RF GaN 2023

Glossary

Table of contents

Report Objectives

Scope of the report

Methodologies and definitions

About the authors

Companies cited in this report

What we got right, what we got wrong

Comparison of Market forecasts

Yole Group’s related analyses

Yole Group’s related reports

Yole group – related monitors

What’s new?

Three-page Summary

Executive Summary

Context

• RF electronics application market segments
• Historical perspective

Market Forecasts: 2020-2026

• Packaged GaN RF devices: market size forecast
• Packaged GaN RF devices: market breakdown
• GaN RF bare die devices: market size forecast
• GaN RF bare die devices: shipment forecast frequency breakdown
• GaN RF bare die devices: market size forecast frequency breakdown
• Packaged GaN RF devices: Technology breakdown
• GaN RF device market: discrete vs. MMIC
• GaN RF device market for Telecom infrastructure
• GaN RF device market for Defense
• GaN RF device market for Satellite communication
• Share of RF device market in telecom infrastructure
• GaN RF wafer volume forecast
• GaN RF wafer volume forecast market breakdown
• GaN RF wafer size volume forecast
• Open GaN RF epiwafer market value projection technology breakdown ($M)
• Evolution of open VS. captive epiwafer market volume (%)

Market trend

• Introduction
• Market segmentation
• Frequency vs. system power requirements in rf applications

Telecom infrastructure

• From 4G to 6G : Power amplifier innovation
• Telecom infrastructure market trend
• Technology requirements in terms of power and frequency
• Cellular network structure
• Remote radio head & Active antenna system, opportunities for GaN
• Small cells & Backhaul : Market trends and positioning of GaN
• Technology requirements in terms of power and frequency : RRH
• Technology requirements in terms of power and frequency : AAS
• Active Antenna System Use Case
• RF GaN product examples for AAS and RRH : Sub6 Base Station
• Technology choice for macro/microsites
• Global 5G rollout
• 6G market and technology trend : is there an opportunity for GaN?
• Takeaways

Handset

• Market trend
• Smartphone volume forecast per air standard
• Handset PA applications
• Where RF GaN-on-Si can have a sweet spot
• Yole’s SWOT analysis from sub-7GHz to mmWave opportunity for GaN-on-Si
• Next step for RF GaN-on-Si market
• Takeaways

Defense

• Defense market global trend
• Dedense market segmentation
• GaN defense market trend
• Defense radar trends
• Defense radar driver and use cases
• Worldwide Use cases map
• Defense investments on GaN technology
• Defense electronic warefare  driver and use cases
• Defense communication driver and use cases
• Takeaways

Satellite Communication

• Satellite communication market trend
• GaN-based Satellite communication market segmentation
• Mobile satellite communication
• Interest for GaN devices
• Fixed satellite communication
• Use cases
• Commercially available Product 2022
• RF GAN device players’ technology nodes for space applications
• GaN-BASED SatCom development and implementation
• Takeaways

Other Applications

• Civil radar and avionics
• RF energy
• Test and measurement instrument amplifiers
• Wired broadband- CATV
• Takeaways

Market trend overview

• RF GaN Market overview

Market Share and Supply Chain

• Main RF players and their target applications
• GaN-on-SiC Global Industrial supply chain
• GaN-on-Si Global Industrial supply chain
• Revenues of RF GaN device players
• Revenues of RF GaN wafer players
• RF GaN capacity of S.I. SiC wafer and GaN fab
• RF GaN supply relationship at a glance (Yole’s understanding)
• RF GaN-on-SiC, Some notable acquisitions and partnerships
• RF GaN-on-Si, Some notable acquisitions and partnerships
• The next M&A opportunities in RF GaN
• Top Semiconductor players’ activities in Compound Semiconductors
• GaN-on-Si RF device business
• Company profile: RF GaN device maker
• Company profile: SiC wafer supplier
• Takeaways

Focus on the Chinese RF GaN Industry

• RF GaN in the Chinese context
• Geopolitical impacts on RF GaN industry
• Focus on the Chinese RF GaN ecosystem
• Locations of Wafer/Epiwafer houses and Foundries in China
• Level of technology independency in RF GaN Eco-system in China
• RF GaN-on-SiC’s Transition to 6” platform
• Takeaways

Technology Description

• Introduction
• RF Component overview
• RF semiconductor overview
• GaN’s positioning and added values
• Classification of RF GaN devices
• Discrete GaN HEMT and IMFET technology
• Discrete GaN components in Doherty amplifiers
• GaN-based IC technology
• GaN Power amplifier device technology
• Overview of GaN-based RF components
• Commercially available RF GaN PA devices
• Commercially available Discrete GaN PA devices
• Commercially available GaN-based IC products
• Overview of RF GaN device suppliers
• Yole's analysis: Technological barriers to entry for newcomers
• Takeaways

RF GaN Packaging

• Technology trends
• Die attach technology
• Choice of flange material
• Diamond Template heat sinks
• Diamond Suppliers with heat sink capability
• GaN device packaging
• RF GaN packaging roadmap

Different Technology Platforms

• GaN-on-xx: potential substrates for GaN
• Properties of potential substrates
• GaN-on-SiC technology: Evolution of semi-insulating SiC substrates
• GaN-on-diamond technology
• Evolution of GaN-on-diamond technology
• GaN-on-diamond for the defense market
• GaN-on-diamond for the SatCom and base station markets
• Engineered substrates: Case Study: QST
• GaN-on-XX: competitive analysis of potential substrates 
• GaN-on-XX: HEMT Technology comparison
• Competitive analysis of substrates
• The transition to 6" S.I. SiC substrates
• Different technology platforms: wafer and Epiwafer

Outlook

• KEY Takeaways
• RF GaN Device Market Evolution

Telecom and Defense are the main market drivers for RF GaN

In this report, we have extended the market forecast period to 2022 to 2028. The report includes in-depth reviews of the RF GaN supply chain and end systems in view of component requirements and technology trends at the wafer, epiwafer, and device levels to quantify the global RF GaN market. The RF GaN device market is expected to be worth$2.7B in 2028.

In telecom infrastructure, GaN has penetrated various base stations with its high-power and high-frequency performance benefits. With the transition from RRH to AAS in macro/microcells, massive MIMO requires more PA units per base station. The higher PAE and broader-band capability at frequencies above 3GHz  compared to LDMOS is an opportunity for GaN to grow. The GaN-based telecom infrastructure device market is expected to exceed $1.3B by 2028, representing almost 45% of the total market.

As a traditional GaN market, the defense segment is one of the main drivers for GaN RF. GaN-on-SiC is still the primary platform supplying demanding applications in defense radar, electronic warfare, and defense communication applications.

Top 3 device players grow stability, while NXP gaining high revenue entering Telecom

As of 2023, GaN-on-SiC is still the primary platform for RF GaN, as the supply chain has been well developed. However, integrated defense manufacturer (IDM) is the preferred business model, as IDMs can benefit from their existing customer channels in the telecom and defense markets.

In 2022, SEDI, Qorvo, and Wolfspeed were the leading players in the RF GaN device business, while NXP has gained significant growth by entering the telecom market’s supply chain. The S.I. SiC wafer market remains shared by the three major suppliers, Wolfspeed, Coherent, and SICC. In the defense segment, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, and Chinese CETC are leading GaN adoption. DoD-trusted Wolfspeed and Qorvo are also GaN foundries. Focusing on the supply of the telecom market, Ericsson and Nokia continue stretching the supply of RF GaN devices from multiple device suppliers while Samsung cooperates closely with Korean device players. Since the US sanction, Huawei and ZTE have turned to the Chinese supply chain to develop domestic capability.

New opportunity in Telecom opens the door to RF GaN-on-Si

As of 2023, the mainstream GaN technology is on SiC substrate. The technology has matured and demonstrated good performance at high power and frequency.  Over the last years, players, such as STMicroelectronics with MACOM, Ommic, Infineon and foundries like GlobalFoundries, UMC, have been working on introducing RF GaN-on-Si technology. As the telecom small cell requires PAs with lower power, GaN-on-Si can find a sweet spot in 32T32R 64T64R mMIMO base station below 10W. We expect to see GaN-on-Si enter the market starting at the end of 2023 and taking market share in the coming years.

With technology node evolution, device players developing platforms for the Ku/K/Ka bands are even targeting nodes under 0.1µm for sub-Thz frequencies and a potential 6G market in the future. The target of the emerging GaN-on-Si platform for RF applications is a sub-6GHz small cell by leveraging the efficiency and wide bandwidth at a lower power level. However, considering the complexity of changing the design of the handset system, it’s a longer-term target market for GaN-on-Si.

Adventech, Aethercomm, Aixtron, Akash Systems, A.L.M.T.,  Altum RF, Ampleon, Analog Devices, Arralis, AT&T, Baylin Technologies, BAE Systems, Celestia Technologies Group, Cisco, CECS, CETC, China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, CPI, Comtech, Wolfspeed, Custom MMIC, Dynax, DragonWave-X, Dowa, Empower RF systems, Enkris Semiconductor, Soitec, Ericsson, ESA, Freiburg/Univ. Ulm/Fraunhofer IAF, Filtronic, Freescale, Fujitsu, General Dynamics, Gilat, Global Communication Semiconductors, GlobalFoundries, HebeiKing Ceramic Electronic, HJCW, HiWAFER, Huawei, HUGUES, Coherent Inc, IMEC, IMECAS, Infineon, Inmarsat, Innoscience, Integra Technologies, Intel, IQE, JAXA, JRC, KDDI, KT, Leonardo, Lockheed Martin, MACOM, Microchip, Microsemi, Mission Microwave, Mitsubishi Chemical, Mitsubishi Electric, Motorola, Nasa, NEC, Newport Wafer Fab, Newtec, Nitronex, Norstel, Nokia Networks, Northrop Grumman, Norsat, NTT, NuWaves engineering, NXP, OMMIC, Powdec, Qorvo, Qualcomm, QuinStar Technology, Raytheon, Reshetnev, RFHIC, RF Lambda, RFMD, Samsung, San’an IC, SICC, SiCrystal, SK Telecom, Sprint, STMicroelectronics, Sumitomo Electric, SweGaN, Syrlinks, Raytheon, TagoreTech, TankeBlue, Telstra, Terrasat, TESAT, Thales, Thales III-V Lab, T-Mobile, Toshiba, Transcom, TTI, UMS, Viasat, Verizon, Vodafone, Wavice, WavePIA, Win Semiconductors, Wolfspeed, YFEN and ZTE and more.

Key Features

• 2018-2028 forecast for RF GaN devices and bare die revenue and shipment by application, (Munits, $M)
• 2018-2028 forecast for RF GaN devices revenue breakdown by technology GaN-on-SiC and GaN-on-Si and device type Discrete and MMIC ($M)
• 2018-2028 forecast for RF GaN wafer, epiwafer revenue and shipment 6” equivalent and by wafer size, open and captive market. (Munits, $M)
• Overview of RF GaN, GaN on SiC and GaN on Si supply chain from Wafer to system, including  a specific focus on Chinese ecosystem.

What’s new?

• 2018-2028 Bare die revenue and shipment by frequency band (Munits, $M)
• Specific focus on Chinese ecosystem and GaN-on-Si technology entering the RF GaN market.

Product objectives

• Provide an overview of the RF GaN market.
• Present the players in the various markets, along with their product ranges and technologies.
• Outline market access/market dynamics from 2022-2028, as well as the market split of the various technologies.
• Highlight the main technologies in the application markets.
• Explain the needs of the various RF markets and their corresponding impact on the need for different technologies, along with geographical specificities.