News: Microelectronics
24 May 2023
Transphorm wins $15m contract from US National Security Technology Accelerator
Transphorm Inc of Goleta, near Santa Barbara, CA, USA — which designs and manufactures JEDEC- and AEC-Q101-qualified gallium nitride (GaN) field-effect transistors (FETs) for high-voltage power conversion — has been awarded a contract for up to $15m from the National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL). The contract is for the project ECLIPSE (‘Technology for Nitrogen-Polar Gallium Nitride: Epiwafers & Substrates’), under which Transphorm is commissioned to manufacture GaN epitaxial wafers. The contract proposal process was administered by the Strategic & Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted System (S2MARTS) as an OTA (Other Transaction Agreement), managed by NSTXL.
Transphorm says that its opportunity to contribute to this project underscores its IP, knowledge and expertise in the GaN materials sector as well as its metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) manufacturing infrastructure.
Transphorm’s experience in GaN epiwafer design, development and production of high-voltage GaN platforms spans more than ten years. These initiatives constitute multiple verticals for its Power and RF GaN businesses.
“The value of and potential for advanced GaN materials is clear in a wide range of applications. We’ve developed multiple high-power-density platforms that generate record performance and efficiency advantages suited for power conversion and RF applications,” says chief technology officer & co-founder Umesh Mishra. “This type of innovation is where Transphorm excels because of its strong core epi materials versatility coupled with its device and manufacturing capabilities,” he adds. “We’ve worked to evolve and better all GaN technology aspects —materials, design, and process. We now look forward to strong execution on the ECLIPSE program, enhancing our capability to supply advanced GaN epiwafers.”
