Polar Collaborates with IC-Link by imec to Manufacture 8-inch GaN Technology

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. & LEUVEN, Belgium--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Polar Semiconductor, LLC (“Polar”), a U.S.-owned and operated foundry specializing in high-voltage, power, and sensor technologies, and IC-Link by imec, imec’s design and manufacturing service, today announced they are collaborating to provide 8-inch production of enhancement-mode (e-mode) GaN devices to serve critical markets such as AI data centers, automotive, aerospace & defense, and the industrial grid.

Polar Collaborates with IC-Link by imec to Manufacture 8-inch GaN Technology

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The new offering is enabled through a license transfer agreement with imec for its GaN-on-Si process, device and epitaxy to Polar to manufacture e-mode GaN devices at Polar’s world-class power and sensor foundry in Bloomington, Minnesota. The initial agreement focuses on voltage ranges from 40 to 650V with future expansion towards lower and higher voltages to enable manufacturing at Polar across the GaN power spectrum to serve key market trends such as 800V to 12V conversion in data centers.

Through IC-Link, imec’s design and manufacturing division, customers can gain early access to the GaN technology, allowing them to accelerate development today and move seamlessly into full manufacturing services. The technology from imec and the service from IC-Link, coupled with the manufacturing excellence of Polar will provide a unique prototyping to high volume production service. Together, IC-Link’s design-to-manufacturing services, and Polar’s commercial reach and manufacturing excellence will provide an integrated offering to its shared customer base.

Reza Kazerounian, Executive Chairman of Polar, said, “This partnership reinforces Polar’s strategy and ongoing investments to establish a leading U.S.-based GaN Center of Excellence, delivering innovative power technologies that strengthen domestic supply chains for critical industries including defense, artificial intelligence, and automotive. Given imec’s world-class expertise and leadership in semiconductor innovation, it is the ideal partner to accelerate Polar’s GaN roadmap and technology ambitions.”

Thomas Piliszczuk, Chief R&D Programs & Portfolio Officer at imec, said, “Building on more than 15 years of GaN research and development, imec is excited to combine its GaN technology with IC-Link’s design-to-manufacturing services and Polar’s manufacturing capabilities. Together with partners across our international ecosystem, this will create a scalable GaN offering that helps customers accelerate high-efficiency, high-speed power solutions for growing markets including AI and data infrastructure, automotive, industrial systems, aerospace and other adjacent markets.”

About Polar Semiconductor

Polar Semiconductor is a leading foundry specializing in high-voltage, power, and sensor semiconductor manufacturing for automotive, industrial, aerospace and defense, data center, and consumer applications. Based in Bloomington, Minnesota, Polar provides advanced BCD, BiCMOS, MOSFET, IGBT, Optical MEMS, Wide-Bandgap (GaN), and sensor process technologies and associated foundry design enablement, transfer, and characterization services. With decades of experience and a strong focus on quality, reliability, and innovation, Polar supports some of the world’s most demanding semiconductor customers. The company is currently expanding its capacity and capabilities to serve the growing demand for power electronics and next-generation technologies. For more information, visit www.polarsemi.com.

About IC-Link by imec

IC-Link by imec provides customized solutions for innovative chip manufacturing, leveraging the expertise and ecosystem of imec, a world-leading research and innovation center for nanoelectronics and digital technologies. IC-Link enables the scalable and reliable manufacturing of semiconductors to go from idea to product. Technologies range from ASICs in CMOS, including the most advanced commercially available nodes, to imec-developed integrated photonics, and advanced 2.5/3D packaging. Additional specialty services include custom wafer processing. The offering will continue to expand as new technologies are validated. To tailor to customer requirements and capabilities, IC-Link offers a range of services and business models.

For more information, visit www.imeciclink.com or www.imec-int.com.