GaN devices for automotive application and their challenges in adoption

Currently, electrification of automobiles is an urgent task, and high-performance power devices are indispensable items for their electrification. Wide bandgap semiconductors are powerful candidates for power devices used in electric vehicles (EV) and fuel cell vehicles (FCV) in the near future, and recent advances in GaN power devices are prominent in particular. Lateral GaN power devices on Si substrates began to be commercialized, and they are moving to system development. Research and development of vertical GaN power devices are also accelerating. Such high-performance devices are expected to greatly contribute to the electrification of automobiles, and interest in GaN power devices is increasing.