A team led by Wu Zhenping at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications has confirmed in Science Advances that kappa-gallium oxide exhibits stable ferroelectricity at room temperature, enabling it to store data like a memory device while serving as a high-power transmitter. This breakthrough could allow for smaller, more powerful military electronics in Chinese fighters, potentially leaving US F-22 radars two generations behind.
Chinese fighters, from the older J-10 to the advanced J-20 and J-35, currently use third-generation gallium nitride technology for radars, offering superior range, efficiency, and reliability compared to the ageing gallium arsenide systems in US F-22 jets.
A discovery by Wu Zhenping and his team at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, published in the journal Science Advances on February 11, has opened a new front in the semiconductor arms race. For the first time, they confirmed through experiments that a specific crystal phase of gallium oxide, known as kappa-gallium oxide, exhibits stable ferroelectricity at room temperature. This allows it to store data intrinsically like a memory device while functioning as a high-power transmitting component.
The integration of power and memory could enable smaller and more powerful military electronics. The research suggests this leap in China's semiconductor technology might leave US F-22 radars two generations behind.
Keywords include semiconductor, radar, military electronics, J-35, Wu Zhenping, F-35, United States, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, kappa-gallium oxide, China, F-22, J-20, gallium oxide, Hangzhou Garen Semiconductor, Science Advances, gallium nitride, and Chinese Academy of Sciences.
