News: Microelectronics
28 January 2025
PseudolithIC raises $6m in seed funding to accelerate development and commercialization of hybrid semiconductors
RF (radio frequency) chipset firm PseudolithIC Inc of Santa Barbara, CA, USA has raised $6m in a seed funding round led by Entrada Ventures, joined by Foothill Ventures and Uncork Capital.
The investment will enable the firm to accelerate the development and commercialization of hybrid semiconductor products that integrate compound semiconductor chiplets into silicon wafers, aiming to transform both the technical performance and the economics of the RF and millimeter-wave communication industry.
Silicon offers uniform processing, high manufacturing efficiency and low cost, while compound semiconductors offer enhanced performance, particularly at higher frequencies, but are fabricated on smaller wafers and are more expensive to produce.
The PseudolithIC chip offers the high performance of a monolithic microwave IC (MMIC) but at a fraction of the cost. The proprietary technology integrates high-performance compound semiconductor chiplets with low-cost 300mm silicon wafers, offering a blend of performance, power efficiency and scalability for RF applications. This next-generation approach addresses key challenges in wireless communications, particularly for fast-growing and critical industries such as terrestrial and satellite communications, aerospace and IoT (Internet of Things) applications.
“The hybrid approach of combining silicon and compound semiconductor chiplets unlocks new potential for RF systems, enabling faster data rates, lower latencies, and better reliability,” says says chief technology officer Jim Buckwalter, a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB). “We believe our innovations will be game-changing for customers requiring high-performance wireless solutions.”
PseudolithIC has a dedicated team of more than 15 staff. The infusion of capital enables it to expand its team and accelerate R&D to bring its products to market.
“The wireless industry has been limited by the opposing metrics of performance and scale. We think Florian and Jim have developed something here that will unlock a new era in wireless systems that will result in unprecedented performance on mobile and satellite platforms,” says Alex Fang, managing partner at Entrada Ventures.
“Our goal is to lead the charge in providing cost-effective, high-performance silicon RFIC solutions, augmented with compound semiconductors, that meet the ever-growing demands of next-generation wireless systems,” says PseudolithIC’s CEO Florian Herrault.
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