Atomera Breakthrough Targets Broader RF Adoption of GaN-on-Silicon

Key Terms

gan-on-silicon technical

GaN-on-silicon is a semiconductor technology that places gallium nitride (a material that conducts electricity more efficiently at high voltages and speeds) onto a standard silicon wafer used in chipmaking. For investors, it matters because it can deliver smaller, faster and more energy-efficient power and radio-frequency components while leveraging existing, lower-cost silicon manufacturing, potentially boosting product performance, reducing production costs, and opening new markets for electronics and electric vehicles.

rf technical

rf (commonly written r_f) denotes the risk-free rate — the theoretical return on an investment with no chance of loss, often used as a baseline for valuing other assets. Investors use it like a yardstick: returns above this number compensate for extra risk, so it helps price stocks, bonds and option valuations and guides decisions about whether higher-return opportunities justify their added risk. Think of it as the safe deposit box interest rate against which riskier bets are measured.

silicon carbide technical

Silicon carbide is a hard, durable material made from silicon and carbon, often used in industrial applications like cutting tools and electronics. Its ability to withstand high temperatures and conduct electricity efficiently makes it valuable in manufacturing advanced electronic devices. For investors, companies working with silicon carbide are seen as key players in the growing market for high-performance electronics and energy-efficient technologies.

dopants technical

Dopants are tiny amounts of another element or chemical deliberately added to a material to change its physical or electrical behavior, for example making a semiconductor conduct electricity better or altering a battery’s capacity. Think of them like a pinch of salt that changes how a dish behaves: small in quantity but able to change performance, cost, manufacturing yield and regulatory scrutiny, so they can materially affect a product’s competitiveness and a company’s financial prospects.

5g technical

5G is the fifth generation of wireless technology that provides faster internet connections, lower latency, and greater capacity than previous networks. It enables quicker downloads, smoother streaming, and more reliable connections for devices. For investors, 5G represents a significant upgrade in technology infrastructure that can drive growth in related industries such as smartphones, smart cities, and the Internet of Things.

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Novel approach addresses a critical performance barrier by reducing effects that limit high-frequency operation

LOS GATOS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Atomera Incorporated (NASDAQ: ATOM), a semiconductor materials and technology licensing company, today announced a new approach to GaN-on-Silicon that addresses a key performance barrier limiting its use in mainstream RF applications. Today, high-performance RF GaN devices are typically built on silicon carbide substrates, which provide excellent performance but remain costly and difficult to scale. Silicon offers a lower-cost, more scalable foundation with the potential to support larger wafer sizes and greater compatibility with standard silicon manufacturing; however, GaN-on-Silicon has historically underperformed in RF applications due to parasitic channel losses that reduce efficiency, especially at high frequencies. Atomera’s MST^® technology reduces these losses, helping close the performance gap, and offers exceptional linearity, enabling lower-cost GaN solutions for 5G, future 6G, and other high-frequency RF devices.

“Atomera’s latest GaN-on-Si devices show a substantial reduction in parasitic interface charge, by more than an order of magnitude, and our RF characterization of the first MST-enabled samples confirms a significant reduction in RF losses,” said Mostafa Emam, Founder & CEO at Incize. “Beyond the small-signal improvements, the large-signal results are particularly compelling. The best-performing MST samples exhibit outstanding linearity and power handling. This linearity benefit extends into the high-power regime, approaching performance levels typically associated with advanced RF SOI technologies. For GaN-on-Si, these results represent a very exciting step forward.”

Atomera’s approach, MST, introduces a thin, oxygen-modified layer near the surface of the silicon wafer, creating a more favorable platform for GaN growth and making silicon a more viable foundation for high-performance RF devices. This controlled layer modifies the silicon lattice structure and helps block the diffusion of electrical dopants, improving crystal quality at the GaN/silicon interface.

“We’re fundamentally changing the economics of GaN. Atomera’s MST is removing barriers to GaN-on-Silicon-based RF systems, unlocking breakthrough RF performance on low-cost silicon substrates,” said Scott Bibaud, president and CEO of Atomera. “Successfully overcoming challenges like the parasitic channel positions Atomera to achieve a competitive advantage in GaN-on-Silicon, which we believe will provide growth opportunities for Atomera in advanced RF and power electronics.” 

In Atomera’s testing, MST enabled more than a 10x reduction in parasitic channel charge, reducing a key mechanism of RF power loss and supporting improved high-frequency GaN device performance. Furthermore, the test data has proven that MST will allow devices to handle significant power while maintaining signal quality, or linearity, under stress.

“We are delighted by the recent RF test data from Incize,” said Robert Mears, Founder & CTO of Atomera. “Linearity is a top care-about for RF designers, and the new data shows MST GaN-on-Silicon achieving both the ultra-low RF losses and linearity metrics of advanced trap-rich RF SOI. At the benchmark input power of 30mW, the linearity is exceptional, 1000x better than the GaN-on-silicon reference wafer. The MST benefit extends all the way to 10W input power.”

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About Atomera

Atomera Incorporated (NASDAQ: ATOM) is a semiconductor materials and technology licensing company focused on deploying its proprietary performance-enhancing technology into the semiconductor industry. Atomera has developed Mears Silicon Technology™, or MST^®, a quantum-engineered thin-film technology that increases performance and power efficiency in semiconductor transistors. MST can be implemented using equipment already deployed in semiconductor manufacturing facilities and is complementary to other nano-scaling technologies in the semiconductor industry roadmap. More information can be found at www.atomera.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260604075701/en/

Atomera Contact
Rachel Yang
The Hoffman Agency
t: (360) 910-5860
rachely@hoffman.com

Source: Atomera Incorporated