Advanced Semiconductor Research Center 2025 Academic Seminar Series_ Multidimensional GaN Power Integration

Invited speaker

Professor Jing Chen is a Chair Professor in the Department of Electronic and ComputeEngineering and serves as the Director of the Nanosystem Fabrication Center (NFF) at theHong Kong [niversity of Science and Technology (HKUST), and an lEEE Fellow. Hereceived his BS. from Peking University (1988) and was admitted to the CUSPEA programoverseen by Professor Tsung-Dao Lee, beginning his graduate studies in the U.S. that sameyear. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, USA (1993). Prior to joiningHKUST in 2000, he conducted research on high-speed compound semiconductor devices atNTT LSI Laboratories in Japan and Agilent Technologies in the USA. Professor Chen hasauthored over 600 publications and holds more than 20 patents. His research focuses onwide-bandgap semiconductor devices for high-power, high-frequency, and extreme-environ-ment applications.

Abstract

Gallium Nitride (GaN), with its wide bandgap and versatile heterojunction structures,has attracted significant interest for power electronics and RF applications. The GaNhigh-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) technology platform, capitalizing on superior mate-rial properties like high critical electric field and strong polarization effects, along withlow-cost, scalable silicon substrates and Si-compatible fabrication, presents vast opportunitiesfor further expansion through integration. Power integration is poised to be a key driver inpropelling GaN technology into critical applications such as data centers, electric vehicles, re-newable energy, and smart grids. This report reviews recent progress in GaN power integra-tion. It examines channel optimization in planar GaN power devices, explores avenues forthree-dimensional scaling, and discusses substrate technologies with a focus on techniquesthat effectively mitigate detrimental back-gating and crosstalk in GaN-on-Si platforms. More-over, the heterogeneous integration of GaN with silicon carbide (SiC) offers a promising pathto harness the complementary strengths ofthese two wide-bandgap semiconductors, therebyenhancing device performance and reliability.