The first GaN-based fast battery chargers recently came onto the market, underscoring the potential of GaN technology for power conversion applications.
Due to unique material properties, GaN-based device technology is expected to enable a completely new generation of light-weight products with disruptive improvements in power conversion efficiency – supporting decarbonization, electrification, and digitalization.
This article, published in PCIM Magazine, highlights:
R&D trends in GaN device architectures, substrates for epi growth, GaN IC development, and system-level innovation aimed at developing the next generation of power electronics devices;
emerging applications, such as low-voltage point-of-load converters for CPUs and GPUs;
- the importance of GaN ecosystem collaboration to jointly drive innovation at all levels of the development, from device design and GaN material growth to system-level optimization and packaging.
Read the article in PCIM Magazine.
Stefaan Decoutere received his M.Sc. degree in Electronic Engineering and the Ph.D. degree from the Katholieke Universiteit (KU) Leuven, Belgium, in 1986 and 1992 respectively. He has been at imec since 1987, where he started in high-voltage BCD technology development. From 1992 to 1997, he was in charge of the development of high-speed BiCMOS and SiGe HBT technologies. In 1998, he became the head of the Mixed Signal/RF technology group in imec. Since 2010 he has managed GaN Power Device technology development, and in 2015, he became the Director of the GaN technology program. In 2023, he became an imec follow.
Published on:
9 December 2025
