A compound semiconductor is composed of chemical elements belonging to two or more different groups in the periodic table, e.g., III–V. Compound semiconductors have unique material properties such as direct energy bandgap, high breakdown electric fields, and high electron mobility, compared to silicon, enabling photonic, high-speed, and high-power device technologies. Electrons in compound semiconductors move much faster than those in silicon, enabling processing that is more than 100 times faster.
