GaN-on-Si foundry services for prototyping and production

X-FAB Silicon Foundries SE is building on its expertise in GaN processing technology for high-power applications by introducing GaN-on-Si foundry services for dMode devices as part of its XG035 technology platform. The move further employs the company's advantage as a pure-play foundry that now provides a set of processing technologies for GaN and other WBG materials – including SiC – to assist fabless semiconductor companies in bringing their designs to life.

The company offers the GaN-on-Si technology from its state-of-the-art 8" fab in Dresden, one of six production facilities operated by the company worldwide. The Dresden fab hosts a wide range of specialised processing equipment, measurement tools and technologies that are optimised for GaN development and production, together with analogue CMOS, in a stable, trusted, automotive-qualified fab environment. Tools on site have been optimised to handle the thicker GaN-on-Si wafers required by customers in sectors such as automotive, data centre, industrial, renewable energy, medical, and others.

Thanks to strong high-voltage GaN expertise over several years, the company's in-house expertise now extends to GaN-on-Si foundry services for dMode devices following the recent release of its XG035 dMode technology as an open foundry platform. The process includes dMode HEMT transistors (scalable from 100V to 650V), often employed in power conversion applications. Additionally, the company offers customer-specific GaN technologies, including dMode, eMode HEMTs, and Schottky Barrier Diodes, which are popular for high-frequency rectification, power supply, and solar panel applications, among others.

Global demand is growing for charging applications, EVs, advanced energy management systems and more powerful data centres. Regarding the latter, AI training and deployment are driving the demand for more computational resources, which translates into higher power demand and more efficient power delivery and conversion.

GaN-on-Si technology is a highly promising semiconductor process, enabling high-frequency switching and low RDS (resistance between the drain and source terminals) in the 'on' state. With its small footprint and high voltage capability, GaN-on-Si enables the company to provide WBG chip processes, allowing customers to design products that improve energy efficiency from the grid down to the car battery or GPU level.

"Thanks to our 30-plus years of experience in automotive CMOS technologies – including 350nm CMOS, shared tool sets, and shared BEOL – our GaN offering comes with built-in quality and a significantly lower barrier to entry," explains Michael Woittennek, CEO of X-FAB Dresden. "Having developed customer-specific technologies over many years, we're now opening up our XG035 dMode technology for general prototyping projects at our Dresden fab – in the heart of Silicon Saxony. The flexibility of our 350nm toolset also enables us to quickly scale to volume production, giving customers a fast and reliable path to market."

"As the GaN supplier landscape evolves, X-FAB is stepping up as a dedicated GaN foundry partner," added Luigi Di Capua, VP Product Marketing. "Our 8" GaN-on-Si platform helps customers secure their supply chain and scale their designs with confidence."