News

Silicon carbide substrate maker SiC Systems Inc of Golden, CO, USA says it has completed its Series-A round of fundraising, following sales of its initial wafers. The investment will fund volume production and delivery
of 150mm (6-inch) SiC by the end of 2008.

Incorporated in 2007, privately held SiC Systems was founded by Dr Joshua Robbins, chairman and chief technology officer; Dr Mike Seman, VP of R&D; and Ken Whelan, CEO. Last July the company closed angel funding for the initial manufacturing prototype system and to initiate business development.

"We are extremely grateful for the support and confidence demonstrated by our investors to date, and are anxious to reward them as we pursue this improvement in semiconductor technology vital to attaining cost-effective
solid-state lighting and high-power-density devices," says Whelan. "We are excited about bringing silicon carbide to mainstream semiconductor manufacturers several years ahead of industry expectation."

SiC Systems declined to reveal the level of its Series-A funding or to name the investors, but Whelan told Semiconductor Today: "We have raised sufficient capital to fund construction and operation of our initial facility and manufacturing systems."

Construction of the initial manufacturing facility was completed recently, and the firm says that it is now in operation.

According to the company, its patent-pending manufacturing process, in development for nearly two years, overcomes design challenges present in current manufacturers' methods. "Our process provides superior control, as compared to traditional methods, of the numerous parameters necessary to produce high-quality SiC. Additionally, the process invention scales to virtually any diameter," claims Whelan.

SiC Systems' initial product offering is 3C-SiC material, which is typically used for silicon- or SiC-based power devices, rather than optoelectronic devices based on gallium nitride epi (for which 4H- or 6H-SiC is typically used). However, although Whelan says that 3C-SiC does have benefits for "a
myriad" of power devices, he adds that the company's "3C is advantageous in particular for LED manufacturers".

R&D quantity samples of the wafers are now available.

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Visit: www.sicsystems.com