生成人工智能时代半导体材料的新动向（英）2025

Key takeaways 1.Semiconductor material research continuesto push the ceiling of Moore’s Law, increasingefficiency, capacity, and miniaturization atan exponential speed. 2.With ever-evolving applications and devices,the industry requires new semiconductormaterials to efficiently and economically meetthe emerging power, performance, and arearequirements of new age applications.This article explores a fresh new way to discoverand invent these new materials, leveragingartificial intelligence in material science. Introduction Ever wondered how many semiconductordevices we encounter from the time we getup to the time we go back to bed? Almosteverything we touch is powered by thesmallest, yet most powerful component ofthat device – the semiconductor! Thus all thetechnology we use in our daily lives is poweredand advanced by constant innovations in thesemiconductor industry. The semiconductor industry has always beenuniquely forward-looking. Back in 1965,Gordon Moore mapped the future of thesemiconductor industry – before the industryeven existed! His predictions have endured tothis day, in what’s known asMoore’s Law. This article will provide a glimpse of the nowand next material innovations happeningacross the semiconductor value chain. Let’stake a look at these ever-evolving constituentsof semiconductors. Semiconductor materials –the building blocks of tech formed by combining gallium and arsenic. Its eightvalence electrons enable rapid response to electricalsignals, making it ideal for amplifying high-frequencysignals in applications like television satellites. However,GaAs comes with challenges: it is more difficult tomanufacture at scale compared to silicon, and itsproduction involves toxic chemicals, raising concernsabout sustainability and environmental impact in analready strained semiconductor industry. The future of the semiconductor industry looks brightand it’s evolving fast. It will be interesting to see thedirection the industry heads, but also anxiety inducing,with semiconductors dependent on many factors andinnovations. This section examines these factors as theyrelate to the search for new semiconductor materials. Traditionally, the three most common semiconductormaterials have beengermanium, silicon, andgalliumarsenide. Now a few new contenders are throwing theirhats in the ring. Gallium Nitride (GaN) Germanium Gallium nitride (GaN) is emerging as a promisingmaterial for next-generation power semiconductors,offering faster and more efficient power conversion inelectric grid systems. Its advantages include superiorthermal performance, higher efficiency, and reducedweight and size.2GaN high electron mobility transistors(HEMTs) have been commercially available since 2005,and many companies are actively developing GaN-basedtechnologies for broader applications.3 Germanium, discovered in 1886, is often regarded asthe “original” semiconductor. Despite its early promise,it eventually lost favor when manufacturers turnedto silicon – a far more abundant and cost-effectivealternative. For over six decades, silicon has dominatedthe semiconductor industry, becoming virtuallysynonymous with the technology itself. Lately, however, material scientists have been revisitinggermanium for use in transistor technology. The datashows electrons move three times faster in germaniumthan in silicon,1providing an opportunity to improvespeed. And with industry experts fearing silicon willsoon reach the limits ofMoore’s Law, Germanium justmight make a comeback. Silicon Carbide (SiC) Silicon carbide (SiC) is often compared to traditionalbulk silicon, but it offers superior performance forpower electronics. Its advantages include higherbreakdown voltage, lower energy losses, high-frequency switching capability, and operation atelevated temperatures.4These benefits stem from SiC’sintrinsic material properties, such as a wider energybandgap, higher electric breakdown field, and excellentthermal conductivity. Gallium arsenide (GaAs) Gallium arsenide (GaAs) is the second most widely usedsemiconductor today. Unlike elemental semiconductorssuch as silicon and germanium, GaAs is a compound, SiC is currently penetrating markets that require veryhigh current (50 A and above) and voltages exceeding1700 V, with the potential to support voltages beyond10 kV. Leading SiC device manufacturers includeWolfspeed, Infineon Technologies, ON Semiconductor,STMicroelectronics, ROHM Semiconductor, GeneralElectric (GE), Fuji Electric, GeneSiC Semiconductor,Mitsubishi Electric, UnitedSiC (Now Qorvo).5 Diamond Diamond is often hailed as the “ultimate material”for power semiconductor components, frequentlymentioned alongside GaN as a wide-bandgap material.6It boasts the highest known breakdown strength andexceptional thermal conductivity. However, its widebandgap also presents challenges, particularly inidentifying suitable dopants. Additional technologicalhurdles – such as inefficient n-type doping, difficultyforming conductive s