Gallium nitride (GaN) materials overcome the physical limitations of silicon (Si). As GaN compound semiconductors emerge, products are being commercialized as high-power RF amplifiers and high-power semiconductor devices by taking advantage of their characteristics of high-temperature operation, high electron density, and breakdown voltage.

At the recent Winter Conference of the Korean Institute of Electromagnetic Engineering and Science, Wavice, a semiconductor company with Korea's only RF GaN foundry, unveiled its next-generation 0.2µm process roadmap.

“We plan to open a 0.2µm foundry service covering the X-band in the second half of 2023,” said Kim Jong-woo, CEO of Wayvis. The X band refers to the SHF frequency band of 8–12 GHz and has a short wavelength, so it is mainly used for high-resolution image information collection, weather observation, aviation, maritime control, and military radar.
To this, Director Kim said, “We will work to domestically produce products that are necessary for national defense and can respond to export regulations and supply them to where they are needed.”

In addition, we plan to launch a new MPW (Multi-Project Wafer) service in the second half of the year so that research institutes and schools can use expensive foundry services at a relatively low price. Director Kim added, “We plan to provide MPW service twice a year at 0.4 to 0.3 µm, and 0.2 µm MPW will also be available from the second half of 2024.”

Meanwhile, since its establishment in 2017, Wayvis has been focusing on the development of GaN semiconductors, which are attracting attention as next-generation power semiconductors, and has a portfolio in the following fields: △Aerospace and Defense △Network Infrastructure △ISM and Broadcasting △RF Energy.