The CoolHEMT project is designed to commercialize SweGaN’s unique gallium nitride (GaN) on silicon carbide (SiC) structure for high frequency devices. SweGaN’s technology to grow GaN on SiC enables an extremely thin structure, called QuanFINE, to be grown. It gives several advantages, such as higher power density, lower dispersion, and better thermal management. These advantages are critical for a robust and high performance communication network. For end users, we enable higher performance and lower power consumption. For telecom, this means faster data transfer, while saving the environment. In the project, high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) devices have been developed and tested together with customers. During the project, SweGaN has:
• Optimized the epitaxial stack and benchmarked devices made on QuanFINE against the best commercial material on the market today. The QuanFINE based devices have 50 % lower dispersion than devices made on commercial material.
• A production tool has been designed, installed, and tuned in, and material from this tool is being qualified with customers.
• Devices have been sent to customers for evaluation and feedback has been received for further optimization of the processing and the epitaxial stack.
• Transistor modelling has commenced and MMIC designs and simulations have been performed.
• We have presented at several conferences and workshops.
• We have hired two industrial PhD students.
• Patent applications have been filed and a trademark has been registered.
• Sales have increased both within and outside of Europe. Particularly Italy, Japan, and Taiwan are showing great interest in SweGaN’s material.
• We have also started to look at the power market, due to the outstanding ability of the QuanFINE material to handle high electric fields.
Within this project, objectives have been to explore, develop, and commercialize the QuanFINE structure. It can reduce power consumption in base stations while providing greater bandwidth. The overall objectives have been to optimize the QuanFINE material, develop the market and sell the material, develop HEMT devices, and generate transistor models and MMIC designs that can be tested by end-users. The QuanFINE structure has been optimized within this project, allowing us to grow our unique thin structure with well controlled uniformity on both 4” and 6” substrates. We have successfully fabricated HEMTs on QuanFINE wafers, however, MMIC fabrication has been delayed due to equipment malfunction. Within this project, we have managed to expand our base of customers to reach over 70 % of the RF market through them. We are also talking to customers in the power market, as QuanFINE can handle both high switching frequencies and high power densities. We have set up a new facility for developing SiC substrates during this project, which aims to give us a more stable supply of high quality substrates at a competitive cost.
