Semiconductor today

RENA Technologies GmbH of Gütenbach, Germany (which supplies production machines for wet chemical surface preparation) is a key industrial partner in a new €1.3m (£1.2m) Government-funded project led by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) – the UK’s National Metrology Institute (NMI) – and supported by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). The initiative aims to establish critical new metrology capabilities to strengthen the UK’s semiconductor innovation infrastructure and accelerate the development and adoption of next-generation semiconductor materials and processes...

NHanced Semiconductors Inc of Batavia, IL (the first US-based pure-play advanced packaging foundry) says that it uniquely supports mixed-material hybrid bonding with either copper or nickel bonds. Its new Besi bonding system further expands its advanced packaging yield and throughput...

With the transition to 800V electric vehicles (EVs) affecting the whole powertrain (including the power electronics), IDTechEx’s report ‘Power Electronics for Electric Vehicles 2026–2036: Technologies, Markets, and Forecasts’, this trend is analysed and used to forecast the adoption of wide-bandgap semiconductors silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN), as well as the entire power electronics market for EVs...

Lumentum Holdings Inc of San Jose, CA, USA (which designs and makes photonics products for optical networks and lasers for industrial and consumer markets) has appointed Thad Trent to its board of birectors, expanding the board membership to nine members...

At the 71st IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM 2025) in San Francisco (6–10 December), micro/nanotechnology R&D center CEA-Leti of Grenoble, France and STMicroelectronics of Geneva, Switzerland presented results showcasing key enablers for a new high-performance and versatile RF silicon platform cointegrating best-in-class active and passive devices used in RF and optical front-end modules (FEM). Their paper details 3D sequential integration of silicon-germanium (SiGe) heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBT), RF silicon-on-insulator (SOI) switches, and high-quality passives on a single wafer — opening a path to highly integrated, low parasitic, and targeting cost-efficient systems for next-generation wireless and wireline communications...

At the 71st IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM 2025) in San Francisco (6–10 December), nanoelectronics research center imec of Leuven, Belgium, presented what it claims is breakthrough performance of (with Imax as high as 690µA/µm) for p-type FETs with monolayer tungsten diselenide (WSe2) channels, and improved fab-compatible modules for source/drain contact formation and gate stack integration...

At the 71st IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM 2025) in San Francisco on 10 December, Japan’s NTT Inc of Tokyo, Japan presented what it it claims is the first amplification of millimeter-wave high-frequency signals used in wireless communications in aluminium nitride (AlN)-based transistors (Kawasaki et al, ‘First RF Operation of AlGaN-channel Polarization-Doped FETs with Average Al-content Over 0.75’). It has achieved this by designing a low-resistance structure...

Semiconductor and photonics manufacturer CHIPX of Dublin, Ireland plans to establish an 8-inch wafer fabrication facility in Malaysia, the first of its kind in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region. The facility will introduce gallium nitride on silicon carbide (GaN/SiC) manufacturing, driving Malaysia’s entry into front-end semiconductor production and accelerating domestic capability in photonics, high-bandwidth optical interconnects, and advanced materials engineering essential to next-generation AI and high-performance compute systems...

Advanced Energy Inc of Denver, CO, USA (which designs and manufactures precision power conversion, measurement and control solutions) has introduced a new dual-output 24V/24V module for its NeoPower family of configurable power supplies, delivering up to 400W (200W per output) in a compact 2.5-inch form factor...

Navitas Semiconductor Corp of Torrance, CA, USA — which provides GaNFast gallium nitride (GaN) and GeneSiC silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors — has announced an expansion of its distribution agreement with Avnet, making Avnet a globally franchised strategic distribution partner...

Fabless company Wise Integration of Hyeres, France, together with switched-mode power supply (SMPS) manufacturer Powernet Technologies Corp and power semiconductor firm KEC Corp (both of Seoul, South Korea), have signed a strategic memorandum of understanding (MoU) to co-develop next-generation SMPS solutions designed specifically for AI server applications in South Korea. The partnership aligns with the South Korea’s push to expand AI infrastructure and build out the next generation of high-density data centers...

Cornell University has developed a new transistor architecture for high-power wireless electronics that addresses supply chain vulnerabilities for gallium (‘XHEMTs on Ultrawide Bandgap Single-Crystal AlN Substrates’, Advanced Electronic Materials, 29 November 2025...

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 — has expanded its third-generation QSiC MOSFET product line, including devices with what is claimed to be an industry-leading current density and thermal resistance...

Infineon Technologies AG of Munich, Germany has launched new packages for its CoolSiC MOSFET 750V G2 technology, engineered to deliver the highest system efficiency and power density in automotive and industrial power conversion applications. This latest innovation is now available in a range of packages, including Q-DPAK and D2PAK, offering a portfolio with typical RDS(on) values up to 60mΩ at 25°C...

VisIC Technologies Ltd of Ness Ziona, Israel – a fabless supplier of power conversion devices based on gallium nitride (GaN) transistors – has announced the second closing of its Round B funding, securing $26m. The round was led by a global semiconductor leader, with Hyundai Motor Company and Kia (HKMC) joining as a strategic investor...

A new UK-Canada technology partnership is building an advanced optical engine designed to make the world’s AI data centers faster, more efficient and more sustainable...

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

Wolfspeed Inc of Durham, NC, USA — which makes silicon carbide (SiC) materials and power semiconductor devices — says that its automotive MOSFETs will power onboard charger systems for Toyota...

Following its entry into the MSCI Canada Small Cap Index on 24 November, specialty semiconductor and performance materials producer 5N Plus Inc (5N+) of Montréal, Québec, Canada has been included in the S&P/TSX Composite Index, effective prior to the open of trading on 22 December...

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 appointed CEO Jim Haden as executive director, subject to obtaining a director’s ID...