News: Microelectronics
22 June 2026
IVWorks’ reGaN technology enables first 742GHz GaN HEMT
A gallium nitride (GaN) high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) incorporating the proprietary reGaN selective regrowth technology of IVWorks Co Ltd of Daejeon, South Korea has become the world’s first GaN transistor to achieve a maximum oscillation frequency (fmax) exceeding 700GHz. This was demonstrated through a 45nm GaN HEMT device developed by professor Dae-hyun Kim’s research team in the School of Electronics Engineering at Kyungpook National University and was unveiled on 18 June at the 2026 IEEE/JSAP Symposium on VLSI Technology & Circuits in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
The research team fabricated a GaN transistor with a 45nm gate length and achieved a record fmax of 742GHz, establishing a new benchmark for RF performance in GaN transistor technology. The device also achieved a record average frequency metric (favg) of 497GHz, the highest value reported to date for any GaN transistor technology. These results demonstrate that GaN semiconductors possess sufficient performance competitiveness even in the ultra-high-frequency regime and can serve as a viable platform for future sub-terahertz and terahertz electronic systems, says IVWorks.
While indium phosphide (InP)-based transistors have long dominated the sub-terahertz frequency regime due to their exceptional electron transport properties, their relatively low breakdown voltage limits output power and system scalability. In contrast, GaN offer a unique combination of high breakdown electric field, high power density, and excellent thermal robustness, making them attractive candidates for next-generation high-frequency and high-power applications. However, achieving ultra-high-frequency performance with GaN has remained a significant challenge. To overcome these limitations, the research team employed an advanced 45nm gate process and optimized device architecture to maximize high-frequency performance.
A key enabler was IVWorks’ proprietary reGaN selective regrowth technology. Developed exclusively by IVWorks, reGaN selectively regrows heavily doped n-type GaN in the source and drain regions, significantly reducing contact resistance. As a co-research partner in this study, IVWorks demonstrated what is claimed to be excellent process uniformity across the entire 4-inch wafer and achieved outstanding reproducibility. Furthermore, the firm reduced regrowth interface resistance (Rint) to 0.027Ω-mm, approaching the theoretical limit achievable at the corresponding carrier concentration.
Picture: An IVWorks engineer calibrates a plasma source for deployment in a production-scale Hybrid MBE system, supporting high-uniformity and high-quality GaN epitaxial growth.
“This research pushes the RF performance limits of GaN HEMTs to a new level and demonstrates the potential of GaN semiconductors for ultra-high-frequency applications through the world’s first demonstration of a GaN HEMT with an h exceeding 700GHz,” says professor Dae-hyun Kim. “The study is particularly meaningful as a successful example of industry–academia collaboration, combining advanced epitaxial growth and regrowth technologies from industry with the university’s expertise in device and circuit research,” he adds.
“Building on this achievement, we plan to further accelerate the development of next-generation GaN electronic devices targeting terahertz-frequency applications for 6G communications and advanced defense technologies.”
IVWorks says that the achievement further highlights the growing potential of GaN technology to expand beyond traditional RF and power electronics into emerging sub-terahertz and terahertz applications, including 6G communications, advanced radar systems, satellite communications, and next-generation defense electronics.
“reGaN is a core technology that has already passed quality qualification at a major foundry and has been adopted for volume production,” says IVWorks’ CEO Young-kyun Noh. “This achievement demonstrates that our Hybrid-MBE-based reGaN platform is not only manufacturing-ready but also a key enabling technology for next-generation sub-terahertz and terahertz GaN electronics,” he adds. “We are proud to see IVWorks technology contribute to a world-leading research milestone.”
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