India is moving into high-end defense electronics with the successful development of Gallium Nitride Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (GaN MMICs), powerful semiconductor chips designed for everything from missiles to warships.
Unlike conventional silicon-based devices, MMICs are built from compound materials that allow faster switching, higher efficiency, and more stable performance under extreme conditions.
Their chemical stability enables reliable operation at high voltages and temperatures, with minimal signal loss, reportedly making them well-suited for demanding military applications.
Gallium nitride, in particular, can withstand temperatures of up to 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,832 degrees Fahrenheit), far beyond the limits of conventional semiconductors.
Despite measuring just 3.5 by 3 millimeters, a single GaN chip can reportedly deliver up to 30 watts of power while operating at speeds roughly 300 times faster than silicon-based alternatives.
By converting motion, heat, sound, light, and pressure into electronic signals, compound semiconductor sensors also play a key role in guiding weapons and monitoring the performance of various defense systems.
Clearing the Hurdle
Developed by Indian researchers, the GaN MMICs are aimed at reducing the country’s reliance on foreign suppliers for high-value defense semiconductors.
Meena Mishra, director of the Solid State Physics Laboratory, credited the breakthrough to the collective efforts of the laboratory and Gallium Arsenide Enabling Technology Centre teams.
She highlighted the demanding process behind each chip, noting that every fabrication and testing cycle takes around 80 days and requires hundreds of steps executed flawlessly.
The milestone places India alongside the US, France, Russia, Germany, South Korea, and China in pursuing greater technological self-reliance in advanced military electronics.
