IVWorks develops 6-inch GaN epiwafer
The Samsung-backed firm is looking for customers
IVWorks has developed a 6-inch GaN-on-SiC epiwafer, the company said, and it will look for a client.
It comes after it developed a 4-inch one two years ago.
Having the wafer larger allows vendors to produce more chips on a single sheet that reduces cost.
GaN-on-SiC is used to make GaN, or gallium nitride, transistors used to make radio frequency power amplifiers.
IVWorks used a molecular beam epitaxy equipment to grow the GaN on the silicon carbide wafer, which allowed for faster growth compared to using metal organic chemical vapor deposition equipment, the company said.
IVWorks was founded in 2011 and received its seed investment of 500 million won from Samsung Venture Investment and Songhyun Investment in 2015. Samsung also took part in the company’s 8 billion won Series B funding last year. The start-up has accrued 12 billion won in funding so far.
5G networks are requiring power amplifiers to become power powerful. Most amplifier transistors were made using laterally-diffused metal-oxide semiconductor (LDMOS).
Samsung’s network business supplied 3.5GHz 5G equipment to South Korean telcos that used LDMOS-based power amplifiers. The company is planning to use GaN transistors for its exports to overseas telcos, people familiar with the matter said.