What Are GaN Chips? Gallium Nitride (GaN) chips are semiconductor devices made from a compound of gallium and nitrogen. As a wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor with a bandgap of approximately 3.4 eV —over three times that of silicon ( 1.1 eV )—GaN enables transistors and integrated circuits that outperform traditional silicon in several key areas:
Higher switching speeds (up to 100x faster) Lower electrical resistance and capacitance Higher power density Greater thermal conductivity Operation at higher voltages and temperatures
The Pentagon’s newest radar systems use GaN to double their detection range. The Patriot missile defense system has been upgraded with GaN components. The F/A-18 Super Hornet’s fire-control radar now uses GaN to achieve performance that would be impossible with silicon.
Gallium Nitride (GaN) is used in a wide range of high-performance applications due to its superior electrical and thermal properties compared to silicon. Key uses include:
🔌 Power Electronics Fast chargers for smartphones, laptops, and tablets (smaller, lighter, 3x faster charging) Power supplies in consumer electronics, data centers, and computing Solar inverters and energy storage systems Electric vehicle (EV) chargers and onboard systems (e.g., DC-DC converters, traction inverters) 📶 Radio Frequency (RF) and Communications 5G/6G base stations and mmWave networks Satellite communications and low-orbit satellite systems Wi-Fi and GSM signal transmission in mobile devices Radar and electronic warfare (EW) systems in defense 💡 Optoelectronics Blue and white LEDs for lighting, displays, and automotive headlights Violet laser diodes in Blu-ray players and optical storage UV LEDs for medical devices and disinfection 🛰️ Aerospace and Defense Satellite power systems and solid-state power amplifiers Lidar for autonomous navigation and robotics Missile guidance, target tracking, and surveillance systems Ion thrusters for satellite propulsion ⚙️ Industrial and Automotive Motor drives for HVAC, pumps, and robotics High-voltage switching in power grids and industrial equipment Sensors for movement, heat, sound, and pressure detection
Major companies that manufacture Gallium Nitride (GaN) chips include:
Infineon Technologies – A global leader in power semiconductors; acquired GaN Systems in 2023 to strengthen its GaN portfolio for EVs, renewables, and industrial applications. Navitas Semiconductor – Specializes in GaN power ICs for fast chargers, consumer electronics, and EVs. Wolfspeed, Inc. – Develops wide-bandgap semiconductors, including GaN and silicon carbide (SiC), for high-performance power and RF applications. Qorvo, Inc. – A top supplier of GaN components for RF, 5G infrastructure, defense, and broadband systems. GaN Systems – Acquired by Infineon, known for high-performance GaN transistors used in power conversion. Texas Instruments (TI) – Produces integrated GaN power stages and drivers for data centers, industrial systems, and renewable energy. Innoscience – Chinese IDM with the world’s largest 8-inch GaN-on-Silicon wafer capacity, serving low- and high-voltage markets. NXP Semiconductors – Focuses on RF GaN technology, with a 150mm fab in Arizona for defense and communication systems. Sumitomo Electric Industries and Mitsubishi Electric – Japanese leaders in GaN for optical, power, and RF devices. These companies are driving innovation in consumer electronics, electric vehicles, 5G, and defense systems using GaN technology.
Department of WAR.
Alien crash landings... the gift that keeps on giving.
You mean they didn't keep it in 'Lost & Found' till the owner(s) showed up to claim it? 🤔😮😎
Now tell me Greenland has a shit ton of Gallium ?
So in this post I read a lot about how wonderful gallium nitride is, but nothing about what the government did to secure access to it. What'd they do?
US looks for domestic gallium course
https://www.miningnewsnorth.com/story/2024/09/19/critical-minerals-alliances-2024/us-looks-for-domestic-gallium-sources/8699.html
Idaho gallium deposit emerges
With China's hand on the gallium spigot, American tech manufacturers and the Pentagon are looking for alternative sources of this future-leaning tech metal.
Following China's 2023 announcement that all exports of this tech metal would require government authorization, a Pentagon spokesperson said, "The (Defense) Department is proactively taking steps using Defense Production Act Title III authorities to increase domestic mining and processing of critical materials for the microelectronics and space supply chain, including gallium and germanium."
Like many other critical minerals and metals, gallium is typically recovered as a byproduct of mining more common metals – primarily aluminum, zinc, and sometimes copper.
A recent report by the USGS, however, indicates that potential for domestic gallium production as a byproduct of base metal refining is low.
US Critical Materials Corp.'s Sheep Creek project in southwestern Montana, however, may host high enough concentrations of gallium, alongside high-grade rare earth elements and other critical minerals, that it could offer a domestic tech metals source that does not rely on other metals.
A rock hammer lying on heavily mineralized rocks at Sheep Creek. US Critical Materials Corp. Sampling at Sheep Creek returned high-grade gallium, rare earths and other minerals critical to the U.S.
Analysis completed at Idaho National Lab earlier this year highlights Sheep Creek's potential as an extraordinarily high-grade domestic source of both rare earths and gallium.
Highlights from the samples analyzed by Idaho National Lab include:
• 13.45% total rare earth elements (TREE) and approximately 250 parts per million gallium.
• 13.82% TREE and approximately 300 ppm gallium.
• 17.78% TREE and approximately 350 ppm gallium.
"The gallium and rare earth grades, calculated and verified by Idaho National Laboratory, are higher than any that we are aware of in the United States," said US Critical Materials President Jim Hedrick.
Idaho National Lab is also developing a process to efficiently and sustainably recover and separate the rare earths, gallium, and other critical minerals found at Sheep Creek.
"Not only is our gallium high grade, but we are also confident that working together with Idaho National Laboratory, we will be able to create a proprietary separation process that will be environmentally respectful," said Hedrick.
Sheep Creek, however, is an early staged project that requires more exploration before it is ready for permitting and development into a potential future source of domestic gallium.
In the meantime, the USGS reports that "One company in New York recovered and refined high-purity gallium from imported primary low-purity gallium metal and new scrap" during 2023.
Sources of Gallium
Bauxite Processing – The primary commercial source of gallium is Bayer liquor, a byproduct of alumina production from bauxite. Gallium accumulates in this alkaline solution during the Bayer process and is recovered using ion-exchange techniques, which offer high efficiency and recovery rates.
Zinc Ore Processing – Gallium is also recovered from zinc residues, particularly those containing zinc ferrite. These residues are processed using combined pyro- and hydrometallurgical methods, with early pioneering plants in Italy and China.
Coal Fly Ash – As a byproduct of coal combustion, coal fly ash is emerging as a substantial source due to its abundance and relatively high gallium concentration. Techniques like roasting and acid leaching have shown high recovery rates, with pilot plants in China achieving large-scale extraction.
Electronic Waste (E-waste) – The electronics industry generates significant gallium-containing waste, especially from gallium arsenide (GaAs) semiconductors and LEDs. Although over 85% of GaAs scraps are currently discarded, recovery methods like leaching and vacuum metallurgy have demonstrated high recovery rates in lab settings.
Red Mud and Phosphorus Flue Dust – Red mud, a waste product from alumina refining, contains gallium. Phosphorus flue dust, from elemental phosphorus smelting, also contains gallium (as Ga₂O₃), though this source is less significant today due to the decline of traditional smelting processes.
Thanks!
Welcome, I'll send a bill. 😂
Please keep nvida away from this😀 (I don’t like them, for various reasons).
Is this the same as rhe GaN phone charger I've been using for fast charging my phone? Seems like an upgrade but I didn't know it was secret technology. Doesn't everyone have access to it? If so, why does that give us 50 years of military dominance? Just curious.
There are 250 patents own by one company. I would think the application of this tech for the military would be classified.
Okay, thanks!
Gallium in Aircraft? I hope they know what they are doing, it destroys aluminium at the nuclear level.
Does this mean I can finally buy a computer that I don't have to return to factory settings every 3 months?
Why would you have to return to "factory settings" every 3 months?
I have a slow computer. It runs on W10 which gobbles up HD space and ram. I go through about one a month cleaning out but it seems if I return to the was it came from the factory, it runs better.
Oh... yeah... you can't fix hardware problems with software.
I usually build my own hardware and keep them 10+ years...
Winaero tweaker & Classic Shell are great
I want the new computer with these new chips IF I can afford one!
Don't forget the salsa/dip 😁