3 February 2014

Anvil appoints Martin Lamb as chairman

Following a $1.6m (£1m) investment round closed last November, Anvil Semiconductors Ltd of Coventry, UK has appointed Martin Lamb as chairman to lead the firm as it commercializes its new technology which, it is reckoned, promises to open up high-volume power device markets for silicon carbide (SiC) through unique SiC-on-silicon epitaxial technology offering SiC performance at the costs close to those of silicon.

Anvil was spun off in August 2010 from the University of Warwick’s School of Engineering by its technology commercialization subsidiary Warwick Ventures Ltd in order to exploit patented developments in SiC power semiconductor technology. Anvil says that its approach to SiC switches should cost no more than their silicon counterparts. This involves growing a thin layer of cubic SiC (3C-SiC) on silicon seed wafers sufficient to fabricate active power devices. In addition to the fundamental crystal growth expertise, Anvil has IP relating to resolving the problem of the stress that inevitably arises when growing SiC on Si (which to date has prevented the technology from moving forward). The IP has been proven on 100mm silicon wafers and should inherently permit larger wafer diameters to be used without modification.

Anvil’s recent £1m funding round was led by the Low Carbon Innovation Fund (LCIF) and involved Ntensive angel investor group, Cambridge Capital Group, and several individual angel investors, as well as prior investors Midven and Minerva Business Angels. LCIF is a venture capital fund managed by specialist energy and environment merchant bank Turquoise International on behalf of the Low Carbon Group at the University of East Anglia and supported by the East of England Competitiveness Program of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF, a seven-year investment program part-financed by the European Union).

Lamb, who previously held senior positions including managing director of substrate maker Wafer Technology Ltd and served on the board of epiwafer foundry IQE plc of Cardiff, Wales, UK, has more than 25 years’ experience in the compound semiconductor materials industry. Most recently he has been an active angel investor and serves on the boards of several companies within his portfolio, many of which are commercializing novel technologies related to the production or processing of materials.

“He brings to the team a depth of experience of semiconductor leadership, having successfully navigated a business through periods of significant growth to a successful exit,” comments Anvil’s CEO Jill Shaw. “Anvil has some very exciting technology that could prove disruptive in many markets,” believes Lamb.

See related items:

Anvil gains £1m funding to commercialize low-cost SiC-in-silicon power devices

Warwick spins off Anvil to develop smaller, more efficient SiC-based power converters

UK funds compound semiconductor R&D projects

Tags: SiC power converters SiC-on-silicon driver ICs

Visit: http://anvil-semi.co.uk