Compound semiconductor is different from silicon (Si) and germanium (Ge) and other traditional forms of semiconductor materials, mainly including gallium arsenide (GaAs), indium phosphide (InP), gallium nitride (GaN), silicon carbide (SiC), zinc oxide (ZnO), etc. Relative to the silicon material, compound semiconductor performance is more outstanding, make the device relative to the silicon device has more excellent photoelectric properties, high speed, high frequency, high power, high temperature resistant and high radiation characteristics.

At present, the global semiconductor industry is in a deep change, compound semiconductor become the new focus of industrial development, our country should intensify industry layout, take the initiative in development.

Compound semiconductor into a new focus of the reform of the global semiconductor industry

Compound semiconductor

Become a new focus of integrated circuit industry

Integrated circuit industry profound changes drive compound semiconductor market development. One is the integrated circuit industry follows the evolution of "Moore's law" slow, with new material, new structure and new technology is characterized of "beyond Moore's law" as a new developing industry focus. 2 it is used to drive IC market growth of PC and smartphone market is sluggish, the future 5 g and the Internet of things will become a fresh air. Three is the world's energy and environmental crisis, energy utilization to low power consumption and fine management. Compound semiconductor as new materials and new devices in the microwave communication devices, optoelectronic devices and power devices with similar silicon devices do not have outstanding performance, will be widely used in the field of the above application.

At home and abroad around the compound semiconductor frequent mergers. In recent years, the international giant companies, taking the acquisition of compound semiconductor, in August 2014, power semiconductor leader Germany's infineon company $3 billion bid for American international rectifier (IR), made its silicon-based GaN power semiconductor manufacturing technology; In September the same year, the design and manufacture of GaAs and GaN RF chip RFMD company and at TriQuint company announced a merger Qorvo for new RF solutions company. Domestic enterprises and capital, it revolves around the compound semiconductor industry.

Three countries "funds" investment Ann compound semiconductor photoelectric layout. In June 2015, the country's integrated circuit industry investment fund (" fund ") invests 4.839 billion yuan investment in three photoelectric, promote three Ann photoelectric subordinate three integrated circuit company around GaAs and GaN contract manufacturing, research and develop the domestic and overseas mergers and acquisitions, new technologies, new production line, etc. At the same time, the national development bank is in the most preferential interest rates to three 20 billion yuan loan.

Quanzhou city in February 2016, the government, the "big fund", China, three core investment group and other core in jinjiang joint venture fund, fund size of 50 billion yuan, the first 7.51 billion yuan investment scale, will focus on IC industry groups III - V compounds.

The compound semiconductor industry

Wide space of market

GaAs device GaAs microwave communication devices in the mobile terminal of dominant in the field of wireless PA and rf switch device, high integration and low cost manufacturing will become future trend of industrial development, in the wireless communication, consumer electronics, automotive electronics, such as the Internet of things applications will be widely used. At the same time, GaAs base material is expected to integrated circuit under 10 nm process and applied in optical interconnection chips in the future.

Global GaAs microwave communication device the size of the market in 2015 reached $8.6 billion, more than 60% of the market focused on Skyworks, Qorvo, Broadcom/Avago the big three, in 2020, the size of the market is expected to top $13 billion. GaAs foundry industry manufacturing mode gradually rise, lloyds, macro express, our country Taiwan huanyu is the main foundry enterprise.

GaN devices based on GaN blue green light LED industry development mature, microwave communication devices and power electronics products has not been widely used in civilian areas. Sapphire base GaN technology the most mature, Si GaN can realize high integration and low cost, the current Si GaN techniques to 6 inches for the mainstream.

Global output value of the GaN microwave communication devices and power electronic devices is still very low, only hundreds of millions of dollars, with the progress of technology, 2020 annual output value is expected to reach $1.5 billion. Infineon, Fuji, big companies such as Toshiba, panasonic spend large sum of money into the field of GaN. Also has a lot of new small businesses, such as Canada's GaN Systems, such as the United States of EPC companies have production GaN products. The future in the new energy, smart grid, information communication equipment and consumer electronics field will be widely used.

SiC device SiC single crystal substrate manufacturing to 4 inches for the mainstream, and transitioning into 6 inches, also has 8 inches. Products are mainly composed of power electronic devices, SiC - SBD schottky diode (), mature technology, has begun to replace Si in the areas of photovoltaic devices, SiC - MOSFET performance is outstanding, can significantly reduce the amount of capacitance inductance in the module, reduce the power mode of this. SiC - IGBT in the future will be with its superior performance in a large ship engine, smart grid, high iron and high power field applications such as wind power.

In 2015, the global SiC power electronics device the size of the market to reach nearly $150 million, is expected to reach $1 billion in 2020. SiC substrate with the major suppliers of Cree, Rohm/SiCrystal VI and II, the sharp company occupies 90% of SiC substrate supply. SiC device market, sharp and infineon/IR two giant occupies 70% market share. SiC power electronic devices in the field of low voltage products will face the fierce competition in the GaN devices, PFC, UPS, electric cars and consumer electronics applications under 900 v, the low cost of GaN devices will occupy the main market, SiC device for 1200 v or more of the market in the future.

The industry development of our country

Facing a big opportunity

"2025" made in China to provide policy support for industry development. In May 2015, the state department released "2025" made in China. New materials in the < 2025 > made in China focus areas technology roadmap "is one of the top ten key areas, in the third generation of semiconductor in the compound semiconductor is included in the key strategic material development key.

High-speed integrated circuit development to provide technical support for the industry development. The integrated circuit in the period of great development in our country, can provide advanced technical support for the compound semiconductor industry. As the GaAs or GaN monolithic microwave integrated circuits design and simulation technology, the construction of the compound semiconductor manufacturing technology and production lines, advanced packaging and testing technology, lithography and CVD and other general equipment manufacturing technology, as well as the large size of number of substrate and common facilities, such as photoresist materials preparation technology.

Key application fields and localization of alternative to provide huge market demand for the industry development. Photovoltaic (pv) and wind power in China, 4 g / 5 g mobile communications, high-speed rail, electric vehicles, smart grid, large data/cloud computing center, semiconductor lighting industry development, and is the application field of compound semiconductor, such as 4 g / 5 g communication base station and terminal use of GaAs or GaN microwave frequency components and modules, high speed railway use of SiC traction drive system, wind power and photovoltaic power station electric field and electric vehicles use GaN and SiC power inverter and converter, the smart grid using SiC high power switching devices, industrial control using GaN and SiC based motor variable frequency drive, big data/cloud computing center using GaN and SiC high efficiency power supply, GaN base used in the semiconductor lighting high brightness LED, etc.