Summary：**Game‑changing Reconfigurable mmWave Chips Feature hBN Switches on GaN for Faster 5G***Introduction

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**Game‑changing Reconfigurable mmWave Chips Feature hBN Switches on GaN for Faster 5G**

*Introduction*
The race to unlock the full promise of 5G has long been hampered by the limitations of traditional radio‑frequency (RF) front‑ends. Millimetre‑wave (mmWave) bands offer multi‑gigabit speeds, yet realizing them requires switches that can toggle ultrafast signals with minimal loss and power draw. A recent breakthrough—co‑integrating two‑dimensional hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) switches onto gallium nitride (GaN) microchips—promises to reshape the landscape of programmable mmWave monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) and accelerate the next wave of 5G deployment.

*Key Developments*
Researchers from a joint university‑industry team reported that atomically thin hBN layers, when transferred onto GaN substrates, act as near‑ideal RF switches. The devices exhibit insertion losses below 0.5 dB at 30 GHz, isolation exceeding 30 dB, and switching speeds in the sub‑nanosecond regime—figures that outperform conventional silicon‑based MEMS and CMOS switches. By monolithically embedding these hBN switches within GaN MMICs, the team created a reconfigurable architecture capable of dynamically routing mmWave paths, adjusting beamforming networks,