GAN EpiGaN rebrands itself as part of goals to scale in the power systems and RF markets

Related Vendors

Rogers Corporation

Microchip LTD

Wolfspeed

MESAGO Messe Frankfurt GmbH

Just over a year since acquiring gallium nitride materials company EpiGaN, Soitec Belgium is repositioning its brand identity as it tries to scale in the power systems and RF market sectors. The announcement was made at the beginning of July in an official press release.

EpiGaN will now become Soitec Belgium N.V. Merging the GaN business unit into the broader Soitec brand, the French semiconductor materials supplier hopes to continue its efforts in establishing itself as a major player in major markets such as power systems and radio frequency (RF).

Soitec, whose Q4 2020 (ended March 31, 2020) revenues were up by 45% in comparison to Q4 2019, acquired EpiGaN in May 2019 for €30 million to try and leverage the company’s epi-wafer materials and boost its position within the in-demand 5G, power, and sensor markets. The acquisition also complemented Soitec’s portfolio of engineered substrates and initially targeted the market for power amplifiers in 5G base stations.

POWER DEVICES

GaN-on-Diamond for power devices

Now, in what has been referred to as a consolidation move, the company aims to boost Soitec’s exposure in the GaN market for this critical RF application. In the long-term, the company is said to be considering further growth in the consumer electronics (smartphone) and automotive power sectors.

In an official announcement, Soitec CEO Paul Boudre said: “The acquisition of EpiGaN further extends and complements Soitec’s portfolio beyond silicon to create new value-added process solutions for both RF 5G and power systems.”

Boudre also added that as GaN continues to dominate the RF and power markets, GaN epi-wafers represent a “natural strategic fit” within the company’s engineered substrates portfolio. By offering a comprehensive portfolio of silicon and non-silicon based engineered substrates, Soitec will be “well-positioned” to support 5G deployment, which is valuable for the company’s long-term growth.

In the announcement, EpiGaN Business Unit General Manager Marianne Germain said, “EpiGaN’s advanced expertise in GaN has been enhanced by Soitec’s notoriety, giving the BU [business unit] and its customers access to the Group’s manufacturing scale and expertise.”

(ID:46831249)