Semiconductor today

Industrial gas company Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corp (TNSC) of Tokyo, Japan (part of Nippon Sanso Holdings Group) says that Lund University in Sweden is to purchase and use a TNSC FR2000-OX metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) reactor for its gallium oxide R&D...

Infineon Technologies AG of Munich, Germany has launched what it says are the first gallium nitride (GaN) power transistors with integrated Schottky diode for industrial use. The product family of medium-voltage CoolGaN Transistors G5 with integrated Schottky diode increases the performance of power systems by reducing undesired deadtime losses, further increasing overall system efficiency. Additionally, the integrated solution simplifies the power-stage design and reduces bill-of-materials (BOM) cost...

For fiscal third quarter 2025 (to end-February 2025), semiconductor production test and reliability qualification equipment supplier Aehr Test Systems of Fremont, CA, USA has reported revenue of $18.3m, up 35.6% on $13.5m last quarter and more than doubling from $7.6m a year ago...

The curators of gallium nitride (GaN) foundry BelGaN of Oudenaarde, East Flanders (Belgium’s last industrial chip manufacturer) – which filed for bankruptcy in July 2024, leaving more than 440 staff unemployed – have reached an agreement for a European investor to acquire the premises for €20.35m (including an advance payment of €2m that has been paid). The facility includes two large cleanrooms, but excludes manufacturing equipment, which was auctioned online between late November and mid-March in about 1800 lots (including wafer processing machines, mainframe computers and other specialized equipment), raising over €23m...

The curators of gallium nitride (GaN) foundry BelGaN of Oudenaarde, East Flanders (Belgium’s last industrial chip manufacturer) – which filed for bankruptcy in July 2024, leaving more than 440 staff unemployed – have reached an agreement for a European investor to acquire the premises for €20.35m (including an advance payment of €2m that has been paid). The facility includes two large cleanrooms, but excludes manufacturing equipment, which was auctioned online between late November and mid-March in about 1800 lots (including wafer processing machines, mainframe computers and other specialized equipment), raising over €23m...

NUBURU Inc of Centennial, CO, USA — which was founded in 2015 and develops and manufactures high-power industrial blue lasers — is to unwind its $2m share exchange agreement and partnership announced on 28 February with HUMBL Inc (a strategic holding company with a focus on Brazil). After a thorough strategic review, NUBURU’s management has determined that continuing the partnership no longer aligns with its core business objectives...

For full-year 2024, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) system maker Riber S.A. of Bezons, France has reported revenue of €41.2m, up 4.8% on 2013’s €39.3m...

Epiwafer and substrate maker IQE plc of Cardiff, Wales, UK and analog/mixed-signal and specialty foundry X-FAB Silicon Foundries SE of Tessenderlo, Belgium have announced a joint development agreement (JDA) to create a European-based gallium nitride (GaN) power device platform solution...

Gallium nitride (GaN) power IC and silicon carbide (SiC) technology firm Navitas Semiconductor Corp of Torrance, CA, USA has announced a new strategic partnership with GigaDevice Semiconductor Inc of Beijing, China – a fabless supplier of flash memory, microcontrollers (MCUs), sensor, and analog products – to create a joint-lab for integrating and tailoring Navitas’ GaNFast ICs and GigaDevice's microcontrollers, targeting AI data centers, electric vehicles (EVs), solar, and energy saving systems (ESS)...

Following joint R&D work, VIGO Photonics S.A. of Ożarów Mazowiecki, Poland (which manufactures mid-infrared detectors, dedicated modules and semiconductor materials) has entered into a strategic framework agreement with PCO S.A. (a Polish manufacturer of optoelectronic solutions for the military). The document defines the terms and conditions of long-term cooperation, targeting the final development of arrays in line with PCO’s demand, followed by their production and sale. The estimated value of the contract is almost PLN200m. The product, created by VIGO Photonics, could be a key piece of equipment for modern military thermal imaging cameras, it is reckoned...

Engineered substrate manufacturer Soitec of Bernin, near Grenoble, France says that it welcomes recent industry steps to accelerate development and commercialization of co-packaged optics (CPO) solutions for data centers...

Comptek Solutions Oy of Turku, Finland (which specializes in III-V compound semiconductor quantum surface engineering) has launched its industrial-grade Kontrox LASE 16. Following significant advances in optimizing Kontrox technology for passivating edge-emitting lasers, the Kontrox LASE 16 is designed to transform laser facet processing, providing manufacturers with a more efficient and cost-effective solution for enhanced laser diode performance...

Photonic chips industry accelerator PhotonDelta of Eindhoven, the Netherlands (which connects and collaborates with an ecosystem of photonic chip technology organizations worldwide) has established a strategic collaboration with Silicon Catalyst, the world’s only incubator and accelerator focused on the global semiconductor industry. Over the last five years, PhotonDelta has raised nearly $1.5bn to accelerate the commercialization of the photonics industry...

Marktech Optoelectronics Inc of Latham, NY, USA, a vertically integrated designer and manufacturer of optoelectronics components and assemblies, has released a new series of mid-wave infrared (MWIR) LEDs in rugged, hermetically sealed TO-can packages, engineered to meet the rigorous demands of gas sensing and chemical analysis in industrial environments...

Marking a milestone in its strategic expansion into the defense sector, NUBURU Inc of Centennial, CO, USA — which was founded in 2015 and develops and manufactures high-power industrial blue lasers — has signed a joint pursuit agreement (JPA) with a defense-tech company. This follows completion of an initial 20% acquisition interest in a defense and security hub, announced on 12 March...

STMicroelectronics of Geneva, Switzerland and InnoScience (Suzhou) Technology Holding Co Ltd - which manufactures gallium nitride (GaN) power chips on 8” silicon wafers - have signed an agreement on GaN technology development and manufacturing, leveraging the strengths of each company to enhance GaN power solutions and supply chain resilience...

Automated test solutions provider Teradyne Inc of North Reading, MA, USA has partnered with photonics assembly & test equipment provider ficonTEC Service GmbH of Achim, Germany to announce the availability of what is said to be the first high-volume, double-sided wafer probe test cell for silicon photonics. The solution is designed to meet the growing demand for high-throughput electro-optical testing of silicon photonic wafers driven by co-packaged optics (CPO) applications...

At the IEEE International Reliability Physics Symposium (IRPS 2025) in Monterey, CA, USA (30 March–3 April), nanoelectronics research center imec of Leuven, Belgium demonstrated that, despite their positive bias (on-state) instability, gallium nitride (GaN) MISHEMTs (metal-insulator-semiconductor high-electron-mobility transistors) maintain consistent performance when operating within a well-defined range. These findings support the design of reliable GaN-based power amplifiers to avoid positive bias instability and thus enable handset applications for 6G communication...

Ascent Solar Technologies Inc of Thornton, CO, USA – which makes lightweight, flexible copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules that can be integrated into consumer products, off-grid applications and aerospace applications – has received an order to revise the design of its space solar products after being evaluated by a potential customer interested in technologies capable of receiving beamed power...

Gallium nitride (GaN) power IC and silicon carbide (SiC) technology firm Navitas Semiconductor Corp of Torrance, CA, USA says that its GaNSense power ICs will power the latest 2.5kW ultra-high power density DC–DC converter for AI data centers of China-based Greatwall Power Technology Co Ltd...