【Domestic News】Shanghai Lingang's Fourth-Generation Semiconductor Strategy: Ga₂O₃ Industry Enters a New Era of Ecosystem Collaboration

      Competition in the fourth-generation semiconductor industry is shifting from individual technological breakthroughs toward the establishment of a comprehensive industrial ecosystem. Recently, the Action Plan for the Development of the Fourth-Generation Semiconductor Future Industry Cluster in the Lingang Special Area of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone (2026–2028) was officially released. Focusing on two major directions—ultra-wide-bandgap and ultra-narrow-bandgap semiconductors—the plan proposes the development of a full-chain cultivation system covering key industrial links. Among them, Ga₂O₃, as a key material in the ultra-wide-bandgap semiconductor field, has received significant attention in the plan, with its development spanning multiple stages including materials, epitaxy, and device technologies.

From Materials to Applications: The Ga₂O₃ Industry Chain Moves Toward Comprehensive Development

      The core significance of the Lingang Special Area action plan lies in its shift away from a single-point technology development approach toward the construction of a complete ecosystem driven by the industrialization needs of fourth-generation semiconductors.

      At the material level, the plan proposes advancing key technologies for ultra-wide-bandgap semiconductor materials, with a focus on achieving low-cost, large-scale wafer production of Ga₂O₃. It emphasizes strengthening capabilities in crystal growth, epitaxial processing, wafer fabrication, and performance characterization, building an engineering pathway from material preparation to small-scale supply.

      At the epitaxy and device level, the plan further highlights breakthroughs in Ga₂O₃ homoepitaxy and heteroepitaxy technologies, while promoting the development of Ga₂O₃-based ultra-high-voltage Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) and heterojunction field-effect transistors (FETs/HEMTs), accelerating the transformation of material advantages into device-level performance.

      Meanwhile, addressing the high power density and heat dissipation requirements of fourth-generation semiconductor devices, the plan also focuses on advanced packaging, high-thermal-conductivity structures, and reliability evaluation technologies. It supports the development of dedicated equipment for crystal growth, wafer cutting, polishing, and testing, providing manufacturing capabilities for large-scale industrialization.

      Overall, the development focus of Ga₂O₃ is transitioning from simply pursuing breakthroughs in material properties toward a systematic advancement covering the entire value chain—from crystal growth and substrate fabrication to epitaxial processes, device development, packaging validation, and application demonstration.

Policy Support Accelerates: Ga₂O₃ Industry Embraces New Development Opportunities

      The Lingang Special Area action plan proposes the establishment of a full-chain cultivation system covering basic research, technological breakthroughs, concept validation, engineering validation, and large-scale applications, closely aligning with the current development trajectory of the Ga₂O₃ industry.

      Leveraging Lingang Special Area’s industrial foundation and policy advantages, this systematic cultivation framework is expected to further integrate innovation resources across the Ga₂O₃ value chain, promote the continuous improvement of the industrial ecosystem, and accelerate the transition of technological achievements toward engineering applications.

      Looking ahead, as materials, devices, equipment, packaging, and application technologies continue to mature, the Ga₂O₃ industry will further strengthen its industrialization capabilities through collaborative efforts across multiple sectors. This progress will provide strong support for the advancement of China’s ultra-wide-bandgap semiconductor industry and the development of high-end equipment with greater technological independence.

From Individual Exploration to Collaborative Innovation: The Ga₂O₃ Industry Enters a New Era of “Diverse Paths, Shared Progress”

      Currently, the Ga₂O₃ industry is demonstrating a development trend characterized by diversified technological exploration and coordinated advancement. Across key areas including crystal growth, substrate fabrication, epitaxial technologies, device development, equipment innovation, and application validation, different innovation entities are continuously advancing their respective technical pathways based on their strengths, collectively driving the continuous improvement of the industry chain.

      The philosophy behind the establishment of the Asian Gallium Oxide Alliance—“A Hundred Gallium Voices, Advancing Together”—closely reflects the current development landscape of the Ga₂O₃ industry. When the Alliance was founded, the industrial ecosystem was still in an exploratory stage, with universities and research institutions representing the majority of its members. As the Ga₂O₃ industry has continued to evolve, an increasing number of enterprises across the value chain have joined the Alliance, investing in areas such as crystal growth, material processing, epitaxial fabrication, device development, testing and validation, and application exploration. Through their efforts, these participants continue to drive technological advancement and industrial breakthroughs in their respective fields.

      Meanwhile, the Alliance continues to bring together stakeholders across the entire value chain, facilitating communication, cooperation, and resource integration among different participants, while promoting collaborative development and ecosystem building.

      Today, the Ga₂O₃ industry is transitioning from isolated technological exploration toward coordinated advancement across multiple stages of the value chain. In the future, as materials, devices, equipment, packaging, and application technologies continue to mature, collaboration throughout the industry chain will become increasingly strengthened, accelerating the transformation of innovative achievements into practical applications. The Asian Gallium Oxide Alliance will continue to connect stakeholders across the ecosystem and work together to advance the maturation of the Ga₂O₃ industry.