UltimateGaN: Research for GaN technologies, devices and applications to address the challenges of the future GaN roadmap

The urgency of the energy transition, the reduction of CO2 emissions and increasing demand for energy represent challenging issues of our time. Efficiency is more important than ever in this context. Producing, managing and using energy efficiently is a crucial lever when it comes to digitalisation and decarbonisation. Smart technologies and new semiconductor materials such as gallium nitride (GaN) play a key role here. GaN power semiconductors provide more power in a smaller space, save energy and thereby minimise the carbon footprint.

The team from science and industry in the "UltimateGaN" research project set itself the task of utilising the advantages of GaN technology for multiple applications. The results are groundbreaking. With these advancements in material and process technology, it was possible to provide efficient and compact GaN energy-saving chips at globally competitive costs. There are many applications that can benefit from this, from wireless charging for electric cars to the low-loss smooth connection of solar energy to the grid and rapid cost-effective expansion of 5G networks.

In terms of energy efficiency for instance, the prototype developed for wireless charging for electric cars was able to transfer energy with an efficiency level of 96 per cent. By comparison, the systems currently available on the market deliver maximum efficiency levels of 93 per cent. A three per cent improvement in energy efficiency provides the potential of achieving a reduction of around 1.7 megatonnes of CO2 per year by 2030, which is roughly equivalent to the emissions from around one million cars with combustion engines.

There is major potential in the integration of renewable energy sources, including the integration of solar and wind energy into the power grid. Smart power electronics minimise losses in energy conversion and basically extract more power. The project involved including a modular GaN conversion concept for the integration of microgrids in the smart grid, involving the integration of local sub-grids consisting of photovoltaics, wind and storage technologies. More than 3,000 hours of field tests showed that the GaN components offer the best reliability combined with the highest efficiencies of up to 98.4 per cent and is thereby playing a decisive role in promoting the energy transition.

The research also lays the foundation for GaN amplifier modules and thus for fast transfers of data, e.g. for lightning-fast video streaming or communication in the Internet of Things. A faster, more energy-efficient and climate-friendly 5G rollout is possible because the energy-efficient 5G amplifiers made of GaN are also more cost-effective. The project was also honoured with the Futurezone Award 2019 in the 5G category.

The Austrian partners played a significant role in the success of this European research project. Austria, for example, was responsible for coordinating the overall project as well as managing three of the work packages.

Consortium leader

• Infineon Technologies Austria AG

Additional consortium partners

Austria

• Austria Technologie & Systemtechnik AG
• Fronius International GmbH
• CTR Carinthian Tech Research AG
• Technische Universität Graz 

Belgium

• IMEC 

Germany

• AIXTRON SE
• Infineon Technologies AG
• Siltronic AG
• Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung GmbH
• Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
• Technische Universität Chemnitz
• NaMLab GmbH 

Italy

• Università degli studi di Padova
• Infineon Technologies Italia
• Universita di Milano Bicocca 

Norway

• Eltek AS 

Slovakia

• Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava 
• Nano Design SRO 

Switzerland

• Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne EPFL
• Attolight SA 

Spain

• IKERLAN
• For Optimal Renewable Energy
• LEAR 

Sweden

• RISE Research Institutes of Sweden AB
• SweGaN AB