XiamenJune 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — With the rapid development of high-voltage scenarios such as new energy vehicles, smart grids, and rail transit, the market demand for high-voltage-resistant, low-loss power semiconductor devices continues to grow. As the core material of fourth-generation semiconductors, gallium oxide, with its advantages of low conduction loss and high voltage resistance, is regarded as a strategic material for next-generation high-voltage power electronics and has been included as a key direction in the national strategic emerging industries.
For a long time, transitioning gallium oxide from material advantages to mass-produced chips has been hindered by the technical challenge of high-quality homoepitaxial technology, which is a major bottleneck for its industrialization. On mainstream international gallium oxide crystal planes, epitaxial growth is highly prone to defects, leading to device yields and actual voltage resistance far below theoretical expectations, thus restricting the large-scale commercial application of the industry.
Recently, Sanan Optoelectronics, in collaboration with the National Engineering Research Center for Wide Bandgap Semiconductors at Xidian University and Hangzhou Jaren Semiconductor Co., Ltd., achieved a key breakthrough in gallium oxide homoepitaxial technology. The joint team employed the metal-organic chemical vapor deposition method, precisely optimized the initial nucleation conditions, and successfully suppressed twin defects, obtaining high-quality homoepitaxial layers on 2-inch substrates. Test results show that the root mean square roughness of the entire wafer surface is below 0.5nm, the crystal quality is comparable to that of the substrate, and the electron mobility reaches 100 cm²/(V•s).
Based on the above epitaxial wafers, the joint team prioritized the development of lateral power devices. Compared to vertical structures that require conductive substrates and thick epitaxial layers, and face the inherent challenge of p-type doping difficulties in gallium oxide, lateral devices can fully leverage the advantage of semi-insulating substrates to isolate leakage current. They can withstand higher voltages by flexibly designing the gate-drain spacing, while being highly compatible with existing planar silicon processes. Without the use of special terminal structures, this lateral device achieved a breakdown voltage of 1420V, a switching ratio of 10⁵, and a threshold voltage uniformity exceeding 91%, validating the overall process level from material to device.
Currently, the joint team has established the capability to produce 2-inch gallium oxide epitaxial layers and devices, and possesses the process foundation for scaling up to 6 inches and larger sizes. This industry-academia-research technological breakthrough by Sanan Optoelectronics, Xidian University, and Jaren Semiconductor provides key technical support for the application of gallium oxide in high-voltage scenarios such as smart grids and new energy vehicles, effectively advancing the commercialization process of fourth-generation semiconductor technology.