cases where GaN has proven its reliability and high-current capabilities at a lower price, it can penetrate the more challenging EV/HEV inverter market and the conservative industrial market, which could create remarkable high-volume opportunities for GaN. In fact, Nexperia and VisIC are working on GaN solutions for xEV inverters to compete with SiC and Si,” Ahmed Ben Slimane stated. Regarding market players, Power Integrations and Navitas increased their market share within the power GaN market thanks to the fast-charging application for smartphones. STMicroelectronics has strengthened its position and product portfolio through its collaboration with TSMC, and the acquisition of majority stakes of Exagan. Texas Instruments and GaN systems have lately qualified their GaN device for automotive applications. EPC, Transphorm, and Infineon pursue their penetration within several applications to name a few the datacenter and aerospace markets. www.yole.fr GaN Power Market Crosses $1 Billion in 2026 Belgium-based Imec and Germany-based AIXTRON have demonstrated epitaxial growth of GaN buffer layers qualified for 1200 V applications on 200 mm QST® substrates, with a hard breakdown exceeding 1800 V. The manufacturability of 1200 V-qualified buffer layers opens doors to highest voltage GaN-based power applications such as electric cars, previously only with SiC-based technology. Wide-bandgap materials such as GaN and SiC have proved their value as next-generation semiconductors for power-demanding applications where Silicon falls short. SiC-based technology is the most mature, but it is also more expensive. Over the years tremendous progress has been made with GaN- based technology grown on for example 200 mm Si wafers. At imec, qualified enhancement mode high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) and Schottky diode power devices have been demonstrated for 100, 200 and 650 V operating voltage ranges, paving the way for high-volume manufacturing applications. However, achieving operating voltages higher than 650 V has been challenged by the difficulty of growing thick-enough GaN buffer layers on 200 mm wafers. Therefore, SiC so far remains the semiconductor of choice for 650-1200 V applications – including electric cars and renewable energy. For the first time, imec and AIXTRON have demonstrated epitaxial growth of GaN buffer layers qualified for 1200 V applications on 200mm QST® (in SEMI standard thickness) substrates at 25°C and 150°C, with a hard breakdown exceeding 1800 V. “GaN can now become the technology of GaN on 200 mm Wafers for 1200 V Applications