News

25 August 2006

 

SemiSouth opens SiC manufacturing facility

Yesterday, SemiSouth Laboratories, which was co-founded in 2000 by two Mississippi State University (MSU) SiC research professors, held a Grand Opening attended by more than 150 people to mark the completion of construction of its new multi-million dollar SiC manufacturing facility in Starkville, MI, USA and the installation of a large portion of the manufacturing equipment. The event also marked the opening of II-VI Inc’s SiC wafer processing cleanroom inside the SemiSouth facility.

As well as SemiSouth’s co-founder, president and CEO Dr Jeff Casady, also speaking at the opening ceremonies were US Congressmen Chip Pickering and Roger Wicker, II-VI Inc CEO Dr Carl Johnson, and Dr Robert Foglesong, president of Mississippi State University, with which SemiSouth has a strategic alliance regarding its ongoing SiC research programs.

“The completion of this facility is a major milestone for both SemiSouth and the state of Mississippi,” said Casady. "This opening marks the debut of the first major semiconductor (microchip) manufacturing facility in the state and provides a solid example of homegrown high-tech economic development…SemiSouth's success derives from the strong support of our federal, state and local government leaders and our solid base of private investors.”

During the past five years, SemiSouth has grown from a small operation with three fulltime employees working out of a research lab at MSU, to an privately held SiC-based semiconductor supplier named one of the top 5 most promising companies at the recent Semiconductor Venture Fair and one of the top 50 emerging technology companies in the US by Dow Jones / Venture Wire.

SemiSouth now develops and manufactures SiC electronic materials and components, including thin-film SiC epiwafers, discrete power devices and simple ICs, for high-power, high-efficiency, harsh-environment power management and conversion applications.

"The energy efficient technology being produced by SemiSouth has wide ranging applications that include advancing our military war fighting capabilities and helping reduce our reliance on foreign energy sources," said Congressman Wicker. Congressman Pickering added: "SemiSouth is on the leading edge of technologies that will defend us and provide critical national security capabilities and promising commercial applications. This major milestone for Mississippi-based SemiSouth underscores the great value of an industry partnership with Mississippi State University."

Visit: http://www.semisouth.com