28 July 2015

HexaTech wins continued DoE funding

HexaTech Inc of Morrisville, NC, USA, which manufactures aluminium nitride (AlN) substrates and is developing long-life UV-C LEDs and high-voltage power devices, has received a continuation of funding under the US Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E) development program. The cost-share extension is valued at $1.2m over one year, and follows $2.8m over two years when the contract was initiated in 2012.

HexaTech's contract focuses on developing high-power semiconductor switching devices based on AlN to more efficiently control the flow of electricity across high-voltage electrical lines. AlN-based devices should exceed the capabilities of existing materials, enabling smaller, more reliable components. Further implementation of these components could decrease the cost of electricity transmission while increasing overall grid security and reliability, it is reckoned.

"This contract extension will allow us to further expand our market leadership in high-power AlN device development," says CEO John Goehrke. "Combined with ARPA-E's unique Tech-To-Market concept, we anticipate not only raising the bar in device performance, but also raising awareness for AlN in general, which will in turn be a significant growth opportunity for our core substrate business," he adds.

"This continued support from ARPA-E will allow us to demonstrate the potential of AlN for high-voltage devices by optimizing MOCVD [metal-organic chemical vapor deposition] growth parameters, as well as fabricating and testing commercially oriented components," says Dr Baxter Moody, principal investigator for the program at HexaTech.

Tags: HexaTech AlN UV-C LEDs

Visit: www.hexatechinc.com