- News
10 February 2014
EpiGaN honored as Trends Gazelle ‘Starter’ 2014 in Limburg
III-nitride epitaxial material supplier EpiGaN nv of Hasselt, Belgium has been honored with the award Trends Gazelle ‘Starter’ 2014 in the Province of Limburg by Trends Magazine. The annual award recognizes that EpiGaN has fostered positive momentum in revenue and employee growth over a three-year time span.
Incorporated in 2010, EpiGaN was founded by chief executive officer Dr Marianne Germain, chief technology officer Dr Joff Derluyn, and chief operating officer Dr Stefan Degroote, as a spin-off of nanoelectronics research center Imec of Leuven, Belgium. The founders jointly developed gallium nitride-on-silicon (GaN-on-Si) technology on 4” and 6” wafers at Imec, part of which has been licensed to EpiGaN. In mid-2012, EpiGaN closed its first capital round of €4m, to allow it to start volume production of GaN-on-Si epitaxial material. Investors include Capricorn Cleantech Fund, Robert Bosch Venture Capital, and LRM.
“EpiGaN has experienced positive revenue and cash flow since its inception in 2010,” says co-founder & CEO Dr Marianne Germain. The firm now has ten staff and plans to grow further in 2014 to support its manufacturing expansion.
EpiGaN’s gallium nitride-on-silicon epitaxy is being used to create high-voltage power and high-frequency RF devices that, in turn, are being used to save energy in consumer electronics, industrial power supplies, AC drives, cellular base-stations, cable TV infrastructure, etc.
The firm’s cleanroom manufacturing facilities in Hasselt are in the Eindhoven–Leuven–Aachen triangle (ELAT). EpiGaN says that it is one of the few Flemish firms that do not outsource manufacturing of high-tech products, contributing to the local economy.
EpiGaN starts 8-inch GaN-on-Si development on Aixtron reactors
Imec spin-off EpiGaN starts production at new site
EpiGaN raises €4m in first-round funding to launch GaN-on-Si volume production