Kindly insert sarcastic snicker here...not the candy bar

GaN reference designs set to play central role in power electronics applications Gallium nitride (GaN) has been touted as 'the next big thing' in power electronics applications for some time now. In speed, temperature, efficiency and power handling, various implementations of the technology are set to take over as silicon power devices reach their limits, and the hottest topics at recent power exhibitions in the US and Europe have surrounded the introduction of GaN devices. Yet there remains the challenge common to all new technology introductions: how to create an informed wealth of knowledge to enable designers to easily and quickly design in the new products without having to go through the headaches of being an early technology adopter. This issue is compounded with the introduction of GaN devices, as there have been a number of inflated claims for the technology, and real devices are only just becoming available for engineers to develop with. Because of this, GaN Systems – the Canadian manufacturer of GaN transistors – is keen to develop a 'GaN ecosystem' of suppliers and users to support designers and systems engineers and facilitate the easy adoption of GaN technology. The excitement about GaN stems from its material and electronic properties. GaN devices offer four key characteristics: high operating temperature; high current density; high speed switching; and low on-resistance. These characteristics stem from the properties of GaN, which, compared to silicon, offers ten times higher electrical breakdown characteristics, three times the band gap, and exceptional carrier mobility. GaN Systems uses a patented island structure to construct transistors. The switch is formed from a sea of source and drain islands with a common gate region running between them. This results in a reduction in transistor die area of up to four times. More, the semiconductor processing is simplified, thereby minimising manufacturing cost. - See more at: http://www.newelectronics.co.uk/electronics-technology/gan-reference-designs-set-to-play-central-role-in-power-electronics-applications/52459/#sthash.xvZEV7OD.dpuf