Core Topics and Key Insights

1. Development Status and Opportunities of the Third-Generation Semiconductor Industry

• Policy and Market Drivers: The "14th Five-Year Plan" period is a critical window for the development of China's third-generation semiconductors. The goals of "carbon peaking and carbon neutrality" and new infrastructure demands (such as new energy vehicles and energy internet) have created huge market space for power semiconductors.
• Industrial Chain Progress: China has initially formed a complete industrial chain from materials, devices, packaging and testing to applications. However, there is still a gap between the overall technology and international leading enterprises, and the market share of self-controllable devices is low. It is necessary to guard against the risk of widening gaps with international counterparts.
• Competitive Landscape: Global capital is accelerating its entry into the third-generation semiconductor field. With 产能 expansion and intensified competition in the next five years, domestic enterprises need to lay out in advance to cope with international competition.

2. Key Technical Breakthroughs and Frontier Research

• Gallium Nitride (GaN) Technology:
  • GaN microwave power devices (such as GaN HEMT) have been commercialized. The combination of low-temperature bonded diamond and GaN can improve heat dissipation performance, becoming a development direction for a new generation of solid-state microwave power devices.
  • High-voltage GaN power devices (1.2-10 kV) have a figure of merit exceeding the theoretical limit of silicon carbide unipolar devices, subverting the traditional perception that "SiC is superior in high-voltage fields" and expanding the application potential of GaN in medium-to-high-voltage scenarios such as electric vehicles and power grids.
• Silicon Carbide (SiC) Technology:
  • SiC module packaging technologies (such as silver sintering double-sided heat dissipation and insulated metal baseplate IMB) are key to improving the power density and energy efficiency of electric drive systems.
  • SiC epitaxial equipment and processes are developing towards multi-wafer, large-size, and low-defect directions. Trench filling technology and thick film growth technology are future breakthrough priorities.
• Gallium Oxide (Ga₂O₃) Technology:
  • As an ultra-wide bandgap material, Ga₂O₃ has advantages such as high breakdown field strength and low cost in the power device field, but its commercialization still needs to overcome material preparation and device reliability challenges.

3. Localization Process and Challenges

• Materials and Equipment: Domestic substitution has been achieved for 6-inch gallium arsenide single crystal wafers and SiC epitaxial equipment, but core equipment such as high-end photoresist and lithography machines still rely on imports.
• Reliability Research: Due to issues such as low SiC/SiO₂ interface barrier, high interface defect density, and poor stability of SiC ohmic contact, the reliability of SiC MOSFETs under extreme conditions (high ambient temperature, high operating voltage, large drive current, and fast switching) needs further optimization, involving research on electrothermal stress damage mechanisms and life models.

4. Roundtable Discussion Focus

• Can GaN RF replace GaAs in terminal mobile phones?
• What is the timeline for the full application of SiC in automotive electronics, and what is the potential role of GaN?
• What is the commercialization path of gallium oxide devices and their substitutability for SiC?
• What are the key bottlenecks and breakthrough strategies for the full localization of the third-generation semiconductor industrial chain?

Conclusion and Outlook