The Supercharged Semiconductor: Gallium oxide could make powerful radios and switch thousands of volts

IN THE MAY 2002 ISSUE OF THIS MAGAZINE, THE LATE Lester F. Eastman and Umesh K. Mishra made the case for what was then a long-shot technology in the world of power semiconductors: gallium nitride (GaN). They presented an optimistic outlook for powerful, rugged radio-frequency amplifiers in the then-nascent broadband wireless networks and in radar, as well as in power-switching applications for the electric grid. They called GaN devices “the toughest transistor yet.”