Power Electronics Europe February/March 2022

12 MARKET NEWS Issue 1 2022 Power Electronics Europe www.power-mag.com Cambridge GaN Devices Launches Data Center GaN Project F abless semiconductor company Cambridge GaN Devices Ltd. (CGD) has launched ICeData, a project aiming to develop and commercialize a highly efficient GaN-based IC for use in data centre server power supplies. Data centres currently account for around 2 % of the world’s energy use, with an annual electricity consumption rate of 400 TWh in 2018 set to double by the end of the decade. In power electronics applications, such as power supplies for consumer electronics and servers for data centres, GaN has the potential to massively reduce the energy wasted due to its structural and conductive properties. The combination of higher efficiency and higher power density can also achieve significant savings on data centres’ Capex and Opex, potentially reducing investment and running costs by up to 10 %. The proprietary ICeGaN(™) gate technology developed by CGD (which enables the simple driving of the GaN transistor without using a specialised GaN driver), the ICeData product will be a solution of choice. By the project’s end CGD will have a qualified and production-ready set of GaN power IC solutions. CGD’s first product line featuring ICeGaN(™) technology will be released in the first half of 2022. “Exponential growth in demand for data storage and processing, accelerated by the Covid19 pandemic where cloud-based connectivity became an essential tool for businesses around the world, is resulting in huge increases in data centre energy usage. Developing green technologies that deliver real reductions in CO2 emissions and create greater energy efficiency is vital if we are to meet low carbon targets on the path to net zero,” commented Dr Giorgia Longobardi, CEO and founder of CGD. https://camgandevices.com/ Innoscience Technology Launches US And European Operations Innoscience Technology, a Chinese company based on GaN-on-Si power solutions, announced the launch of its international operations in the USA and Europe. Headquartered in Suzhou, China, Innoscience is now poised to support local customers through design and sales support facilities in Santa Clara, California, and Leuven, Belgium. Founded in December 2015, Innoscience is an Integrated Device Manufacture (IDM) that is fully focused on GaN technology. The company has two wafer fabs including dedicated 8-inch GaN-on-Si site, featuring the latest high-throughput manufacturing equipment. Currently the company has a capacity of 10,000 8-inch wafers per month which will ramp up to 14,000 8- inch wafers per month later this year and 70,000 8-inch wafers per month by 2025. The company has a wide portfolio of devices from 30 V to 650 V and has shipped more than 35 million parts for use in applications including USB PD chargers/adapters, data centers, mobile phones and LED drivers. Innoscience produces normally-off e-mode GaN FETs. By introducing a stress enhancement layer, on-resistance is significantly reduced without affecting other parameters including threshold voltage and leakage. Both epitaxy as well as device processing have been optimized to obtain high reproducibility and yield. Parts have passed quality and reliability tests in excess of JEDEC standards. “The time is right for GaN, and Innoscience is ready to supply the world. We will surpass anyone on price for an equivalent device and our huge manufacturing capacity means that our customers are assured of security of supply, which is often uppermost in people’s minds given the shortage of chips at the moment. We look forward to working with any company in order to proliferate GaN throughout the global electronics industry,” comments Dr. Denis Marcon, General Manager, Innoscience Europe. With the development of new technologies, the electric power grid and power electronic systems the world is undergoing a massive transformation. “Our vision is to create an energy ecosystem with the most effective and low- cost Gallium-Nitride-on-Silicon power solutions. In November, 2017 we established a mass production 8-inch wafer line in Zhuhai. In order to fulfill the rapidly growing power demand, a new facility has been inaugurated in Suzhou in September, 2020. Our 1,400 employees and over 300 R&D experts are dedicated to delivering high performance and high reliability GaN power devices that can be widely used in diverse applications including cloud computing, electric vehicles and automotive, portable devices, mobile phones, chargers and adapters,“ Jay Son, CEO of Innoscience, stated. www.innoscience.com Mass production 8-inch GaN-on-Si wafer line in Zhuhai Source: Innoscience