2 September 2015

Cree names Power and RF division Wolfspeed

Cree Inc of Durham, NC, USA - which makes silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) wide-bandgap semiconductor wafers and devices as well as LEDs - has announced Wolfspeed as the new name for its Power and RF division (which it announced in May would be separate into a standalone company).

In May, Cree submitted a registration statement to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for an initial public offering of common stock of its Power and RF subsidiary. In July, it acquired Arkansas Power Electronics International Inc (APEI) of Fayetteville, AR, USA, a provider of SiC power modules and power electronics applications.

Cree says that, founded on the mission to "liberate power and wireless systems from the limitations of silicon", Wolfspeed enters the marketplace as an entrepreneurial growth company with a focused team, a profitable business and more than 28 years of wide-bandgap semiconductor technology and experience.

Cree reckons that the new name will allow the Power and RF division to build brand equity while operating as a separate business although, as a Cree company, Wolfspeed will leverage the parent firm's brand, global footprint, scale and expertise.

"Wolfspeed is providing our customers and our team with a first look at our new company's name, brand identity and purpose in advance of our IPO, which we plan to execute during fiscal year 2016," says Wolfspeed's executive vice president Frank Plastina. "We're building something new on the firm foundation that is Cree." 

Cree reckons that, as the only player in the industry with a fully commercialized, broad portfolio of the most field-tested SiC and GaN power and wireless technologies and products on the market, Wolfspeed's products enable higher power density, higher switching frequencies, and reduced system size and weight. Such advantages lead to smaller systems, lower system costs and improved performance, and can ultimately lead to more powerful applications in the transportation, industrial and electronics, energy, and communications markets.

See related items:

US Air Force awards Cree's Power and RF Division $4.1m contract extension

Cree acquires SiC power module firm APEI

Cree registers for IPO of Power and RF subsidiary

Tags: Cree SiC power modules

Visit: www.wolfspeed.com