Gallium Nitride (GaN)

In News 

• Recently, the Union Minister of State for Electronics & Information Technology visited the Gallium Nitride Ecosystem Enabling Centre and Incubator ( GEECI ) facility at the prestigious Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc), Bengaluru. 
  • The facility has been jointly set up by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and IISc Bengaluru aimed at establishing GaN based Development Line Foundry facility, especially for RF and power applications, including strategic applications.

Gallium nitride (GaN)

• About:
  • It is a very hard and mechanically stable wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor, as it has a hexagonal crystal structure. 
  • The critical factors of gallium nitride material responsible for its adoption in the market are reliability, compact size, high efficiency, fast switching speed, low on-resistance, and high thermal conductivity, among other types of semiconductors such as silicon (Si) and silicon carbide (Sic).
  • The gallium nitride market has been developing significantly since 1990, and much can be attributed to the technological advancements in this field. 
• Importance: 
  • It has rapidly transformed the world by enabling energy-efficient white light-emitting diodes and promising energy-efficient power electronic devices. 
  • Bulk crystal growth is actively being researched to enable inexpensive large-area substrates. 
  • Gallium Nitride Technology is of strategic importance with its application to 5G, space and defence application.
  • The GaN ecosystem will drive innovation and encourage startups and entrepreneurs to look into business and technology seriously in the next two years. 
    • The next 2 to 3 years offer a window of opportunity for Gallium Nitride (GaN) to play a key role in enabling e-vehicles and wireless communication”.

Source:PIB