Next-gen Power Semiconductors: AIXTRON is a Partner in the EU Research Project “UltimateGaN”

Herzogenrath/Germany, 19 June, 2019 – AIXTRON SE (FSE: AIXA), a worldwide leading provider of deposition equipment to the semiconductor industry, is a partner in the European research project "UltimateGaN" (Research for GaN technologies, devices and applications to address the challenges of the futureGaN roadmap). In addition to AIXTRON, 25 other companies and institutions from nine countries have come together to research the next generation of energy-saving chips based on the semiconductor material gallium nitride (GaN) over the next three years. The aim is to make these power semiconductors available for a wide range of applications at globally competitive costs. The project thus makes an important contribution to greater energy efficiency and CO₂ reduction. 

With a volume of 48 million euros, UltimateGaN is one of the largest current European research projects in the field of semiconductor development. The financing is made up of investments by industry, subsidies from the individual participating countries and the ECSEL Joint Undertaking (Electronic Components and Systems for European Leadership).

Efficient use of energy for climate protection

The worldwide demand for energy is increasing - more and more applications of daily life are being digitized and electric vehicles are increasingly entering the mass market. Energy-saving chips made of new materials such as gallium nitride play a decisive role in converting electricity much more efficiently than before. This saves energy and minimizes the CO₂ footprint.

"Energy efficiency is one of the world's most important factors in reducing the usage of limited energy resources. By developing intelligent technologies, we are making a key contribution to the global challenge of climate change. New materials and efficient chip solutions play a key role here. With this research project, we are creating the conditions for making innovative energy-saving chips available for many future-oriented everyday applications," says Dr. Felix Grawert, President of AIXTRON SE.

"Gallium nitride semiconductor devices are revolutionizing energy use on many levels," explains Prof. Dr. Michael Heuken, Vice President Research & Development at AIXTRON SE. "The research project opens up an enormous global market potential. It enables better performance and efficiency in a wide range of applications and significantly improves user comfort. Efficient operation of servers and data centers, fast and wireless charging of smartphones, data exchange between machines in real time, or lightning-fast video streaming become reality."

UltimateGaN - smaller, energy-efficient chips at marketable costs

The objective of UltimateGaN is to develop innovative power and high-frequency electronics from gallium nitride. AIXTRON is contributing its expertise as a supplier to the semiconductor industry and in the production of gallium nitride to the research project: The production of high-quality wafers using MOCVD (Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition) technology, from which the chips for further research are cut in the next production step, is carried out on AIXTRON equipment at the Infineon plant in Villach (Austria).

In terms of materials and processes, research is now going one step further to develop the next generation of these highly efficient energy-saving chips for the mass market: The focus is on further miniaturization and the provision of these chips in high quality and at globally competitive costs. The unique material structure of GaN enables higher current densities to be achieved, which allows smaller and lighter designs that switch the current much more efficiently and can transmit higher data rates more quickly. The result is a significant reduction in energy consumption: current losses are reduced by up to 50%.

Profit from renewable energy, e-mobility and faster data transfer

Many applications in which low energy consumption, compact designs and faster data exchange are key will benefit from the use of these energy-saving chips. Energy efficiency of high-performance servers and other IT infrastructure devices will gain a further boost with the research project: the power dissipation will be significantly reduced by the higher switching efficiency of gallium nitride (GaN) power devices. This reduces electricity consumption and CO₂ emissions. The new 5G mobile communication standard and ultra-fast video loading are also supported, for example, as is real-time traffic flow control for autonomous driving or, in the context of Industry 4.0, easy communication between machines.

"With the UltimateGaN project, the project partners are making a significant contribution to the achievement of global climate goals and the next generation of wireless technology," said Dr. Felix Grawert, President of AIXTRON SE.
 
Research focuses along the entire value chain

When seeking to miniaturize of GaN chips, the small and compact design as well as the complex technology required for the connections and casings present special challenges. High current densities, the effect of electrical fields, and material stresses and stabilities must be taken into account. As a result, the research will take a holistic approach with the entire value chain in focus – from process development, design, assembly and packaging technologies to integrated system solutions. The consortium of partners from academia and business is therefore equally broadly based.

About UltimateGaN
Europe united – 26 partners from nine countries researching together. Austria: Austria Technologie & Systemtechnik AG, Infineon Technologies Austria AG, Fronius International GmbH, CTR Carinthian Tech Research AG, Graz University of Technology | Belgium: IMEC | Germany: AIXTRON SE, Infineon Technologies AG, Siltronic AG, Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung GmbH, Fraunhofer Society for the Promotion of Applied Research e.V., Chemnitz University of Technology, NaMLab GmbH | Italy: Università degli studi di Padova, Infineon Technologies Italia, Universita di Milano Bicocca | Norway: Eltek AS | Slovakia: Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Nano Design SRO | Switzerland: Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne EPFL, Attolight SA | Spain: IKERLAN, For Optimal Renewable Energy, LEAR | Sweden: RISE Research Institutes of Sweden AB, SweGaN AB

The project has received funding from the ECSEL Joint Undertaking (JU) under grant agreement No 826392. The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland.

For further information on UltimateGaN please visit: www.ultimategan.eu.

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