Polar to manufacture imec GaN technology on 8-inch lines
Illustrative image: Ludovic Delot on Pexels
Polar Semiconductor and IC-Link by imec have agreed to bring imec's enhancement-mode gallium nitride (e-mode GaN) technology into 8-inch production at Polar's foundry in Bloomington, Minnesota. The collaboration rests on a license transfer agreement covering imec's GaN-on-Si process, device design and epitaxy.
The initial scope spans voltage ranges from 40 to 650V, with the companies stating future expansion towards both lower and higher voltages to address 800V to 12V conversion architectures used in data centres. Polar describes itself as a U.S.-owned foundry specialising in high-voltage, power and sensor technologies, including BCD, BiCMOS, MOSFET, IGBT, Optical MEMS and wide-bandgap processes.
IC-Link, imec's design and manufacturing service division, is positioned to give customers early access to the GaN technology for prototyping before transitioning to Polar's volume manufacturing. The companies describe this as an integrated route from early development through to high-volume output, combining imec's process technology, IC-Link's design-to-manufacturing services and Polar's foundry capacity.
Stated target markets
Polar and imec identify four application areas for the resulting GaN devices:
- AI data centres, particularly power conversion stages
- Automotive
- Aerospace and defence
- Industrial grid systems
Reza Kazerounian, Executive Chairman of Polar, said the partnership supports the company's strategy of building a U.S.-based GaN centre of excellence to strengthen domestic supply chains for defence, AI and automotive customers. Thomas Piliszczuk, Chief R&D Programs and Portfolio Officer at imec, said the deal builds on more than 15 years of imec GaN research and development, combining it with IC-Link's services and Polar's manufacturing capability.
The announcement covers a license and manufacturing collaboration rather than a new shipping product; no production timeline, device qualification data or volume figures were disclosed alongside the agreement.
