Semiconductor today

NUBURU Inc of Centennial, CO, USA — which was founded in 2015 and developed and previously manufactured high-power industrial blue lasers — has signed binding heads of terms to acquire Lyocon S.r.l., an Italian laser-engineering and photonics company specializing in advanced laser sources, precision optical systems, and customized laser platforms for industrial, medical and high-reliability applications...

At SuperCompute 2025 (SC25) in St Louis, MO, USA (16–21 November), Avicena Tech Corp of Sunnyvale, CA, USA has announced that its LightBundle micro-LED-based optical links now operate at 4Gbps per lane with transmitter currents as low as 100µA per LED. At this current, each link closes at a raw bit-error rate (BER) of 1x10–12 with an equivalent energy of 80fJ/bit per LED, all without forward error correction (FEC)...

For fiscal fourth-quarter 2025 to end-August), LED chip and component maker SemiLEDs Corp of Hsinchu, Taiwan has reported revenue of $13.22m, down on $17.65m last quarter. Nevertheless, fiscal full-year revenue has grown more than eight-fold from $5.18m for 2024 to $43m for 2025...

Infineon Technologies AG of Munich, Germany has expanded its collaboration with Anker Innovations of Changsha, Hunan, China (a manufacturer of fast-charging power devices) to develop a new generation of high-speed chargers that can deliver up to 160W of power in a compact, pocket-size format. The result of the cooperation is said to be redefining industry standards for high power density and efficiency, represented by the launch of Anker’s 160W Prime Charger. The device features Infineon’s latest XDP digital controller and gallium nitride (GaN)-based CoolGaN transistor technology, enabling a credit-card-size design, which makes the charger suitable for travelers and professionals alike...

Navitas Semiconductor Corp of Torrance, CA, USA — which provides GaNFast gallium nitride (GaN) and GeneSiC silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors — and Asian distributor WT Microelectronics Co Ltd have strengthened their strategic partnership to provide enhanced technical and supply chain services in Asia...

Mining exploration company Nimy Resources Ltd of Perth, Western Australia has entered into an agreement with Australia’s national science agency CSIRO, supported by their Kick-Start program, to commence the Regolith Research study. This study aims to develop a geomorphic model to enhance the confidence in gallium exploration within the Mons Project in Western Australia...

Canadian mineral exploration company Quantum Critical Metals Corp and Nusano Inc of Valencia, CA, USA (a privately held physics-based technology company specializing in advanced mass-separation processes) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the development and refining of critical minerals in North America. The partnership aims to strengthen supply chains for US and Canadian industries by bringing high-purity mineral processing back to North American soil. Most refining of critical minerals currently occurs overseas. This dependence leaves North America vulnerable to geopolitical, economic and environmental disruptions...

Canadian mineral exploration company Quantum Critical Metals Corp and Nusano Inc of Valencia, CA, USA (a privately held physics-based technology company specializing in advanced mass-separation processes) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the development and refining of critical minerals in North America. The partnership aims to strengthen supply chains for US and Canadian industries by bringing high-purity mineral processing back to North American soil. Most refining of critical minerals currently occurs overseas. This dependence leaves North America vulnerable to geopolitical, economic and environmental disruptions...

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 – says that its ultraviolet LEDs effectively inactivate multiple H5N1 avian influenza virus strains within seconds, according to recent research by scientists at the University of Siena. The research showed strong viral reduction of up to 99.999% with Silanna’s 235nm far-ultraviolet C (UVC) LEDs, which support applications in public health protection, pandemic preparedness, and agricultural biosecurity...

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 – says that its ultraviolet LEDs effectively inactivate multiple H5N1 avian influenza virus strains within seconds, according to recent research by scientists at the University of Siena. The research showed strong viral reduction of up to 99.999% with Silanna’s 235nm far-ultraviolet C (UVC) LEDs, which support applications in public health protection, pandemic preparedness, and agricultural biosecurity...

NcodiN of Palaiseau, Paris, France (which was founded in 2023 to pioneer optical interposer technology with integrated nanolasers for next-generation computing) has secured €16m in an oversubscribed seed financing round...

During the CxO Executive Summit at SEMICON Europa 2025 in Munich, Germany (18–21 November), Professor Owen Guy (head of Chemistry at Swansea University) has been honoured with the SEMI Academia Impact Award, recognizing his “outstanding contributions to semiconductor research, innovation and industry-academia collaboration in Europe”...

Four researchers at the University of Waterloo have been awarded $3.95m in funding to support their research as part of the Canada Research Chairs (CRC) program...

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in Teddington, UK has been appointed by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to lead a £1.2m Government-funded project to establish new metrology capabilities that will strengthen the UK’s semiconductor innovation infrastructure. The strategic investment aims to accelerate the UK’s role in developing next-generation semiconductor materials and processes, helping to attract private investment and boost economic growth in the sector...

On 13 November, over 100 industry leaders, researchers, policymakers and educators gathered in Cardiff to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of CSconnected, the world’s first compound semiconductor cluster. This included reflections from founding figures, recognition of ‘Cluster Champions’, and a keynote address from Jack Sargeant MS, Wales’ Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership, whose portfolio aligns with the cluster’s focus on talent pipelines and skills development...

A laboratory upgrade at Cornell University will help to forge new directions for nitride semiconductors by expanding their capabilities to support technologies such as quantum computers and next-generation radio-frequency and power devices...

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) equipment and solutions firm Beneq of Espoo, Finland has introduced the Transform XP, a second-generation ALD platform developed to meet the performance demands of wide-bandgap (WBG) power and RF device technology development and manufacturing. Building on the proven Transform platform, the new system adds advanced ALD control, faster cycle times, and greater process capabilities in a high-throughput format...

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) equipment and solutions firm Beneq of Espoo, Finland has introduced the Transform XP, a second-generation ALD platform developed to meet the performance demands of wide-bandgap (WBG) power and RF device technology development and manufacturing. Building on the proven Transform platform, the new system adds advanced ALD control, faster cycle times, and greater process capabilities in a high-throughput format...

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) equipment and solutions firm Beneq of Espoo, Finland has launched Transmute, a next-generation ALD platform designed for high-volume semiconductor manufacturing. Engineered for high volume production of wide-bandgap (WBG) power electronics, advanced RF devices, and micro-LEDs and other specialty devices, the new systemcombines performance, scalability and cost efficiency in one system...

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) equipment and solutions firm Beneq of Espoo, Finland has launched Transmute, a next-generation ALD platform designed for high-volume semiconductor manufacturing. Engineered for high volume production of wide-bandgap (WBG) power electronics, advanced RF devices, and micro-LEDs and other specialty devices, the new systemcombines performance, scalability and cost efficiency in one system...