EpiGaN starts production on Research Campus Hasselt

The company selected the Research Campus Hasselt as the ideal location for the volume production of their gallium nitride epitaxial material. EpiGaN is a key player in GaN-on-Si material technology. This material will enable a new generation of power electronics, with performance far beyond current Si electronics, which will be used for more efficient energy use: efficient power convertors, better power supplies for computers, motor drivers, inverters for solar energy technologies and greener transport with smaller environmental footprint. EpiGaN is currently offering state-of-the-art GaN epitaxial layers deposited either on Si up to 150 mm or, for specific applications, on SiC. Wafer diameters of 200mm are under development. The availability of large wafers which can be processed in existing Si CMOS fabs partly explains how GaN-on-silicon technology excels at combining affordability with great performance. Today EpiGaN officially opens its production unit at the Research Campus Hasselt (RCH), located within the knowledge triangle Eindhoven-Leuven-Aachen. EpiGaN found there the necessary framework for installing its cleanroom facilities as required for the production of GaN-on-Si, while the excellent location in the heart of Europe allows to establish their business at international level. Today, EpiGaN employs 6 persons and is currently hiring more engineers and sales persons to support its growing production effort. Last year, EpiGaN sampled first wafers to Europe, US and Asia. They are now taking a new important step in ramping up their capacity. “We are very happy that the current installation will allow us to better serve our customers and new-comers in the field of GaN-on-Si market for electronics, says Marianne Germain, CEO EpiGaN. This is right at the time that device manufacturers are looking for getting access to this new technology, key for their future applications.” This will certainly enable EpiGaN to further expand its customer database. Ingrid Lieten, vice minister-president of the Flemish Government, states: “EpiGaN is an outstanding example of what according to me a strategic research institute can and must encompass: IMEC has developed an innovative and state-of-the-art technology, the applications of which can lead to the solution of important challenges for society such as the energy issue and mobility. This technology has been transferred to EpiGaN. Moreover, this spin-off has a beneficial effect on the employment.”