Semiconductor today

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...

For its fiscal third-quarter 2026 (ended 27 February), Aehr Test Systems of Fremont, CA, USA — which provides solutions for testing, burning-in and stabilizing semiconductor devices in wafer-level, singulated die, and packaged-part form — has reported revenue of $10.3m, down on $18.3m a year ago but up on $9.9m last quarter...

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (CMEI) and the Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO) have announced a ‘Critical Minerals and Materials Accelerator’ Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) of up to $69m for technologies that advance the domestic separation, processing, and refining of critical materials. Projects selected will address the greatest technical obstacles to a more secure, domestic critical materials supply chain...

For full-year 2025, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) system maker Riber S.A. of Bezons, France has reported revenue of €40.3m, down 2.1% on 2024’s €41.2m...

ULTRARAM compound semiconductor memory technology developer QuInAs Technology Ltd of London, UK (which was spun off from Lancaster University in early 2023) has reported work that links device-level physics — including resonant tunnelling and floating-gate dynamics — directly to AI system performance through compact modelling and hardware-aware benchmarking, addressing a key limitation in how emerging memory technologies are typically evaluated. Published in Journal of Applied Physics, the paper ‘Artificial synapse based on ULTRARAM memory device for neuromorphic applications’ demonstrates how ULTRARAM can be modelled and evaluated as a synaptic memory element for next-generation AI hardware...

HRL Laboratories LLC of Malibu, CA, USA (a corporate R&D lab co-owned by The Boeing Company and General Motors) says that its T3L 40nm gallium nitride (GaN) on silicon carbide (SiC) technology achieved Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) 6 through the US Office of the Under Secretary of War. The firm considers the milestone to represent a significant step in the maturation of its RF GaN manufacturing technology for defense and high-performance commercial applications...

Vector Photonics Ltd of the West of Scotland Science Park (which was spun off from the University of Glasgow in 2020, based on research led by professor Richard Hogg) has announced the first successful public demonstration of photonic crystal surface-emitting lasers (PCSEL) technology for optical communication outside of a lab. On 31 March, the firm’s PCSELs were used to transmit data across the River Clyde from the Glasgow Science Centre to the Clydeside Distillery, using a system designed and built by Fraunhofer UK...