PUBLISHER: QYResearch | PRODUCT CODE: 1872335
PUBLISHER: QYResearch | PRODUCT CODE: 1872335
The global market for Free-standing GaN Substrate Wafer was estimated to be worth US$ 169 million in 2024 and is forecast to a readjusted size of US$ 403 million by 2031 with a CAGR of 13.0% during the forecast period 2025-2031.
This report provides a comprehensive assessment of recent tariff adjustments and international strategic countermeasures on Free-standing GaN Substrate Wafer cross-border industrial footprints, capital allocation patterns, regional economic interdependencies, and supply chain reconfigurations.
Free-standing GaN Substrate Wafer is an independent gallium nitride (GaN) single crystal substrate prepared by homoepitaxial growth technology, without relying on heterogeneous substrates such as sapphire and silicon carbide for support. Its core features are low defect density, high thermal conductivity, and high breakdown voltage, and it is suitable for high-performance optoelectronics (LED/LD), power electronics, high-frequency electronics and other fields.
Free-standing Gallium Nitride (GaN) substrate wafers have emerged as a foundational material in the development of next-generation electronic and optoelectronic devices, offering significant advantages over conventional substrates such as sapphire, silicon carbide (SiC), and silicon. These substrates are composed entirely of GaN crystal, eliminating the mismatch in lattice constant and thermal expansion coefficient typically seen in heteroepitaxial growth on foreign substrates. This congruence dramatically reduces defect densities, particularly threading dislocations, which are critical for achieving high-performance and long-reliability GaN-based devices. The demand for free-standing GaN substrates is being driven primarily by their crucial role in high-power and high-frequency applications such as RF power amplifiers, high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs), power converters, and laser diodes, where superior thermal management and electrical performance are required.
By application, 2-inch wafers currently dominate the market due to their higher production maturity and lower cost, which occupied for a share nearly 84.13% in 2024. 4-inch wafers are gradually entering commercial use, particularly in high-power and high-frequency electronics, though their yield and cost performance still require optimization. Meanwhile, 6-inch free-standing GaN substrates are under active development by leading global and Chinese companies, with the goal of scaling up for next-generation power electronics and photonic applications. Once technical challenges such as defect density and scalability are overcome, these larger substrates are expected to unlock economies of scale and enable more efficient GaN device manufacturing.
In terms of application, free-standing GaN substrates are primarily used in optoelectronics (including blue/violet/green laser diodes and LEDs), high-frequency RF electronics (such as base station components and satellite communications), and power electronics (such as electric vehicle inverters and industrial power supplies). Among these, optoelectronic applications currently account for 70.06% in 2024 due to their stringent requirements for low dislocation density and high optical performance-areas where free-standing GaN substrates offer significant advantages over hetero-epitaxial solutions. In particular, the market for GaN-based laser diodes used in projection, AR/VR, and medical diagnostics continues to expand rapidly. As GaN power devices further penetrate the EV, renewable energy, and consumer electronics sectors, demand for large-diameter and high-quality free-standing GaN substrates is projected to rise, pushing the industry toward commercialization of 4-inch and 6-inch wafers.
Manufacturing free-standing GaN wafers, however, presents technical and cost challenges. Current production methods include hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE), ammonothermal growth, and Na-flux methods. Among these, HVPE remains the most commercially mature and widely adopted due to its high growth rate and scalability. Leading global manufacturers such as Sumitomo Electric, SCIOCS, Mitsubishi Chemical, and newer Chinese entrants like Suzhou Nanowin and Eta Research Ltd. are actively investing in expanding their capacities. In terms of revenue, the global three largest companies occupied for a share nearly 78.84% in 2024.
This report aims to provide a comprehensive presentation of the global market for Free-standing GaN Substrate Wafer, focusing on the total sales volume, sales revenue, price, key companies market share and ranking, together with an analysis of Free-standing GaN Substrate Wafer by region & country, by Type, and by Application.
The Free-standing GaN Substrate Wafer market size, estimations, and forecasts are provided in terms of sales volume (K Pcs) and sales revenue ($ millions), considering 2024 as the base year, with history and forecast data for the period from 2020 to 2031. With both quantitative and qualitative analysis, to help readers develop business/growth strategies, assess the market competitive situation, analyze their position in the current marketplace, and make informed business decisions regarding Free-standing GaN Substrate Wafer.
Market Segmentation
By Company
Segment by Type
Segment by Application
By Region
Chapter Outline
Chapter 1: Introduces the report scope of the report, global total market size (value, volume and price). This chapter also provides the market dynamics, latest developments of the market, the driving factors and restrictive factors of the market, the challenges and risks faced by manufacturers in the industry, and the analysis of relevant policies in the industry.
Chapter 2: Detailed analysis of Free-standing GaN Substrate Wafer manufacturers competitive landscape, price, sales and revenue market share, latest development plan, merger, and acquisition information, etc.
Chapter 3: Provides the analysis of various market segments by Type, covering the market size and development potential of each market segment, to help readers find the blue ocean market in different market segments.
Chapter 4: Provides the analysis of various market segments by Application, covering the market size and development potential of each market segment, to help readers find the blue ocean market in different downstream markets.
Chapter 5: Sales, revenue of Free-standing GaN Substrate Wafer in regional level. It provides a quantitative analysis of the market size and development potential of each region and introduces the market development, future development prospects, market space, and market size of each country in the world.
Chapter 6: Sales, revenue of Free-standing GaN Substrate Wafer in country level. It provides sigmate data by Type, and by Application for each country/region.
Chapter 7: Provides profiles of key players, introducing the basic situation of the main companies in the market in detail, including product sales, revenue, price, gross margin, product introduction, recent development, etc.
Chapter 8: Analysis of industrial chain, including the upstream and downstream of the industry.
Chapter 9: Conclusion.