Gallium Nitride: Extreme Properties (and Opportunities) for Post-Moore Computing

Gallium Nitride and its alloys with Aluminum and Indium have unique properties to impact both More-Moore and More-than-Moore electronics. This paper will first review how the combination of the wide bandgap of GaN, and its relatively low dielectric constant make GaN an ideal semiconductor for digital electronics below the 5 nm gate length node. In addition to be an excellent candidate for the next generation of digital electronics, GaN also enables completely novel semiconductor devices such as hot electron-transistors that can push electronics even further. Finally, the paper will also discuss different strategies to heterogeneously integrate GaN with silicon electronics. This integration brings new features to traditional silicon electronics, such as highly compact point-of-load power management, very efficient rf amplifiers, as well as integrated photonics. The unique combination of new devices and important system-level impact makes GaN an extreme material with the potential to revolutionize computing at many different levels.