Semiconductor today

For its fiscal second-quarter 2026 (to end-February), LED chip and component maker SemiLEDs Corp of Hsinchu, Taiwan has reported revenue of $1.064m, more than halving from $2.57m last quarter and down from $10.87m a year ago, due to the absence of any buy–sell purchase orders of equipment (which were $9.4m a year ago)...

Private rare-earths exploration and process development company US Critical Materials Corp (USCM) of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA and Columbia University have signed a two-year sponsored research agreement seeking to advance scientific pathways that enable the development of future US production of gallium, scandium, titanium and rare-earth elements from red mud, a major byproduct of aluminium refining...

Finland-based laser developer and manufacturer Vexlum (which was spun off from Tampere University of Technology’s Optoelectronics Research Centre in 2017) and precision photonics technology provider Menlo Systems GmbH of Martinsried near Munich, Germany, are collaborating to accelerate the development of ultra-precise optical atomic clock timekeeping by providing an accessible, modular photonics source...

Deposition equipment maker Aixtron SE of Herzogenrath, near Aachen, Germany has reported preliminary revenue of about €59m in first-quarter 2026, down 48% on €112.5m in Q1/2025, but within the guided range of €65m±€10m...

Quinas Technology Ltd of London, UK (which was spun off from Lancaster University in early 2023) has completed a project funded by Innovate UK (which provides funding and support for business innovation as part of UK Research and Innovation) that explored the application of its proprietary ULTRARAM technology to neuromorphic computing...

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (CMEI) has announced about $5.4m for five projects to help establish a secure, domestic supply chain for gallium (Ga) as a critical material for the defense and semiconductor sectors...

Sivers Semiconductors AB of Kista, Sweden (which supplies RF beam-former ICs and lasers for AI data-center, SATCOM, defense and telecom applications) says that its high-performance distributed feedback (DFB) lasers are to be used by global engineering, supply chain and manufacturing solutions provider Jabil Inc to develop a 1.6T linear receive optical (LRO) transceiver module. The new pluggable module will provide highly energy-efficient optical interconnect speeds to accelerate deployment for next-generation hyperscale AI data centers...

In first-quarter 2026, Sweden-based semiconductor equipment maker AlixLabs AB (which was spun off from Lund University in 2019, specializing in atomic layer epitaxy) closed its Series A funding round following a strategic investment from Stephen Industries, a Finnish investment company with a track record in scaling advanced technology ventures...

To advance the production of its APS (Atomic Pitch Splitting) equipment, Sweden-based semiconductor equipment maker AlixLabs AB (which was spun off from Lund University in 2019, specializing in atomic layer epitaxy) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with VDL ETG Projects (part of VDL Groep of Eindhoven, The Netherlands)...

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 an additional package type: a TO-39 flat-window package for its high-performance SF1 series (Far-UVC 235nm) and SN3 series (Deep-UVC 255nm) LEDs. This latest development expands the firm’s comprehensive metal can UVC LED portfolio, delivering greater optical flexibility, compact integration, and proven reliability for advanced sensing applications...

The UK Semiconductor Centre (UKSC) has launched a new HQ at the Institute of Physics (IOP) in King’s Cross, London, marking a significant step in its mission to ensure that the UK capitalizes on rapid expansion in the global semiconductor industry...

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 introduced the EPC9186HC2 and EPC9186HC3 evaluation boards, two high-performance 3-phase BLDC motor drive inverter platforms designed for applications including robotics, industrial automation, light electric vehicles (EVs), electric scooters, forklifts, agricultural machinery, battery-powered mobility systems, and high-power drones. Supporting motor drive systems up to 5kW, the boards enable engineers to evaluate compact, high-efficiency inverter architectures based on 100V EPC2361 eGaN FET technology...

Photonic integration firm Photon Bridge of Eindhoven, The Netherlands and PhiX B.V. of Enschede, The Netherlands have partnered to advance Photon Bridge’s high-performance DWDM external laser source transmit optical sub-assembly (TOSA), targeting co-packaged optics (CPO) and high-density optical interconnects for AI data-center infrastructure...

Gallium nitride (GaN) power IC and silicon carbide (SiC) technology firm Navitas Semiconductor Corp of Torrance, CA, USA has appointed semiconductor veteran Gregory M. Fischer to its board, serving on the Compensation and Executive Steering committees. He will stand for reelection in 2027 as a Class III director...

To deliver solutions for next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) systems, a strategic collaboration has been announced that will leverage the RISC-V design expertise of smart digital system specialist CEA-List and the silicon photonics expertise of micro/nanotechnology R&D center CEA-Leti of Grenoble, France to introduce high-bandwidth communication and high-efficiency computing technologies into the established 3D stacking and interposer platforms of Taiwanese foundry Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (PSMC)...

Photonic simulation CAD software developer Photon Design Ltd of Oxford, UK has partnered with Cardiff University to deliver a two-day laser design course as part of its physics curriculum...

Specialty semiconductor and performance materials producer 5N Plus Inc (5N+) of Montréal, Québec, Canada has appointed Alban Fournier as chief financial officer (CFO), effective 27 April...

BluGlass Ltd of Silverwater, Australia — which develops and manufactures gallium nitride (GaN) visible laser diodes based on its proprietary low-temperature, low-hydrogen remote-plasma chemical vapor deposition (RPCVD) technology — has received commitments from investors to raise about AUS$8m (before costs) at an issue price of AUS$0.24 per share. The upsized placement includes one free attaching option for every share subscribed for under the placement, exercisable at AUS$0.38 and expiring on 31 May 2028...

Marktech Optoelectronics Inc of Latham, NY, USA has made available for order several new 280nm UVC LEDs in single-chip, two-chip and four-chip configurations, designed to accelerate the development and prototyping of UVGI water purifiers, air disinfection systems, and surface sanitizers...

In collaboration with the Kyoto University Institute for Advanced Study, Tokyo-based Asahi Kasei Microdevices Corp (AKM, a member of the Asahi Kasei Group’s Material sector) has achieved laser oscillation in a 2μm-band infrared photonic crystal surface-emitting laser (PCSEL). This should enable the miniaturization of next-generation sensing systems while maintaining PCSEL’s high directionality and narrow spectral bandwidth, the firm adds...