High-power push

Anurag Awasthi, a policy specialist in the domain, outlined why the development matters to the armed forces.

“It can be ruggedised for military applications, while being compact and lightweight, which is an important metric for electronic systems, aircraft and satellites,” Awasthi said.

He pointed out that performance in defence systems is often measured by size, weight and power constraints, extending benefits to durability and mission readiness.

“It offers higher power density with a larger capacity for handling high temperatures due to greater thermal stability compared to silicon. GaN is ideal for electronic warfare and radar systems due to reduced size, weight and power,” Awasthi stated.

In complex operational environments, efficient power handling is essential, Awasthi said.

“Overall, this tech in military platforms and sub-systems does enhance operational flexibility and has the potential to reduce redundancy to ensure a larger percentage of mission success metrics.”

Professor Mayank Shrivastava of the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, explained the distinction between GaN and conventional silicon chips.

“GaN is a wide bandgap semiconductor, unlike silicon. This gives it higher breakdown voltage, higher power density and superior operation at high frequencies and high temperatures,” Shrivastava said.

He noted that while silicon has matured over decades, its limits are visible in certain domains.

“Silicon, while mature and cost-effective, struggles in high-power, high-frequency domains where efficiency, size reduction and thermal robustness are critical,” he added.

Those limitations explain why GaN is seen as suitable for advanced defence systems.

He also compared it with other materials used in defence electronics. “Compared to silicon and even gallium arsenide, GaN offers higher output power, better thermal handling and improved reliability,” he said.

In operational terms, “this translates into longer radar range, better signal clarity and more compact, efficient defence systems”.

Dr Satya Gupta, president of the VLSI Society of India, who works in the design and semiconductor industry, placed GaN within the broader semiconductor industry structure.

“The four major pillars of the semiconductor industry are chip design, chip manufacturing, fabrication equipment and raw materials like gases and chemicals,” Gupta said.

“GaN falls into the class of compound semiconductors, also known as Group III-V semiconductors,” he said.

Noting that structural difference in device design, he said, “Unlike silicon, where you have billions of transistors on a chip, in GaN, typically you are producing discrete transistors.”

Gupta clarified that GaN has two main uses- power electronics and RF design.

In defence, we are mostly talking about RF applications, he said, explaining that while RF applications power military radar, missiles and electronic warfare systems, the same technology also supports civilian sectors such as telecom infrastructure (5G and 6G), automotive radar and advanced power systems.

Terming it a key milestone in the country’s progress, Awasthi said, “India is the seventh nation in the world to have indigenously developed this technology by DRDO along with SSPL”.

“It is highlighted that GAETEC (Gallium Arsenide Enabling Technology Centre) was established by DRDO in 1996 in Hyderabad, and a lot of work and institutional knowledge already exists in this domain,” Awasthi noted.

Turning a laboratory breakthrough into large-scale manufacturing is not simple. Shrivastava explained that one of the core difficulties lies in growing high-quality GaN material itself.

“High-quality GaN growth is challenging due to lattice mismatch with common substrates like silicon or sapphire,” he said.

In simple terms, the atomic structure of GaN does not naturally align well with the base material it is grown on, which can create defects. “Managing stress, controlling doping, minimising trap densities and ensuring uniform epitaxy over large wafers are key materials science challenges,” he added, referring to the need to control impurities, internal strain and consistency across the wafer.

Scaling up production adds another layer of complexity. “GaN manufacturing is more complex than silicon due to heteroepitaxy, defect control, and thermal stress management,” Shrivastava stated. Unlike silicon, which has been refined over decades, “GaN lacks decades of industrial-scale process optimisation, making scaling more challenging,” he said.

To make a GaN chip, engineers first prepare a base wafer, then carefully deposit ultra-thin layers of GaN on top in controlled conditions.

Once the device structures are formed, “devices undergo electrical testing, reliability qualification and integration into modules”, he explained, stating that the chips can withstand real-world use before being fitted into radar or power systems.

Shrivastava stressed that skilled manpower and ecosystem depth are as critical as technology.

“India has strong academic research capability and growing design expertise,” he pointed out, but large-scale manufacturing infrastructure and supply chains for specialised materials and equipment are still evolving.

“Universities play a foundational role in advancing materials and device research, developing device architectures and training skilled engineers.” However, Shrivastava cautioned that without industry support, such efforts often lack the required funding and direction, which is missing in India, urging the industries to fill this gap.

Gupta placed India’s effort in a global context. “Semiconductor manufacturing is predominantly concentrated in six or seven countries - the US, Japan, Europe, Taiwan, China,” he said. On India’s current base, he noted: “On the GaN side, GAETEC has small-volume capability. ISRO has a GaN fab. IISc has a GaN fab.”

He, however, said, “Right now, there is no private commercial GaN manufacturing facility in India,” highlighting that most facilities are still limited in scale or are pilot or experimental fabs.

Explaining the market dynamics influencing investment decisions, Gupta said, “Overall GaN market is much smaller than silicon - probably less than 10 per cent,” Gupta noted. He stated that “defence volumes are never very big. Commercial applications like automotive and telecom create higher demand.”

Beyond defence, GaN also has strong civilian potential. “GaN can handle more current and switch at higher frequency, which reduces the size and weight of power systems,” Gupta said, noting that current devices operate around 600 volts.

“If we can reach 900 or 1,200 volts, applications will expand significantly,” stressing that wider use in power electronics should be India’s focus.

Awasthi also pointed to spillover benefits. “The technology has non-military applications to include the futuristic 6G technologies and electric vehicles as well. Domestic fabrication capability will be suitably augmented by more participation of private sector entities, enabling government policies and infusion of more capital,” he said.

Awasthi said the development demonstrates India’s will to develop technologies when export controls/denial clauses are sought by other entities. “Strategic autonomy can only be achieved by strategic breakthroughs, and this is a shining example of the same,” he stated.

The recent innovation only signals intent, but the real test lies ahead in scaling from lab success to reliable, high-volume manufacturing, which will require capital investment, supply-chain control and skilled talent.

Also, the challenges in defect control and infrastructure are significant. GaN can strengthen India’s technological self-reliance in the long term, provided it receives policy support and private sector participation across defence and civilian sectors.