University of Hong Kong Team Builds Megawatt Ultra-Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Module: Gallium Oxide Devices Switch Repeatedly at 1,000 Volts and 1,000 Amperes for 1 Megawatt Peak Power
Hong Kong — Researchers from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Hong Kong and the Center for Advanced Semiconductors and Integrated Circuits have developed an ultra-wide bandgap gallium oxide (Ga2O3) power module capable of handling megawatt-level power conversion. The study was published in Nature Communications.
The team was led by Professor Yuhao Zhang, Dr. Hehe Gong and Ph.D. student Xin Yang, in collaboration with Professor Guo-Quan Lu of Virginia Tech and Professor Jiandong Ye of Nanjing University. The team demonstrated a multi-chip Ga2O3 power module capable of repeatedly switching 1,000 volts and 1,000 amperes.
According to the paper, the result represents more than a two-order-of-magnitude increase in the power capability previously demonstrated using ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor technologies. A single packaged Ga2O3 device conducted 234 amperes at 1,000 volts during pulsed operation, while remaining functional at junction temperatures exceeding 250 degrees Celsius.
The team then integrated six devices into a larger module. The module demonstrated repetitive switching at 1,000 volts and 1,000 amperes at a frequency of 1 kilohertz, corresponding to a peak power level of one megawatt.
The researchers said gallium oxide does not conduct heat efficiently and that packaging multiple devices together becomes increasingly difficult at high voltage and current, which has historically limited practical devices to relatively low power. The work used a device-package co-design approach and a junction-side cooling architecture that places the heat-generating region of the semiconductor close to the cooling path.
The team also introduced a high-permittivity insulating layer that helps redistribute the electric field around the device. Zhang said the co-design allowed the team to simultaneously manage the electrical field, heat flow and mechanical stress.
Gong said this is the first time an ultra-wide bandgap multi-chip module has reached the megawatt power level. The team said the result provides a scalable approach for translating the material properties of ultra-wide bandgap semiconductors into practical high-power systems.
Potential applications listed in the report include high-voltage protection for future power grids, advanced medical systems, particle accelerators and fusion-energy facilities. The team's previous research in this area was selected as a Technical Highlight at the 2025 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting.
Source: TechXplore research report, November 9, 2026, with Nature Communications paper details, DOI 10.1038/s41467-026-71274-6: https://techxplore.com/news/2026-11-world-megawatt-ultra-wide-bandgap.html
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Wikipedia/Wikimedia Commons 词条主图：Handover of Hong Kong
