US Should Not Surrender Leadership in GaN Semiconductors: CSIS Researchers

The United States is at risk of surrendering its leadership in gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor technology to China in the absence of new policies and investment, according to researchers from the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). “China’s goal is to become the leader in GaN semiconductors. It is pouring substantial resources into GaN-related research and development, aiming to gain an edge in this critical technology,” wrote Sujai Shivakumar, director and senior fellow of CSIS’s Renewing American Innovation Project, and two of the project’s research interns, in their article published on May 20. “It is therefore concerning that Chinese firms like Innoscience, Suzhou Nanowin, HiWafer, and Sanan IC are today among the leading GaN technology companies around the world, operating a majority of the GaN fabrication and epitaxy facilities that grow the thin layers of crystals on substrates critical for the production of high-performance and reliable GaN devices,” the paper reads....