EpiGaN nv of Hasselt, near Antwerp, Belgium, which supplies commercial-grade 150mm- and 200mm-diameter gallium nitride on silicon (GaN-on-Si) epitaxial wafers for 600V high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) power and RF devices, says that the Brussels/Beijing-based European private equity fund ACAPITAL has joined its initial investors to fund expansion, in particular to Asian markets.
Incorporated in 2010, EpiGaN was founded by chief executive officer Dr Marianne Germain, chief technology officer Dr Joff Derluyn and chief operating officer Dr Stefan Degroote as a spin-off of nanoelectronics research center Imec of Leuven, Belgium. The founders jointly developed GaN-on-Si technology at Imec, part of which has been licensed to EpiGaN.
In 2011, EpiGaN was joined by start-up investment firms Robert Bosch Venture Capital, Capricorn CleanTech Fund and LRM to enable the installation of its wafer production facility. EpiGaN is now undertaking volume production and wafer characterization at its Research Campus Hasselt in the Eindhoven-Leuven-Aachen high-tech triangle. In January, the firm signed a global representation agreement for its 150mm and 200mm GaN-on-Si power semiconductor product solutions with silicon substrate maker SunEdison Semiconductor of St. Peters, MO, USA.
EpiGaN offers GaN-on-Si and GaN-on-SiC material solutions aimed at the next generation of efficient power electronics, RF power and sensor devices and systems. Allowing drastic savings in energy loss as well as more compact and lighter power conversion systems such as consumer power supplies, photovoltaic inverters and industrial sensors, GaN technology is also in demand for its superior performance in wireless communications and more generally all products linked with the Internet of Things (IoT). Also, EpiGaN offers unique solutions for epitaxial GaN layer structures on 150mm and 200mm silicon substrates, in particular via its in-situ silicon nitride (SiN) passivation, which enables more robust high-performance devices. The firm's product portfolio spans solutions for low-loss power switching, RF/mobile communication power and sensor applications.
"We believe ACAPITAL is the right partner to support the expansion of our business activities into Asia, where we see great opportunities right now," comments Germain. "Our initial investors stay in place to support the continuous growth of the company," she adds.
"EpiGaN has developed a unique expertise in gallium nitride-on-silicon technology for semiconductors," comments ACAPITAL's founder & managing partner Andre Loesekrug-Pietri. "Applications are massive: power electronics, Internet of Things, smart-grid applications, mobile communications and electric mobility - most areas linked with Industry 4.0 and Energy Transition, which are core investment areas for ACAPITAL," he adds. "EpiGaN is uniquely positioned to grasp a significant share of these high-growth markets. We look forward to help scale EpiGaN internationally and in Asia and China in particular, the largest market in the world."
