For immediate release:
Yole Développement – Le Quartz – 75 cours Emile Zola – 69100 Lyon-Villeurbanne - France
“GaN Power Electronics will top one billion dollar in revenue in a couple of years thanks to a cross-fertilization with the LED industry …,”
announces Yole Développement “Power GaN – 2012 edition”, a report from Yole Développement
Lyon, France – March 7, 2012 – Yole Développement announces its report “Power GaN – 2012
edition”. In this report, Yole Développement provides a complete analysis of the GaN device and
substrate industry in the power electronics field – market forecasts, company involvements, etc.
Slow ramp-up but huge expectations….
The GaN power device industry has probably generated less than $2.5M revenues in 2011, as only 2
companies (IRF & EPC Corp.) are selling products on the open market. However, the overall GaN
activity has seen extra revenues as R&D contracts, qualification tests and sampling for qualified
customers was extremely buoyant.
At very short term, IRF and EPC will likely remain the two main vendors of GaN power devices on the
open market in early 2012. This market is likely to stay below $10M for devices, with the rest being
made through R&D sales.
2013 should signal the transition from qualification to production ramp-up for several new entrants.
The device market could reach the $50M threshold. In 2014, most of these new entrants will ramp-
up their capacity, and by 2015 the availability and adoption of qualified 600V+ GaN devices should
see the market grow very quickly, and open doors to non-consumer applications. In 2015, 12-15
players will share the consumption of more than 100,000 x 6” (equiv.) epiwafers.
“Beyond that, if GaN is qualified in the EV/HEV sector, GaN device business could top the billion dollar
line and the GaN-on-Si substrate market could exceed $300M revenues by 2019”, explains Dr Philippe
Roussel, Business Unit Manager, Power Electronics at Yole Développement. However, it is still
unclear how car makers will choose between SiC, GaN or the current Silicon technology.
At the substrate end, R&D activities are still quite fragmented between several options involving
GaN-on-Sapphire, GaN-on-SiC, GaN-on-GaN, GaN-on-AlN and GaN-on-Silicon. Nevertheless, GaN-on-
Si is likely to take a dominant position as 6” is now available with more than 7µm thick GaN epi and
8” is under qualification. 8” diameter availability is probably the parameter that will make this
technology choice obvious.
It is now obvious that the GaN power world attracts numerous newcomers. Yole Développement’s
team has screened 5 companies positioned on the epiwafer business side and more than 6 GaN
device pure-players, aside to another 15 Si-based power firms developing GaN technology.
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GaN power electronics cross-fertilizes with LED industry
A new trend is LED players now starting looking at this new business opportunity and wondering how
to put in place a strategy of diversification to convert their existing extra LED capacity into power.
That represents an “epsilon” today, but Yole Développement assumes it may create some
disturbances in the natural and organic expected growth…
GaN power electronics past, present and future business is inseparable to the LED industry. Both are
linked in technology and market dynamics:
In the past, the premises of GaN epi technology came from the LED industry that has brought
this technology from the labs to mass production.
Today, the extensive developments of GaN-on-Si epiwafers fertilized both the LED and the
Power industry. Most of the epiwafer vendors are targeting these 2 segments with dedicated
products and offers.
Tomorrow, it is likely some incumbent LED pure-players will enter in the Power industry
world, using their extra-capacity and existing tool-sets to make, at least epiwafers, or even
power devices.
Thus, at the end of the day, Yole Développement will not talk about LED or Power sectors anymore,
but rather about “GaN device industry” as main players could be the same….
A question of business model
Power device makers usually buy polished Silicon wafers, conduct the epi (or buy Si epi-wafers) if
needed (FZ thin wafer doesn’t require epitaxy) then process the devices. This model is roughly the
same for SiC technology.
For those who plan to enter in the GaN field, 2 scenarios could occur:
Some may not integrate MOCVD GaN epitaxy. They will buy GaN epiwafers and process it in
the existing CMOS Front-End lines, as they use to do with Silicon substrates (or SiC)
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Some will try to fully integrate the GaN process, from the bare silicon, the GaN epi and the
Front-End
Yole Développement’s report provides a complete analysis of the GaN device and substrate industry
in the power electronics field along with key market metrics. It provides company involvement as
well as technology state-of-the-art. In addition, an extensive review of the possible substrates for
GaN is provided, offering the most complete view of the Power GaN industry available to date.
About Power GaN report, 2012 edition:
Author :
Philippe ROUSSEL, Ph.D holds a Ph-D in Integrated Electronics Systems from the National Institute of Applied
Sciences (INSA) in LYON. He joined Yole Développement in 1998 and is leading the Compound Semiconductors,
LED,Power Electronics and Photovoltaic department.
Catalogue price: Euros 3,990.00 (single user license) - Publication date: March 2012. For special offers
and the price in dollars, please contact David Jourdan ([email protected] or +33 472 83 01 90).
Companies cited in the report:
Aixtron, AZZURRO, BeMiTec, Bridgelux, CamGaN Ltd, Diotec, Dow Corning, Dowa Electronics Materials,
Enphase , EPC Corp., EpiGaN, Episil, Fairchild, FBH, Freescale, Fuji Electric, Furukawa, GaN Systems, GLO AB,
Global foundries, HelioDEL, Hitachi, III-V Lab, IMEC, Infineon, International Rectifier, Intersil, IQE, Kyma, Lattice
Semiconductor, LG Electronics, LG Siltron, Lumileds, MicroGaN, Microsemi, Mitsubishi Electric, Nitek Inc.,
Nitronex, NTT, NXP, OnSemi, Osram, Oxford Instruments, Panasonic, Plessey Semiconductors, Powdec, Power
Integrations, Renesas, Rose Street Lab, Samsung, Sanken Electric, Shimei Semiconductor, Shindengen, Siltronic,
Soitec, STMicro, Sumitomo SEI, Texas Instruments, Toshiba, Transluscent, Transphorm, TSMC, Tyndall National
Institute, Veeco, Velox, Vishay …
About Yole Développement – www.yole.fr
Beginning in 1998 with Yole Développement, we have grown to become a group of companies providing market research,
technology analysis, strategy consulting, media in addition to finance services. With a solid focus on emerging applications
using silicon and/or micro manufacturing Yole Développement group has expanded to include more than 50 associates
worldwide covering MEMS, MedTech, Advanced Packaging, Compound Semiconductors, Power Electronics, LED, and
Photovoltaics. The group supports companies, investors and R&D organizations worldwide to help them understand
markets and follow technology trends to develop their business.
CUSTOM STUDIES
• Market data, market research and marketing analysis
• Technology analysis
• Reverse engineering and reverse costing
• Strategy consulting
• Corporate Finance Advisory (M&A and fund raising)
TECHNOLOGY & MARKET REPORTS
• Collection of reports
• Players & market databases
• Manufacturing cost simulation tools
• Component reverse engineering & costing analysis
More information on www.yole.fr
MEDIA
• Critical news, Bi-weekly: Micronews, the magazine
• In-depth analysis & Quarterly Technology Magazines:
MEMS Trends– 3D Packaging –iLED – Power Dev'
• Online disruptive technologies website: www.i-
micronews.com
• Exclusive Webcasts
• Live event with Market Briefings
CONTACTS
For more information about :
• Services : Jean-Christophe Eloy ([email protected])
• Reports: David Jourdan ([email protected])
• Media : Sandrine Leroy ([email protected])
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