Since this year, gallium nitride (GaN) is a "net red" product, which is "hot" by mobile phone manufacturers such as Xiaomi, OPPO, Meizu. While the rapid production of gallium nitride is continuously expanded while the application range is continuously expanded, and it is penetrating to the 5G, data center, new energy vehicle involved in the new infrastructure. How will the new infrastructure empower gallium nitride, how do my country seize the gallium gallium nitride growth opportunity, use good market windows?
5G can take the lead in opening commercial space
Since the gallium nitride has a high frequency, high power density, loss of loss, RF devices become one of the most promising applications of gallium nitride. The 5G era, gallium nitride will accelerate the RF power amplifier (PA) required to penetrate the base station.
Fang State Advisory pointed out that the RF CMOS has no requirements for high frequency loss, noise large and low output power density due to silicon materials. The GaN material will gradually replace Si LDMOS with high frequency, high output power, and use it to PA. Market research institutions Yole pointed out in the report that 5G commercial macro base stations are mainly based on 64-channel large-scale array antennas, with a single base station PA demand reaches 192. The 2019 global GaN radio frequency device market has reached $ 527 million, which is expected to reach $ 1324 million in 2023.
"5G demand growth of gallium nitride is very obvious, the PA required for 5G base station has brought a great market opportunity for gallium nitride. With the performance development of silicon, gallium nitride alternative silicon cuts more Large bandwidth, higher frequency work scene, which makes the strength of gallium nitride can be fully utilized, which is a market opportunity brought about by a technical exchange. "Changzhou Energy Semiconductor Co., Ltd. Director of Director is appointed" China Newsletter "Reporter said.
In March this year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology pointed out in the "Notice on Promoting 5G Express Development", which will issue part of the 5G mm wave band and frequency use plan. Ren Ji said that the millimeter wave base station needs the demand of RF power devices, which is more considerable to the current macro base market, which will bring a larger market increment for gallium nitride.
Currently, my country has been layout in China's 5G gallium nitride extension power devices. Suzhou Energy Semiconductor has built a 4-inch gallium nitride chip production line, and the production capacity reaches 25,000 4-inch gallium nitride wafers to meet 5G wireless communication on the market demand of the gallium nitride radio frequency chip. Hayer High-tech RF GaN's RF GaN in 5G Acer Station has achieved breakthroughs, which can be achieved in the flow process. Enterprises such as Yinoto, Saiwei Electronics are also actively carrying out related layouts.
High efficiency characteristics Employment data center
In the field of electricity, the market heat of the gallium nitride charger is not reduced. In addition to pursuing high frequency, small volume fast charge market, gallium nitride in the data center server power supply, high-end industrial power distribution system power supply and other fields have also applied potential.
For data centers, the electrical energy required to run often often occupy the "big head" of operating costs, how to improve energy efficiency is a key topic of the modern data center. Ren Wei pointed out that the relative fast-acting application area, the server power supply will better exert the high efficiency and low power consumption advantages.
"The greatest characteristics of gallium nitride are high power conversion efficiency. Especially in high-energy use scenarios such as data centers, gallium nitride will bring significant energy-saving effects with high efficiency advantages." Ren Wei said.
According to the data center operator Gan Systems, the GaN device is used to convert the overall efficiency from 77% of the use of silicon devices from 77% of the use of silicon devices to 84% from AC (AC) to DC (DC). The power density of the data center is increased by more than 25%, and the electric cost of a single rack is reduced by more than $ 2,300.
New energy automobile applications enter the research and development period
In the car grade market, silicon carbide of third-generation semiconductor has been applied, but the gallium nitride is still in the R & D stage.
Currently, there are three fields for the power devices used for new energy vehicles: one is motor controller for driving and control systems; the other is OBC (car charger), converting AC electrical electrical electrical electrical electric battery can be used by new energy vehicle power batteries. DC; third is the DC-DC DC converter, convert the DC electrical electrical power of the power battery to low voltage direct current, supply power to the instrument panel, display, monitoring system, etc. Experts say that in the current technical level, gallium nitride is used in the field of DC-DC DC converters.
Li Dongyue, Director, Director, China, China, director of "China Electronics News", said that electric vehicles have strict requirements for high efficiency and high power densities. By saving zero components to occupy space in the car, make the ride space more comfortable. For high power density, strong sailing ability, etc., current silicon power semiconductor material devices have developed to the bottleneck. The switching speed of the gallium nitride device is much faster than silicon MOSFET, which is more in line with electric vehicles in high efficiency and high power densities.
Currently, headers are in the R & D stage for the gallium gallium caride gallium. Anshi semiconductor is developing a gallium nitride product for high pressure DC-DC DC converters, OBC and other vehicles; integrating semiconductor optimistic about the potential of gallium nitride in OBC and 48V DC converters, and announced this year to cooperate with Taimen Electric and common Promoting the application of gallium nitride in the field of automotive electrification; nanopic semiconductor said in last year, its GaN FET related products and technologies can be used for OBC and DC-DC converters for electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles, which can reduce energy loss and improve Switching speed, enabling the vehicle to achieve faster speed and longer mileage.
"Certification of the car power device, from A Sample to B Sample to C Sample, whether reliability is or the maturity of the program, there is a certain verification time. At present, the application of the gallium nitride in the field of car regulations is still in the primary stage. However, in the next few years, it is expected to present progressive growth. "Li Dongyue said.
GaN application multiple challenges to be solved
Although gallium nitride has an application prospect in multiple new infrastructure, it is still in the early stages of development, in terms of technology development, product verification, market penetration, etc., and still needs further proof and breakthroughs.
Ren Wei pointed out that in the 5G RF field, the radio technology barrier is much higher than the power electron. Power electronic technology mainly involves material, device design, front process, and later test. However, the radio frequency device has more technical dimensions of an electromagnetic wave, involving radio frequency circuitry, radio frequency amplifier, and microwave electronics, etc., the technical threshold is higher.
In the field of car, Li Dongyue said that there is a four-way challenge: First, the power requirements in the vehicle area have a large fluctuation, and it is necessary to maintain the long-term stability of the device parameters under all conditions; the second is that the car power device is in a long time. Vibration, high humidity, high temperature work environment, requires high reliability in response to thermal stress and mechanical stress; three car in the process of equipment, there is strict weight and manufacturing costs Requirements, power devices must be equipped with the needs of automotive equipment itself; four is that the latter device needs to do the service life of 15 and 20 years, and the technical threshold is very high.
For my country's enterprises, how to use good 5G and other new infrastructure are gallium nitride, and the Tongbang Advisory Analyst Wang Zunmin said that in the 5G base station and data center server, related technologies is still controlled by the international major factory, so my country's manufacturers are relatively small.
"At present, if my country's manufacturers have to follow the development trend of new infrastructure, we must first strengthen its own manufacturing and technology research and development capabilities, such as RF communication, power transmission manufacturing strength, will gradually move between the relevant applications." Wang Zunmin said .
Ren Wei pointed out that the demand for 5G and other fields, my country's gallium nitride related enterprises should be launched three to five years in advance, carry out five years of technical accumulation and production capacity construction in three years.
"The market window is often too long, once the market is forming, the company wants to enter and obtain market initiative, it will be more difficult. To prepare technology, production capacity, talent, improve the layout efficiency, and take time to cut." .
Reprinted from China Newsletter.
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