What Exactly is the Third Generation Semiconductor?

When you see the third-generation semiconductors, you will surely wonder what the first and second generations were. The "generation" here is classified based on the materials used in semiconductor manufacturing.The first step in chip manufacturing is to extract high-purity silicon from sand.Silicon is one of the earliest materials for manufacturing semiconductors and also the first generation of semiconductors.

Distinguish by materials:

The first-generation semiconductors: Silicon (Si) and germanium (Ge) were used as semiconductor raw materials.

The second-generation semiconductors: using gallium arsenide (GaAs), indium phosphide (InP), etc. as semiconductor raw materials.

The third-generation semiconductors: using gallium nitride (GaN), silicon carbide (SiC), zinc selenide (ZnSe), etc. as raw materials.

Characteristics of the third generation

• High-temperature resistant;
• High pressure resistant;
• Withstand high current;
• High power;
• High working frequency;
• Low power consumption and low heat generation;
• Strong radiation resistance

Take power and frequency for example. Silicon, the representative of the first generation of semiconductor materials, has a power of around 100Wz, but a frequency of only about 3GHz. The representative of the second generation, gallium arsenide, has a power of less than 100W, but its frequency can reach 100GHz. Therefore, the first two generations of semiconductor materials were more complementary to each other.

The representatives of the third-generation semiconductors, gallium nitride and silicon carbide, can have a power output of over 1000W and a frequency close to 100GHz. Their advantages are very obvious, so they may replace the first two generations of semiconductor materials in the future.The advantages of the third-generation semiconductors are largely attributed to one point: they have a larger bandgap width compared to the first two semiconductors. It can even be said that the main differentiating indicator among the three generations of semiconductors is the bandgap width.

Due to the above advantages, the third point is that semiconductor materials can meet the requirements of modern electronic technology for harsh environments such as high temperature, high pressure, high power, high frequency and high radiation. Therefore, they can be widely applied in cutting-edge industries such as aviation, aerospace, photovoltaic, automotive manufacturing, communication and smart grid. At present, it mainly manufactures power semiconductor devices.

Silicon carbide has a higher thermal conductivity than gallium nitride, and its single crystal growth cost is lower than that of gallium nitride. Therefore, currently, silicon carbide is mainly used as a substrate for third-generation semiconductor chips or as an epitaxial device in high-voltage and high-reliability fields, while gallium nitride is mainly used as an epitaxial device in high-frequency fields.