Taiwan III-V supply chain gearing up for GaN power, RF modules

Taiwan’s III-V semiconductor supply chain players are gearing up to deepen deployments in the segment of GaN-based power components and RF modules increasingly applied to 5G handsets and other consumer electronics devices, according to industry sources.

The sources said GaN components entail two major production processes: GaN-on-Si and GaN-on-SiC. Thanks to cost-effective production using mature manufacturing nodes at 8-inch fabs, GaN-on-Si components are expected to outpace GaN-on-SiC ones in being applied to power modules for notebooks, handsets and other consumer devices, the sources said.

Taiwan’s main silicon-based wafer foundries TSMC, Vanguard International Semiconductor (VIS) and United Microelectronics (UMC) have not let up deployments in the GaN-on-Si segment, and IDMs including Texas Instrument (TI) have rolled out GaN FET components for handset fast-charging systems, the sources noted.

Chinese handset vendors including Oppo and Xiaomi have released 5G models featuring GaN FET power modules for fast charging, the sources said, adding that Apple and Samsung Electronics are also very likely to incorporate such modules into their smartphones.

GaN-on-SiC is more suitable for high-frequency and high-power environment, and will focus more on RF component applications. Taiwan’s III-V semiconductor players including Win Semiconductors, Visual Photonics Epitaxy (VPEC), Advanced Wireless Semiconductor (AWSC), Transcom, Tainergy Tech and SAS are all developing a bigger presence in the segment.

Win Semi has started small-volume production of GaN-on-SiC RF components at its 6-inch fab for 5G infrastructure applications, with the required SiC substrates sourced from US-based suppliers including Cree, said the sources.

SAS is also teaming up with VPEC, AWSC, Tainergy and Episil Technologies to develop GaN-on-SiC for RF applications, said the sources.