Semiconductor today

Japan-based ROHM Semiconductor says that its 650V GaN device (EcoGaN) has been adopted in the C4 Duo, a 45W output USB-C charger from Innergie, a brand of Taiwan-based power supply maker Delta Electronics Inc...

Efficient Power Conversion Corp (EPC) of El Segundo, CA, USA has launched the 100V, 1mΩ EPC2361, which is claimed to be the lowest on-resistance gallium nitride (GaN) field-effect transistor (FET) on the market, offering double the power density compared with EPC’s prior-generation products...

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

Qorvo Inc of Greensboro, NC, USA (which provides core technologies and RF solutions for mobile, infrastructure and defense applications) has announced four 1200V silicon carbide (SiC) modules in a compact E1B package with low on-resistance RDS(on), namely the 19mΩ, 50A UHB50SC12E1BC3N and 9.4mΩ, 100A UHB100SC12E1BC3N half-bridge modules and the 70mΩ, 15A UFB15C12E1BC3N and 35mΩ, 25A UFB25SC12E1BC3N full-bridge modules. The highly efficient SiC modules are suitable for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, energy storage, industrial power supplies and solar power applications...

Infineon Technologies AG of Munich, Germany has launched the 750V G1 discrete CoolSiC MOSFET to meet the increasing demand for higher efficiency and power density in industrial and automotive power applications...

Scintil Photonics of Grenoble, France and Toronto, Canada, a fabless developer of augmented silicon photonic integrated circuits (integrated laser arrays, 800Gb/s transmitters and receivers, tunable transmitters and receivers, as well as optical I/O for near-chip and chip-chip communication), has announced the integration of III-V distributed feedback (DFB) lasers and amplifiers with standard silicon photonics technology in production at foundry Tower Semiconductor, marking a pivotal step in its supply chain...

Fabless design company Ancora Semiconductor Inc (an affiliate of Taiwan-headquartered power supply maker Delta Electronics Inc) recently passed a series of rigorous DMTBF (demonstrated mean time between failures) tests for its double-sided-cooling gallium nitride (GaN) field-effect transistor. These tests have verified that Ancora components can maintain superior performance over long periods (200,000 hours), highlighting the high reliability and dependability of its products. The product line has been incorporated into the XPG FUSION 1600W Titanium-grade power supply developed in collaboration with Delta Electronics and ADATA Technology Co Ltd...

Power Integrations Inc of San Jose, CA, USA, which provides high-voltage integrated circuits for energy-efficient power conversion, has launched the InnoMux-2 family of single-stage, independently regulated multi-output offline power-supply ICs. InnoMux-2 ICs consolidate AC–DC and downstream DC–DC conversion stages into a single chip, providing up to three independently regulated outputs for use in white goods, industrial systems, displays and other applications requiring multiple voltages. Elimination of separate DC–DC stages slashes component count, reduces PCB footprint and increases efficiency by as much as 10 percentage points compared with traditional two-stage architectures. Efficiency is aided by the ICs’ 750V PowiGaN gallium nitride transistors, zero-voltage switching (without an active clamp) and synchronous rectification...

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Electricity (OE) has launched the $2.25m American-Made Silicon Carbide (SiC) Packaging Prize. This contest invites competitors to propose, design, build and test state-of-the-art SiC semiconductor packaging prototypes to enable these devices to work more effectively in high-voltage environments such as energy storage. The prize is part of the American-Made Challenges program, which fosters collaboration between the USA’s entrepreneurs and innovators, DOE’s National Labs, and the private sector...

The LED packaging market will rise at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.9% from US$16bn in 2024 to US$19.4bn in 2029, forecasts a new report from MarketsandMarkets...

Cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film photovoltaic (PV) module maker First Solar Inc of Tempe, AZ, USA has released what is believed to be the first comprehensive economic analysis of a vertically integrated solar manufacturer’s value chain in the USA. Commissioned by First Solar and conducted by the Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Public Policy Center at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, the study used IMPLAN economic software to analyze First Solar’s actual and forecasted US spending in 2023 and 2026, when the company expects to have 14GW of annual nameplate capacity across Alabama, Louisiana and Ohio...

In its meeting room (Hall 2, #2D12MR) on the show floor at Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona (26–29 February), Finwave Semiconductor Inc of Waltham, MA, USA is hosting demonstrations of its latest technology and products, including unveiling the newest performance benchmarks with its gallium nitride on silicon (GaN-on-Si) technology and high-power switches targeting the infrastructure and handset markets...

Arrow Electronics Inc and its engineering services company eInfochips are working with Infineon Technologies AG of Munich, Germany to help eInfochips’ customers accelerate the development of electric vehicle (EV) chargers...

AXT Inc of Fremont, CA, USA – which makes gallium arsenide (GaAs), indium phosphide (InP) and germanium (Ge) substrates and raw materials – says that its full-year revenue fell by 46.3% from $141.1m in 2022 to $75.8m in 2023...

Compound semiconductor wafer maker SK Siltron CSS of Auburn, MI, USA (a subsidiary of South Korea-based wafer manufacturer SK Siltron, a part of South Korea's second-largest conglomerate SK Group) has secured a conditional commitment from the US Department of Energy (DOE) for a loan of up to $544m...

For its fiscal third-quarter 2024 (to end-December 2023), Transphorm Inc of Goleta, near Santa Barbara, CA, USA — which designs and manufactures JEDEC- and AEC-Q101-qualified gallium nitride (GaN) field-effect transistors (FETs) for high-voltage power conversion — has reported revenue of $4. 67m, up 3.9% on $4.49m a year ago but down 6.8% on $5m last quarter...

Gallium nitride (GaN) power IC and silicon carbide (SiC) technology firm Navitas Semiconductor Corp of Torrance, CA, USA has announced that its GaNFast power ICs drive Samsung’s 25W ‘Super-Fast Charging’ (SFC) for the new, AI-enhanced Galaxy S24 smartphone...

Semiconductor production test and reliability qualification equipment supplier Aehr Test Systems of Fremont, CA, USA has received new follow-on orders totaling $23m from existing customers for FOX wafer-level test & burn-in products to be used for production and engineering qualification needs for wafer-level burn-in and screening of their silicon carbide devices. Customer-requested shipping dates for these orders range from immediate shipment through the end of Aehr’s current fiscal year, which ends on 31 May...

Dallas-based Texas Instruments (TI) has introduced two new power conversion device portfolios to help engineers achieve more power in smaller spaces, providing what is claimed to be the highest power density at a lower cost. TI’s new 100V integrated gallium nitride (GaN) power stages feature thermally enhanced dual-side-cooled package technology to simplify thermal designs and achieve the highest power density in mid-voltage applications at more than 1.5kW/in3. The firm’s new 1.5W isolated DC/DC modules with integrated transformers are claimed to be the industry's smallest and most power-dense, helping engineers to shrink the isolated bias power-supply size in automotive and industrial systems by over 89%...

Materials, networking and laser technology firm Coherent Corp of Saxonburg, PA, USA says that Dr Vincent (Chuck) D. Mattera Jr is to retire as CEO following the commencement of employment of his successor...