News: Microelectronics
26 June 2024
SK keyfoundry intensifying efforts to develop GaN for power electronics
South Korea-based SK keyfoundry — which provides specialty analog and mixed-signal foundry services on 8-inch wafers for consumer, communications, computing, automotive and industrial applications — says that, after recently achieving key device characteristics, it is intensifying its efforts to develop 650V gallium nitride (GaN) high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) as it aims to complete development by the end of this year.
Spun off from Magnachip Semiconductor as Key Foundry in September 2020, the firm became a subsidiary of SK hynix in August 2022, after which a dedicated team was formed to drive GaN process development. Key Foundry was renamed SK keyfoundry this January.
As 650V GaN HEMTs have high power efficiency, they reduce the cost of heat sinks compared with silicon-based products, notes the firm. This results in a less significant difference in price for end-customers’ systems. The company expects that — for fabless customers in markets such as fast-charging adapters, LED lighting, data centers and energy-storage systems (ESS), and solar micro-inverters — the GaN 650V product will provide an advantage in developing premium products. In addition to securing new customers, SK keyfoundry plans to actively promote its 650V GaN HEMTs to existing power semiconductor process-using customers who have expressed interest in the technology.
Due to its high-speed switching and low ON-resistance characteristics (enabling lower loss, higher efficiency, and miniaturization than silicon-based semiconductors), the GaN power semiconductor market is expected to increasing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 33% from $500m in 2023 to $6.4bn in 2032, reckons market research firm Omdia, used primarily in power supplies, hybrid and electric vehicles, and solar power inverters.
SK keyfoundry says that, based on the 650V GaN HEMT, it plans to build a GaN portforlio that can offer a wide range of voltages for GaN HEMTs and GaN ICs.
“We are preparing for the next generation of power semiconductors in addition to our competitive high-voltage BCDs [bipolar–CMOS–DMOS],” says CEO Derek D. Lee. “We will also expand our power semiconductor portfolio to include not only GaN but also SiC [silicon carbide] in the future to establish ourselves as a specialized power semiconductor foundry.”
