GaN transistor beats breakdown record

Breakdown voltage is more than 5x higher than previously reported highest values in GaN power transistors.

Panasonic has developed a gallium nitride (GaN) power transistor with an ultrahigh breakdown voltage in excess of 10kV.

This breakdown voltage is more than 5x higher than previously reported highest values in GaN power transistors.

The new GaN transistor is applicable to high-voltage and low-loss power switching devices.

A novel device structure and a high quality GaN film on a highly resistive sapphire substrate lead to the ultrahigh breakdown voltage of 10.4kV with low on-state resistance of 186ohm/cm2.

Overlap of the electrodes via insulating film on the surface side is eliminated by use of a back-side electrode with through-holes in the sapphire, which results in the ultrahigh breakdown voltage.

The through-hole in chemically stable sapphire is formed by a novel laser drilling technique using a high-power picosecond laser.

In addition, Panasonic's proprietary epitaxial growth technology greatly helps to extract the superior inherent material property of GaN resulting in the high breakdown voltage together with the low on-state resistance.

This new GaN power transistor with ultrahigh breakdown voltage is applicable to high voltage power switching devices for industry and electrical power systems.

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