Instytut Wysokich Ciśnień

IHPP PAS is the only Polish partner in a project performed by a European consortium: GaN4AP (GaN for Advanced Power Applications). The project, funded by ECSEL Joint Undertaking, started in June 2021 with a total investment of 64 M€. The national contribution for IHPP PAS will be received from the National Centre for Research and Development.

GaN4AP will make GaN-based electronics one of the main technology for active devices in all power conversion systems in Europe. A pervasive use of GaN electronics will allow the possibility of developing close-to-zero energy loss power electronic systems, an objective in line with the Energy Efficiency Directive of the European Commission.

In summary, the GaN4AP project will reach the following ambitious results:

• Development of innovative Power Electronic Systems for power conversion and management with advanced architecture and circuit topology, based on state-of-the-art GaN-based High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs) available in a new concept high-frequency package that can achieve the requested 99% power conversion efficiency.
• Development of an innovative material (Aluminium Scandium Nitride, AlScN) which, combined with advanced growth and process solutions, can provide outstanding physical properties for highly efficient power transistors. Therefore, a new HEMT device architecture will be fabricated with much higher current (2x) and power density (2x) than existing transistors.
• Development of a new generation of vertical power GaN-based devices on MOSFET (Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor) architecture with vertical p-GaN inversion channel for safe power switching up to 1200 V.
• Development of new, intelligent and integrated GaN solutions (STi2GaN) both in System in Package (SiP) and Monolithic variances, that will allow the design of novel E-Mobility power converters.

The development of new device technologies and innovative power circuits, employing the GaN-based devices is a crucial factor for the world-wide competitiveness of EU industries.