Towards Vertical GaN Power ICs

Two trends are currently emerging in GaN power technologies: One the one hand, the monolithic integration of system peripherals to the power transistor, which can reduce system costs, the bill of materials and, last but not least, improve performance. On the other hand, vertical transistors are being developed to increase breakdown voltages and thus achieving higher switching power. Combining lateral and vertical geometry is the aim of Fraunhofer IAF with the development of vertical GaN power ICs and their related technologies