Semiconductor today

Infineon Technologies AG of Munich, Germany is introducing a 12kW reference design for high-performance power supply units (PSUs), specifically designed for AI data centers and server applications, and targeted at R&D engineers, hardware designers, and developers of power electronics systems. Leveraging all relevant semiconductor materials silicon (Si), silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN), the reference design is said to offer high efficiency and high power density...

Eulitha AG of Kirchdorf, Switzerland (which provides lithography equipment and services for the nanotechnology, photonics and optoelectronic markets) says that several Asian vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) foundries have adopted its deep ultraviolet (DUV) patterning platform for 6-inch wafer production. Eulitha recently shipped multiple systems to support the rapidly growing demand for VCSELs used in applications ranging from LiDAR, 3D sensing, data centers, and next-generation optical communications...

Silicon photonics-based chip-to-chip optical connectivity firm Ayar Labs of San Jose, CA, USA — which is pioneering co-packaged optics (CPO) for large-scale AI workloads — and high-performance ASIC design firm Alchip Technologies Ltd of Taipei, Taiwan have announced a strategic partnership to accelerate AI scale-up infrastructure. The collaboration fulfills hyperscaler demands for advanced AI accelerators and platforms that deliver enhanced performance, efficiency and scalability...

Ion implantation system maker Axcelis Technologies Inc of Beverly, MA, USA has launched the Purion Power Series+ ion implant product platform, designed specifically to enable improved device performance and increase productivity for next generation power devices, including emerging superjunction architectures...

Enphase Energy Inc of Fremont, CA, USA (which supplies microinverter-based solar and battery systems) has opened US pre-orders for the new IQ9N-3P Commercial Microinverter. This is Enphase’s first microinverter powered by gallium nitride (GaN) technology and designed for three-phase 480Y/277V (wye) grid configurations, without using external transformers...

Infineon Technologies AG Munich, Germany and electrical component maker Lingji Innovation Technology Co Ltd (a subsidiary of Beijing-based Ninebot Ltd) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to further drive gallium nitride (GaN) technology in the area of light electric vehicles (LEV). Infineon provides GaN products supporting Lingji to develop high-performance electric two-wheeler inverter systems based on its new-generation CoolGaN G5 power transistors to drive advances in energy efficiency and performance...

Scintil Photonics of Grenoble, France (a fabless firm developing and commercializing silicon photonic integrated circuits with integrated lasers for AI data centers) has completed a $58m (€50m) Series B funding round led by Yotta Capital Partners and NGP Capital with strategic participation from NVIDIA. The round includes new participation from BNP Paribas Développement, alongside existing investors including Supernova Invest, Bpifrance Digital Venture, Innovacom, Bosch Ventures, and Applied Ventures ITIC Innovation Fund (AVITIC)...

Wolfspeed Inc of Durham, NC, USA — which makes silicon carbide (SiC) materials and power semiconductor devices — has received court approval for its plan of reorganization...

Fabless company Wise-integration of Hyeres, France — which was spun off from CEA-Leti in 2020 and designs and develops digital control for gallium nitride (GaN) and GaN IC-based power supplies — has appointed Ghislain Kaiser as chief executive officer. He succeeds CEO & co-founder Thierry Bouchet, who will continue to serve as chief technology officer & general manager, leading worldwide R&D and driving the technological vision...

Compound Semiconductor Applications (CSA) Catapult has appointed tech entrepreneur Rupert Baines as a non-executive director, working with members of the board to support its corporate governance and to inform its long-term strategy...

In a trading update for full-year 2025, epiwafer and substrate maker IQE plc of Cardiff, Wales, UK says that, as previously noted, trading in first-half 2025 was impacted by macroeconomic uncertainty and, as a result, some end-customer demand was fulfilled with existing inventory. The firm has continued to experience weakness in wireless markets, due mainly to softness in mobile handset sales, and this is expected to persist through 2025. In addition, delays to federal funding cycles in US military and defence sectors are resulting in the deferral of orders into 2026...

In a trading update for full-year 2025, epiwafer and substrate maker IQE plc of Cardiff, Wales, UK says that, as previously noted, trading in first-half 2025 was impacted by macroeconomic uncertainty and, as a result, some end-customer demand was fulfilled with existing inventory. The firm has continued to experience weakness in wireless markets, due mainly to softness in mobile handset sales, and this is expected to persist through 2025. In addition, delays to federal funding cycles in US military and defence sectors are resulting in the deferral of orders into 2026...

At the International Symposium on Automotive Lighting (ISAL 2025) in Darmstadt, Germany (22–24 September), Nichia Corp of Tokushima, Japan — the world’s largest gallium nitride (GaN)-based light-emitting diode/laser diode (LED/LD) manufacturer and inventor of high-brightness blue and white LEDs — is presenting its portfolio of Pixelated Light Source (PLS) solutions for adaptive driving beam (ADB) headlamps...

Lumileds of Amsterdam, The Netherlands says that its new LUXEON HL1Z Color Line is a high-power, chip-scale package (CSP) portfolio of 10 direct and phosphor-converted colors that share a common focal length and footprint. Offered in small color bins and with narrow forward-voltage bins, the LEDs are said to deliver better color uniformity, better efficacy and thermal management and more consistent behavior at operating conditions...

Compound Semiconductor Applications (CSA) Catapult has appointed Caroline O’Brien as its new chief executive officer, joining in late September...

After the introduction of its first-generation (Gen 1) D3GaN 650V devices, followed by Gen 1+, and now second-generation (Gen 2) products, VisIC Technologies Ltd of Ness Ziona, Israel – a fabless supplier of power conversion devices based on gallium nitride (GaN) transistors – says that it has created a roadmap for achieving maximum energy efficiency through optimized RDS(ON) performance...

Lumentum Holdings Inc of San Jose, CA, USA (which designs and makes optical and photonic products for optical networks and lasers for industrial and consumer markets) has announced the pricing of $1.1bn worth of convertible senior notes (due 2032) in a private placement to qualified institutional buyers (pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended). The firm has also granted the initial purchasers a 13-day option to purchase up to an additional $165m of the notes...

To support the commercialization of its micro-LED platform, Mojo Vision Inc of Saratoga, CA, USA has closed its $75m Series B Prime investment round, which was led by Vanedge Capital, joined by existing shareholders including Edge Vrenture Capital, New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Fusion Fund, Knollwood Capital, Dolby Family Ventures, and Khosla Ventures, plus new shareholders including imec.xpand, Keymaker, Ohio Innovation Fund, and Hyperlink Ventures...

As part of their strategic partnership (initiated in 2020), Japan’s ROHM Co Ltd and Germany-based automotive supplier Schaeffler (formerly Vitesco Technologies) have started mass production of a new high-voltage inverter brick incorporating ROHM’s fourth-generation silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET bare chips. The inverter brick is intended for a major Chinese car manufacturer...

Silanna UV of Brisbane, Australia – which provides far-UVC light sources for water quality sensors, gas sensors, disinfection, and HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) applications – has released its SF2-3T9B5L1-TB next-generation far-UVC LED, which surpasses the SF1 series, with UVC wavelengths down to 230nm (typical 233nm), together with a doubling in output power and a 2x improvement in temperature stability. The new SF2 UVC LED is encapsulated in a standard compact transistor outline (TO-can) package...