Common Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Materials

Wide Bandgap Semiconductor

Wide bandgap semiconductors are materials with a bandgap (Eg) that's significantly larger than traditional semiconductors like silicon (about 1.12 eV) or gallium arsenide (about 1.43 eV). Generally speaking, materials with a bandgap greater than 2.0 to 2.3 eV are considered wide bandgap semiconductors.

Common Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Materials

Wide Bandgap vs. Ultra-Wide Bandgap

As materials have advanced, those with a bandgap over 4.0 eV — like AlN, Ga₂O₃, diamond, and BN — are now classified as ultra-wide bandgap semiconductors. These materials offer even more extreme performance, making them suitable for even higher voltages, higher frequencies, and harsher environments. That said, they're still in the research and development phase.

Right now, silicon carbide and gallium nitride are the most commercially mature and widely adopted wide bandgap semiconductors, with large-scale applications across multiple industries.

Key Properties of Wide Bandgap Semiconductors

1. High Breakdown Electric Field Strength

Wide bandgap semiconductors have a much higher breakdown electric field than silicon (silicon is around 0.3 MV/cm). Silicon carbide comes in at about 2.5-3.0 MV/cm, and gallium nitride is around 3.3-3.5 MV/cm. This means wide bandgap devices can handle higher voltages and can also be made smaller in size.

2. High Saturation Electron Drift Velocity

These materials have higher electron saturation velocities (about 2-2.5×10⁷ cm/s for SiC and GaN, compared to about 1×10⁷ cm/s for silicon). That makes them a great fit for high-frequency applications.

3. High Thermal Conductivity

Silicon carbide's thermal conductivity (about 4.9 W/cm·K) is way higher than silicon (about 1.5 W/cm·K) or gallium nitride (about 1.3 W/cm·K). Better heat conduction means faster heat dissipation and lower operating temperatures for the device.

4. High Operating Temperature

Wide bandgap devices can theoretically run stably at temperatures from 300°C all the way up to 600°C or even higher. Silicon devices, by comparison, usually top out somewhere between 150°C and 200°C.

5. Low On-Resistance

The high breakdown field allows for thinner drift layers and higher doping concentrations. That significantly lowers the specific on-resistance (on-resistance per unit area), which cuts down conduction losses.

Advantages of Wide Bandgap Semiconductors

Compared to silicon, wide bandgap semiconductors offer these performance benefits:

Applications of Wide Bandgap Semiconductors

The main application areas for wide bandgap semiconductors include:

• Power Electronics: EV inverters, onboard chargers, solar inverters, energy storage systems, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), switch-mode power supplies, power factor correction (PFC) circuits
• RF & Communications: 5G base station power amplifiers, radar systems, satellite communications
• Consumer Electronics: Fast chargers, adapters, LED lighting drivers
• Industrial & Automotive: Motor drives, traction inverters, high-voltage DC-DC converters

Conclusion

As wide bandgap materials move from R&D into real-world applications, having a reliable source of raw materials is absolutely critical. Stanford Electronics has deep expertise in semiconductors, insulating materials, vapor deposition, and energy storage — and we're committed to providing the industry with trustworthy, high-performance electronic material solutions.