Semiconductor today

Epitaxial deposition and process equipment maker Veeco Instruments Inc of Plainview, NY, USA says that a global leader in optical communications laser manufacturing has placed orders for multiple Lumina metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) systems and multiple Spector ion beam sputtering (IBD) optical coating systems. These tools will be used to fabricate indium phosphide (InP) lasers for innovative optical communication solutions in the datacom industry. The order establishes Lumina as the customer’s production tool of record for InP epitaxy, while the Spector systems are used to deposit high-quality optical coatings on laser diode facets...

ams OSRAM AG of Premstaetten, Austria and Munich, Germany has completed the sale of its Entertainment and Industry Lamps business to optical technologies firm Ushio Inc of Tokyo, Japan (announced on 29 July 2025) for a cash and debt-free purchase price of €114m...

A new economic impact study released by cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film photovoltaic (PV) module maker First Solar Inc of Tempe, AZ, USA details its estimated contributions to the US economy. Using IMPLAN economic modeling software, the Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Public Policy Center at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette analyzed First Solar’s actual and forecasted US spending in 2025 and 2027. The firm expects to operate about 18GW of annual nameplate solar module production capacity across six manufacturing facilities in Alabama, Louisiana, Ohio and South Carolina by 2027...

At the IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC 2026) in San Antonio, TX, USA (22–26 March), Efficient Power Conversion Corp (EPC) of El Segundo, CA, USA — which makes enhancement-mode gallium nitride on silicon (eGaN) power field-effect transistors (FETs) and integrated circuits for power management applications — is showcasing its latest generation GaN technology for AI infrastructure and robotics, highlighting how Gen 7 GaN and highly integrated GaN ICs enable scalable deployment in high-density computing and next-generation robotic systems, moving beyond demonstration platforms toward production-ready power architectures...

In booth #2027 at the IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC 2026) in San Antonio, Texas (22–26 March), Navitas Semiconductor Corp of Torrance, CA, USA — which provides GaNFast gallium nitride (GaN) and GeneSiC silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors — is exhibiting its latest innovations for AI data centers, performance computing, energy and grid infrastructure, and industrial electrification...

For coverage of all the key business and technology developments in compound semiconductors and advanced silicon materials and devices over the last month...

Infineon Technologies AG of Munich, Germany has expanded its CoolGaN portfolio with the CoolGaN Drive HB 600V G5 product family. The four new devices – IGI60L1111B1M, IGI60L1414B1M, IGI60L2727B1M, and IGI60L5050B1M – integrate two 600V GaN switches in a half-bridge configuration together with integrated high- and low-side gate drivers and a bootstrap diode, delivering a compact, thermally optimized power stage that further reduces design complexity. By bringing key functions into one optimized package, the family lowers external component count, eases PCB layout challenges typically associated with fast-switching GaN, and helps designers to shorten development cycles while achieving the core advantages of GaN technology: higher switching frequencies, lower switching and conduction losses, and greater power density...

University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) electrical and computer engineering professor James Buckwalter has been inducted as a senior member of the US National Academy of Inventors (NAI) for his work advancing the high-speed and high-frequency integrated circuit technologies that underpin modern wireless communication systems, citing his “remarkable achievements as an academic inventor and a rising leader in his field”...

Japan-based ROHM Semiconductor has decided to integrate its own development and manufacturing technologies for GaN power devices with the process technology of foundry Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd (TSMC), with which ROHM has an ongoing partnership, to establish an end-to-end production system within the ROHM Group. Licensing TSMC GaN technology will strengthen its supply capability to meet growing demand for GaN in applications such as AI servers and electric vehicles, ROHM reckons...

The South Wales-based compound semiconductor cluster CSconnected has announced the fourth and final funding round of its £1m Supply Chain Development Programme, which is delivered in partnership with Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) to accelerate the expansion of the compound semiconductor supply chain, with the aim of driving job creation, stimulating economic growth, and strengthening the UK’s strategic position in advanced semiconductor manufacturing...

Cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film photovoltaic (PV) module maker First Solar Inc of Tempe, AZ, USA has announced a patent licensing agreement that gives it access to existing issued patents and currently pending patent applications of Oxford Photovoltaics Ltd (Oxford PV), which was founded in 2010 by professor Henry Snaith as a spin-off from the University of Oxford...

Ascent Solar Technologies Inc of Thornton, CO, USA – which designs and makes lightweight, flexible copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-film photovoltaic (PV) panels that can be integrated into consumer products, off-grid applications and aerospace applications – says that its previously delivered solar blankets have been integrated into the Pathfinder spacecraft of NOVI Space Inc of Arlington, VA, USA (a space AI infrastructure & compute company that develops and operates AI-powered satellites with their TRL-9 edge computing technology), which is scheduled to fly on a SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter launch no earlier than 29 March...

Efficient Power Conversion Corp (EPC) of El Segundo, CA, USA — which makes enhancement-mode gallium nitride on silicon (eGaN) power field-effect transistors (FETs) and integrated circuits for power management applications — has released the EPC91122, a high-performance 3-phase brushless DC (BLDC) motor drive inverter evaluation board specifically engineered for humanoid robot joint applications. Featuring EPC’s highly integrated EPC33110 3-phase ePower Stage module, the EPC91122 delivers up to 20ARMS (28Apeak) phase current in an ultra-compact form factor optimized for space-constrained robotic joints, integrating all key functions of a complete motor drive inverter, including a micro-controller, motor shaft angular sensor, housekeeping power supplies, and accurate voltage and current sense...

Increasing precious metal prices, rising raw material costs, and growing labor expenses are providing price support for UV LEDs in first-quarter 2026, according to TrendForce’s latest analysis of the UV LED market. In particular, customized products are expected to see quarter-on-quarter price gains of up to 5%...

Despite short-term pricing pressure in certain segments, the electrification, AI infrastructure expansion and next-generation connectivity trends are reinforcing long-term demand for compound semiconductor materials — including silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN), gallium arsenide (GaAs) and indium phosphide (InP) — according to Yole Group’s latest annual market & technology report ‘Status of the Compound Semiconductor Industry 2026 – Focus on Substrates and Epiwafers’, which highlights sustained structural growth through 2031. The combined compound semiconductor substrate and open epiwafer markets are reckoned to be growing at a compound annual growth rate CAGR of about 14% from 2025 to more than $5bn in 2031...

Silicon photonics-based chip-to-chip optical connectivity firm Ayar Labs of San Jose, CA, USA — which is pioneering co-packaged optics (CPO) for AI scale-up — has appointed Sankara Venkateswaran as vice president of engineering. He joins at a pivotal stage as the company scales its solution for mass production to support hyperscale AI workloads...

BluGlass Ltd of Silverwater, Australia — which develops and manufactures gallium nitride (GaN) blue laser diodes based on its proprietary low-temperature, low-hydrogen remote-plasma chemical vapor deposition (RPCVD) technology — has received a AUS$190,000 (US$132,500) order from TOPTICA Photonics Inc to provide custom GaN visible wavelength lasers for photonic integrated circuits (PICs). The next-generation high-precision single-frequency PICs are being developed to enable quantum capabilities for trapped ion, neutral atom, and photonic quantum technologies...

Luminus Devices Inc of Sunnyvale, CA, USA — which designs and makes LEDs and solid-state technology (SST) light sources for illumination markets —and APC Electronics (APC-E) of Bend, OR, USA — which designs and manufactures wide-bandgap power semiconductor products — have teamed up to deliver energy-efficiency gains for the global LED lighting industry. This exclusive collaboration pairs Luminus’ high-brightness LED products with APC-E’s silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors, enabling customers to build system architectures that maximize luminaire power efficiency, thus reducing operational costs and environmental impact...

Photonic integration firm Photon Bridge of Eindhoven, The Netherlands has announced wafer-scale validation of its heterogeneous photonics platform for multi-wavelength light engines. The firm demonstrated single-channel output power exceeding 30mW at the silicon chip edge facets in continuous-wave operation at room temperature. The demonstrated power levels meet per-channel requirements for next-generation 1.6T and 3.2T co-packaged optical engines, enabling reduced fiber count and improved rack-level energy efficiency...

In booth #1451 at the IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC 2026) at the Henry B Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio, TX, USA (22–26 March), SemiQ Inc of Lake Forest, CA, USA — which designs, develops and manufactures silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors and 150mm SiC epitaxial wafers for high-voltage applications — is debuting its latest SiC module advances...