The Development of Semiconductor Materials

The US President recently said the conflict between Russia and Ukraine had driven up the prices of all the world's major food staples, including wheat, corn, barley, oilseeds and edible oils, and that Russia and Ukraine together supplied more than 25% of the world's wheat exports and about 20% of its barley exports. 

To address the food shortage, the Biden administration says it plans to increase the number of counties eligible for insurance for double cropping. Double cropping is when farmers grow two different crops a year on the same field. 

Under Biden's plan, the number of counties eligible for two-season crop insurance would increase by 681, for a total of 1,935. 

The UN has warned that up to 1.7bn people are "highly exposed" to the domino effect of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine on the global food, energy, and financial systems.  The agency says conflict could increase hunger in countries where people are already suffering from malnutrition.

Even countries where food is less scarce are being hit by rising prices. U.S. grocery prices rose 1% in April, compared with a 10.8% increase over the past 12 months, the Labor Department said recently.

According to the White House, global food prices have risen nearly 13 percent since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. 

Besides, affected by the ever-changing international situation, the supply and prices of international bulk gallium nitride powder are still very uncertain.

The first generation of semiconductor materials: silicon (Si), and germanium (Ge) as the representative
The first generation of semiconductor materials are mainly silicon materials. At present, semiconductor devices and integrated circuits are still made mainly from silicon crystalline materials, and silicon devices make up more than 95 percent of all semiconductor products sold worldwide. The first generation of semiconductor application scenarios are very wide, from cutting-edge CPU, GPU, memory chips, and all kinds of charger power devices can be made. Although the first generation of semiconductor materials did not perform well in some areas, they won because they were cost-effective. 
 
The second generation of semiconductor materials: gallium arsenide (GaAs), indium phosphide (InP) as the representative 
With the rise of the information highway based on optical communication and the development of social informatization, the second-generation semiconductor materials represented by gallium arsenide and indium phosphor are emerging and showing their great advantages. Gallium arsenide and indium phosphor semiconductor lasers have become key devices in optical communication systems, and gallium arsenide high-speed devices have accelerated the development of new fiber and mobile communication industries. The main applications are optoelectronics, microelectronics, microwave power devices, etc. 
 
The third generation of semiconductor materials: gallium nitride (GaN), silicon carbide (SiC) as the representative 
The rise of the third generation of semiconductor materials is marked by the breakthrough of p-type doping of gallium nitride materials and the successful development of high-efficiency blue-green light-emitting diodes and blue-blue semiconductors lasers. It has excellent properties such as a high breakdown electric field, high thermal conductivity, high electron saturation rate, and strong radiation resistance. It is more suitable for making high temperature, high frequency, radiation resistance, and high-power electronic devices. It is the core component of solid-state light sources, power electronics, and microwave rf devices.
 
The fourth generation of semiconductor materials: gallium oxide (Ga2O3) as the representative 
At present, the main material systems with the development potential to become the fourth generation of semiconductor technology mainly include narrow bandgap gallium antimonide, indium arsenic compound semiconductor; Ultra-wide bandgap oxide material; Other low-dimensional materials such as carbon-based nanomaterials, two - dimensional atomic crystal materials.
Ga2O3 is a direct bandgap semiconductor material, the bandgap is about 4.9eV (affected by the different crystal structures, different orientations, and other factors, the bandgap will be different), because its bandgap is much wider than SiC and GaN, so it is called ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor material. The breakdown field strength of Ga2O3 can theoretically reach 8MV/cm, 2.5 times that of GaN and more than 3 times that of SiC. In addition, Ga2O3 has good chemical and thermal stability, low cost, simple preparation method, easy to mass production, and obvious advantages in industrialization. 
Ga2O3 is the fourth generation of ultra-wide bandgap gallium oxide (Ga2O3) and diamond and other new-generation materials, especially Ga2O3 because its substrate fabrication is easier than SiC and GaN, and because of its characteristics of the ultra-wide bandgap, the material can withstand higher voltage collapse voltage and critical electric field so that it has great potential in the application of ultra-high-power components. 
 
Luoyang Tongrun Nano Technology Co. Ltd. (TRUNNANO) is a trusted global chemical material supplier & manufacturer with over 12-year-experience in providing super high-quality chemicals and Nanomaterials, including silicon powder, nitride powder, graphite powder, zinc sulfide, calcium nitride, 3D printing powder, etc.
If you are looking for high-quality chemicals, please feel free to contact us and send an inquiry. (sales3@nanotrun.com)
 

Since February, gold has enjoyed a smooth upward run on the back of surging US inflation and the brewing of war. While expectations of rate rises have also risen in tandem over this period, gold had been largely pre-priced and the underlying driver of tightening expectations had come from inflation continuing to rise to record highs. The risk aversion caused by the continued tension in the war also provided an important short-term support for gold. This will have a certain impact on the price of the gallium nitride powder and the market of the gallium nitride powder. 

Inquiry us