Semiconductor today

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 begun a new program that addresses a critical and growing challenge in advanced photonics manufacturing: the lack of scalable, thermally efficient and resource-effective packaging for photonic crystal surface-emitting lasers (PCSELs)...

NextGO Epi of Berlin, Germany has secured a €2m pre-seed funding round led by Vireo Ventures, with participation from Ultratech Capital Partners, IBB Ventures, and angel investor Boris Habets. Spun off in 2025 from Berlin-based Leibniz-Institut für Kristallzüchtung (IKZ) and supported also by Investitionsbank Berlin, INAM and Siltronic, NextGO Epi produces gallium oxide epitaxial wafers for next-generation power semiconductor devices...

Infineon Technologies AG of Munich, Germany has introduced the RIC70115, a radiation-hardened (rad-hard) gallium nitride (GaN) high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) driver designed for satellite and high-reliability space applications where power conversion performance and long-term operational integrity are critical requirements...

Ascent Solar Technologies Inc of Thornton, CO, USA – which designs and makes lightweight, flexible copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-film photovoltaic (PV) panels that can be integrated into consumer products, off-grid applications and aerospace applications – has recapped its commercial progress and solar material development in first-half 2026, and outlined its objectives to spur growth and advancement throughout the second half of the year...

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 — is participating in the Tech Taipei Power 2026 power electronics conference in Taiwan, which gathers industry experts to discuss the latest advances in power conversion technologies for AI infrastructure, industrial systems, automotive, robotics, and next-generation energy applications...

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 received more than $8m in new silicon carbide wafer-level burn-in (WLBI) orders...

The governments and industry partners of Australia, Japan and the USA, together with Alcoa Corp (which provides bauxite, alumina and aluminium products), have reached a final investment decision for a gallium production plant to be co‑located at Alcoa’s Wagerup alumina refinery in Western Australia...

Global smartphone shipments fell 4% year-on-year in second-quarter 2026 as the ongoing memory crisis disrupted supply and pushed up component costs, according to Omdia’s Smartphone Horizon Service for July 2026 (sell-in shipments). The current dynamic has created severe market polarization, reflecting stark differences in vendors’ mitigation strategies, which vary according to their priorities, scale, price-band focus, and core audience demographics, notes the market research firm...

At the beginning of July, epiwafer and substrate maker IQE plc of Cardiff, Wales, UK appointed Robert Dennehy and David O’Carroll as non-executive directors, representative of MACOM Technology Solutions Inc of Lowell, MA, USA under the board appointment agreement between the two firms announced on 28 May. MACOM has a beneficial interest in IQE, representing 11.5% of IQE’s issued share capital...

Epiwafer and substrate maker IQE plc of Cardiff, Wales, UK has secured a multi-year production order worth $14m from a strategic global technology customer...

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 received an additional follow-on production order from its lead silicon photonics customer for a fully automated FOX-XP wafer-level burn-in (WLBI) system. The system will support high-volume production burn-in of silicon photonics devices used in AI optical interconnect and hyperscale data-center applications...

Molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) system maker Riber S.A. of Bezons, France has received a new order from 3SP Technologies S.A.S. of Nozay, Essonne, France — a long-standing customer for more than 20 years — for an industrial passivation platform. The system is scheduled for delivery in 2027...

Optical in-situ metrology system maker LayTec AG of Berlin, Germany says that Sandia National Laboratories has purchased a customized manual-loading version of its EpiX mapping station, combining white light reflectance (WLR) and photoluminescence (PL) metrology for non-contact optical wafer mapping...

Regarding the patent infringement complaint filed against it by Wolfspeed Inc of Durham, NC, USA — which makes silicon carbide (SiC) materials and power semiconductor devices — in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware, gallium nitride (GaN) power IC and silicon carbide (SiC) technology firm Navitas Semiconductor Corp of Torrance, CA, USA says that it disputes the allegations, will “vigorously defend itself and its products against baseless accusations of infringement”, and expects to prevail in the litigation. In the meantime, Navitas remains “fully committed to executing its growth strategy and delivering innovative products that address the rapidly expanding demand for next-generation power semiconductors”...

Vancouver-based Teck Resources Ltd, Canada Growth Fund Inc (CGF) and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)’s $2bn Canada Critical Minerals Accelerator (formerly the Critical Minerals Sovereign Fund) have signed a strategic investment agreement to support expanding production capacity for germanium, gallium and antimony at Teck’s Trail Operations smelting and refining complex in British Columbia...

Erlangen-based Fraunhofer IISB (Institute for Integrated Systems and Device Technology) and Wettenberg-based microwave & radio frequency plasma system maker PVA TePla AG are pooling their expertise in a Joint Lab for the production of aluminium nitride (AlN) crystals...

Infineon Technologies AG of Munich, Germany is to supply CoolSiC MOSFETs 1200V and matching dual-channel EiceDRIVER 2EDB9259Y gate drivers to silicon carbide (SiC) power electronics and advanced control systems provider ADVANTICS of Saint-Genis-Pouilly, France for its new line of liquid-cooled power converters. The solutions are said to enhance efficiency, power density and reliability in applications such as megawatt charging systems (MCS) for heavy-duty vehicles and vessels, as well as energy storage systems and DC microgrids for data centers. The collaboration helps to address the need for faster charging, robust grid infrastructure and more efficient power conversion...

Wolfspeed Inc of Durham, NC, USA — which makes silicon carbide (SiC) materials and power semiconductor devices — has filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware asserting that multiple patents (including US Patent Nos. 8,169,005, 10,998,418, 10,886,396, 10,749,443, and 11,888,392) are infringed by a broad range of products of Navitas Semiconductor Corp of Torrance, CA, USA...

Infineon Technologies AG of Munich, Germany says that the Final Determination issued by the Full Commission of the US International Trade Commission (US ITC) on 7 May has been upheld after the conclusion of the 60-day Presidential Review Period. This confirms that China-based Innoscience (Suzhou) Technology Holding Co Ltd (which manufactures GaN-on-silicon power chips on 8” silicon wafers) infringes an Infineon patent concerning GaN technology, resulting in import and sales bans against Innoscience...

Infineon Technologies AG of Munich, Germany says that the District Court Munich (Landgericht München I) has ruled in favor of it in another patent infringement case concerning gallium nitride (GaN) technology between it and China-based Innoscience (Suzhou) Technology Holding Co Ltd (which manufactures GaN-on-silicon power chips on 8” silicon wafers)...