GaNの話

人工知能（AI）、ロボット、そして宇宙システムが、パワー・エレクトロニクスの可能性を再定義する中、窒化ガリウム（GaN）技術は変革を牽引し続けています。英Electronic Product Design & Test（EPDT）誌との最近のインタビューで、EPCのCEO（最高経営責任者）で共同創立者であるDr. Alex Lidow（アレックス・リドウ）は、GaNが半導体業界をどのように変革しているのか、そして急速に進化するこの技術の今後について、自身の見解を語りました。

Prognosticators do not often risk their reputations by giving their predictions a “checkup” midway through the period of their predictions. But, I am going to give it a shot and here we go…

In March 2010 Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) proudly launched our GaN technology at the CIPS conference in Nuremberg, Germany.  Parts and development kits were readily available off-the shelf and therefore designers could immediately get started with a new state-of-the-art semiconductor technology.

At that time, we listed four key attributes we believed a new semiconductor technology needed in order to be really disruptive to the end markets.  A lot has happened in the six years since.  GaN has continued to ascend as the presumptive replacement for the aging power MOSFET, yet there are still a few design engineers and technical managers that remain skeptical.  So let’s look again at these four key attributes and see where GaN stands in addressing them.