Wide bandgap materials and advanced packaging are revolutionizing power, but thermal and integration challenges persist.
As electronic systems grow increasingly complex and energy-intensive, traditional power management methods — centered on centralized systems and external components — are proving inadequate.
The next wave of innovation is to bring power control closer to the action — directly on the chip or into a heterogeneous package. This change is driven by a relentless pursuit of efficiency, scalability, and integration in diverse applications, from smartphones and IoT devices to electric vehicles and giant data centers. More data needs to be processed in less time with more and often smaller transistors, and providing them with sufficient and consistent power is an increasingly complex and essential task.
Meeting these demands requires a convergence of technologies, including wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors for high-voltage applications, advanced packaging techniques, and innovative design methodologies. WBG materials, such as silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN), are redefining power electronics with their superior performance characteristics relative to silicon. At the same time, cutting-edge techniques like hybrid bonding and wafer thinning are enabling new levels of integration and miniaturization.
But making all of this work requires integration and innovation across the entire supply chain. It requires a broad swath of companies working together on a diverse set of technologies, from the development of SiC and GaN to the refinement of thermal management strategies and the mitigation of parasitic effects.
Moving power to the chips
The push to electrify everything has placed immense pressure on semiconductor manufacturers to rethink the fundamental principles of power management. Traditional power distribution methods, where power conversion and regulation occur on separate boards or modules, no longer can meet the compact, high-efficiency demands of modern applications. The industry is increasingly moving power closer to the chip, leveraging techniques such as backside power delivery and advanced packaging to shorten the distance that power needs to travel, and it is developing new ways to manage higher power density in a smaller area.
“Solid-state electrification is the future,” says Thar Casey, CEO of AmberSemi. “We’re tackling inefficiencies by rethinking AC-to-DC conversion entirely — reducing the footprint and transforming how power is integrated.”
This transition is not about incremental improvements. It represents a fundamental redefinition of power systems. By integrating power management functions directly into the chip or package, manufacturers achieve several critical benefits. Among them:
Hybrid bonding is one pivotal technology enabling this shift. It integrates multiple dies with exceptionally high interconnect densities, creating seamless pathways for power and data within the package. By replacing micro-bump bonding with direct copper-to-copper connections, hybrid bonding significantly reduces resistance and inductance, making it ideal for high-power applications. It also facilitates finer pitch interconnections, providing higher bandwidth and improved signal integrity.
“Hybrid design flows are transforming high-density packaging, enabling advanced connections and optimizing power integration,” said Lihong Cao, senior director at ASE Group, during Meptec’s Road to Chiplets forum. “These innovations allow us to maximize yield and improve performance for both homogeneous and heterogeneous designs.”
Wafer thinning is another critical advancement in this domain. By reducing the thickness of semiconductor wafers, manufacturers improve both thermal and electrical performance. Thinner wafers offer lower thermal resistance, enabling more efficient heat dissipation, and reduce the distance electrical signals must travel, minimizing parasitic effects and improving signal integrity. Sub-10µm thinning techniques, combined with advanced backside metallization, are pushing the boundaries of power integration.
“Both silicon and SiC power devices are designed with the drain on the backside of the chip, and the substrate thickness represents the transistor’s gate length,” says James Lamb, corporate fellow at Brewer Science. “This design requires thinning the wafer below 100µm, and depending on gate length and power level, it can be reduced below 10µm.”
The advantages of moving power management closer to, or onto the chip extend beyond performance. This approach also reduces system complexity and cost by consolidating functions into a single package. Applications like electric vehicles, industrial automation, and data centers stand to gain the most, where efficiency, reliability, and protection are critical.
“Solid-state circuit breakers can trip 3,000 times faster than mechanical ones,” adds Casey. “Integrating these into advanced packages improves both efficiency and protection.”
Wide-bandgap materials
The integration of power management into the chip is further accelerated by advancements in semiconductor materials. WBG materials, such as GaN and SiC, are playing a pivotal role in this transition. Their inherent ability to operate at higher voltages, frequencies, and temperatures compared to traditional silicon makes them exceptionally well-suited for on-chip power applications.
Fig. 1: This diagram shows the significant advantages of SiC and GaN when compared to silicon. Source: www.researchgate.net
“SiC and GaN allow engineers to re-imagine how power systems are built,” says Chance Dunlap, vice president of engineering at AmberSemi. “From circuit breakers to inverters, these materials let us create solutions that were impossible just a decade ago.”
The unique properties of WBG materials enable smaller components with higher energy density, reducing the size and weight of power systems. This makes them particularly appealing for industries like automotive and aerospace, where efficiency and weight are critical. SiC devices, for example, are widely used in electric vehicle inverters, where their ability to handle high power loads with minimal heat generation translates to longer range and faster charging.
“Advanced trench MOSFET design allows improved device performance as well as a smaller footprint than conventional planar design,” says Jonathan Jeauneau, European sales director at Brewer Science. “This trench design presents specific challenges associated with topography and critical dimensions, which can affect the high electric field and gate oxide. Planarization, optical control, and etch resistance are the key material properties.”
Despite their advantages, WBG materials present significant challenges. Manufacturing SiC and GaN devices requires advanced techniques to address such issues as defect densities, gate oxide reliability, and the precise doping profiles needed for device performance. High defectivity in bulk materials remains a cost driver, while the complexity of deposition and etching processes demands tight process control to ensure repeatable results.
“Depending on individual material function, critical design criteria include metrics like high-temperature stability, robust etch resistance, and compatibility with downstream processes like high-energy implants, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and chemical mechanical planarization (CMP),” says Daniel Soden, business development manager at Brewer Science.
Cost remains a hurdle for WBG adoption, but prices are coming down as manufacturing processes mature around crystal growth, substrate preparation, and epitaxial growth techniques. Moreover, even though these materials currently are more expensive than silicon today, their superior performance often justifies the investment. This is particularly important in applications requiring extreme efficiency and reliability.
“SiC and GaN are just tools,” says AmberSemi’s Dunlap. “SiC excels in high-current applications, while GaN shines in lower-power scenarios that require faster switching. Using them effectively is all about matching the material to the task.”
Thermal management
As power density increases in modern semiconductor devices, effective thermal management has become one of the most critical challenges to maintaining reliability and performance. While SiC and GaN offer higher operating temperature capabilities compared to silicon, the heat they generate can still significantly impact device longevity and efficiency if not managed effectively.
“Heat is the enemy of longevity,” says Dunlap. “Every 10° C rise in temperature halves the lifespan of a device. Effective thermal management isn’t optional — it’s critical.”
Thermal issues extend beyond device performance to affect system integration and reliability. Excessive heat can cause warping, delamination, and failures in interconnects, particularly in advanced packaging configurations that rely on dense interposers.
“WBG devices generate localized heat due to high power densities and fast switching,” says Dermott Lynch, technical product management director at Synopsys. “EDA tools need advanced thermal modeling capabilities to predict and mitigate hotspots, as well as account for thermal cycling and stress on devices and packaging.”
Managing thermal stress is especially challenging in heterogeneous environments where materials with varying thermal expansion coefficients are combined. To address these challenges, a range of thermal management solutions is employed:
“WBG materials experience unique degradation mechanisms such as defect propagation or thermal stress due to high operating temperatures and power densities,” adds Lynch. “Solutions include advanced packaging materials with high thermal conductivity, such as copper-diamond composites, and robust TIMs for efficient heat transfer.”
For applications demanding extreme reliability, such as high-performance computing and aerospace, innovative solutions like microfluidic cooling systems are gaining traction after decades of sitting on the sidelines. These systems circulate liquid coolants through microchannels etched into the package, offering exceptional heat removal capabilities.
“Microfluidics represents the future for high-density, high-power applications,” says Lynch. “By integrating cooling directly into the package, we achieve significant improvements in both performance and reliability.”
The interplay between thermal management, materials innovation, and design methodologies underscores the complexity of next-generation power systems. Addressing these challenges requires a collaborative approach, leveraging advanced modeling, new materials, and innovative cooling techniques to ensure reliable, high-performance operation.
Parasitics, EMI, and signal integrity
Wide bandgap materials bring immense performance benefits, but their faster switching speeds and higher power densities introduce new challenges, including electromagnetic interference (EMI), voltage overshoots, and parasitics. These issues can compromise system performance and reliability if not carefully managed, making them critical considerations in next-generation power systems.
“Innovations in switch architecture can eliminate unnecessary steps,” says Dunlap. “Reducing capacitance and resistance at critical points improves overall system stability.”
Parasitic inductance and capacitance are particularly problematic in high-speed switching environments. They can lead to increased power losses, signal distortion, and overheating.
“The faster switching speeds of WBG devices make them susceptible to parasitic effects, which can cause voltage overshoots, ringing, and EMI,” explains Synopsys’ Lynch. “Optimized PCB layouts with minimized loop inductance and decoupling capacitors close to the device help mitigate voltage transients.”
Advanced materials and shielding techniques are also crucial. High-frequency devices often require innovative solutions to ensure proper isolation and prevent interference.
“Fast switching and high dv/dt in WBG devices result in higher EMI and noise, which can interfere with surrounding circuitry,” adds Lynch. “Incorporating EMI filters and shielding, along with optimized snubber circuits and proper grounding, can reduce noise susceptibility.”
Hybrid bonding and high-density interconnects further complicate signal integrity management. These technologies bring components closer together, increasing the risk of crosstalk and EMI. Advanced simulation platforms now incorporate parasitic extraction, high-frequency modeling, and EMI analysis to predict and address these issues early in the design process.
“With hybrid bonding, we’re pushing interconnect densities to new limits,” says ASE’s Cao. “Achieving high yields at these levels requires precise alignment and advanced signal integrity analysis.”
The interplay of parasitics, EMI, and signal integrity underscores the need for a holistic approach that combines materials innovation, advanced design methodologies, and simulation tools. High-stability dielectric materials, improved isolation techniques, and thermal resilience are becoming standard requirements for next-generation power systems.
Collaboration and the ecosystem
The transition to on-chip power management and the integration of WBG materials in advanced packaging are not merely technological challenges. There are ecosystem challenges, as well. No single company can tackle the myriad complexities involved in substrate design, material selection, assembly, packaging, and testing. Cross-disciplinary collaboration and open communication are essential.
“Advanced packaging brings countless variables to the table,” says Dick Otte, CEO of Promex Industries. “Collaboration is the only way to manage these complexities, from substrate design to assembly.”
One major obstacle to collaboration is the sheer diversity of technologies and materials involved. Each stakeholder — whether a chip designer, substrate manufacturer, foundry, OSAT, or equipment vendor — brings specialized knowledge to the table. Aligning these competencies requires overcoming challenges like communication gaps, technological mismatches, and cultural differences.
“The biggest issue today is that nobody fully understands all the options,” adds Otte. “The industry needs clearer articulation of what’s available, and that starts with better communication.”
While collaboration is often highlighted as a cornerstone of advanced packaging ecosystems, its success hinges on a critical, yet frequently overlooked factor: Data engineering. Without well-prepared, AI-ready data, collaborative efforts can falter. By ensuring robust data engineering practices, companies can lay the foundation for meaningful collaboration and reliable analytics.
“The biggest issue we see is something that is even before ‘collaboration,’” explains David Park, senior solutions architect at Tignis. “Having good data engineering set up ahead of time is essential for any ecosystem to allow for collaboration. Otherwise, you have a ‘garbage in/garbage out’ situation with your data analytics.”
Organizations are also creating small consortiums and partnerships to share knowledge and resources. Standardized design frameworks and shared simulation tools are also helping streamline processes and improve compatibility across the ecosystem. Companies that embrace collaboration are better positioned to drive innovation and meet the demands of rapidly evolving markets.
“The complexity of advanced packaging is only growing,” notes Cao. “Close partnerships across the supply chain are essential to delivering high-performance, reliable systems.”
As the semiconductor industry moves toward greater integration and electrification, collaboration will be the cornerstone of success. From refining material properties to developing advanced simulation tools and aligning manufacturing processes, the ecosystem must work together to overcome challenges and unlock the full potential of modern power systems.
Conclusion
The semiconductor industry is at the forefront of a transformative era, redefining power delivery and management across an expanding range of applications. The convergence of wide bandgap materials, advanced packaging techniques, and on-chip power management is enabling innovations that previously were unimaginable. From the compact and efficient designs in consumer electronics and IoT devices to the robust and high-power solutions in electric vehicles and data centers, these changes are reshaping how power is generated, controlled, and utilized.
The integration of power management functions into the chip or package offers unprecedented opportunities to enhance efficiency, reliability, and scalability. By adopting technologies like hybrid bonding, wafer thinning, and advanced thermal management, manufacturers are addressing technical hurdles that allow them to achieve higher power densities and reduce system complexity. WBG materials, such as SiC and GaN, are central to this progress, providing the necessary performance characteristics to meet the demands of next-generation electronics while enabling more compact and energy-efficient designs.
However, the journey toward electrification and integrated power solutions is not without challenges. Managing thermal loads, mitigating parasitic effects, and ensuring signal integrity in high-density configurations require holistic design approaches and the seamless collaboration of stakeholders across the supply chain. From material scientists to circuit designers and assembly specialists, the success of this transformation hinges on the ability of the industry to work collectively, breaking down traditional silos and fostering innovation through shared knowledge and expertise.
Looking ahead, the implications of these advancements extend far beyond individual devices. By enabling more efficient power systems, these technologies also contribute to broader global goals, such as reducing carbon footprints, improving energy utilization, and paving the way for sustainable growth. The ripple effects of this transformation will be felt in industries as diverse as renewable energy, telecommunications, aerospace, and health care, where the demand for reliable and efficient power systems continues to grow.
Related Reading
Challenges In Powering Electrification With GaN And SiC
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Hybrid Bonding Makes Strides Toward Manufacturability
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Advanced Packaging Driving New Collaboration Across Supply Chain
Rising complexity is changing the way companies engage and interact, but long-standing barriers in communication, culture, and IP protection are slowing progress.
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