OpenLight Receives First Volume Production Orders Tower’s PH18DA InP-on-Silicon Photonic Platform
OpenLight announced its first volume production orders for the PH18DA indium phosphide‑on‑silicon photonic platform, developed with Tower Semiconductor. The orders, placed by NewPhotonics, target 800 Gb/s and 1.6 Tb/s AI‑focused data‑center links, marking a shift from prototype to manufacturing‑ready deployment. The PH18DA process integrates III‑V lasers, modulators and detectors on a single PIC, delivering higher bandwidth density, lower power consumption and a smaller footprint than traditional discrete silicon photonics solutions. This milestone validates the platform’s scalability and positions OpenLight as a key supplier for next‑generation optical connectivity.
HENSOLDT Signs Long-Term Supply Deal with UMS
HENSOLDT has secured a long‑term supply agreement with United Monolithic Semiconductors (UMS) to receive 900,000 gallium‑nitride (GaN) components for its radar systems by 2030. The deal aims to reinforce supply‑chain resilience and expand production capacity amid rising global demand for...
Warwick Secures Funding to Boost UK Wide-Bandgap Power Semiconductor Reliability Testing
The University of Warwick has secured funding to acquire a wide‑bandgap (WBG) dynamic reliability tester from ipTEST Ltd, bolstering the UK’s capacity to evaluate SiC and GaN power semiconductors. The equipment will feed the nation’s first comprehensive reliability database, supporting...
UK Semiconductor Centre Gains £6.6m UK Government Investment
The UK Semiconductor Centre received a £6.6 million injection from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to upgrade national semiconductor infrastructure. The funding will support 12 projects across the UK, spanning compound semiconductors, photonics and advanced packaging. Notably, the APRIL...
Blue Moon to Acquire Gage Project From Liberty Gold
Blue Moon Metals Inc. will acquire the Gage Project in southern Utah from Liberty Gold, issuing 420,935 common shares and a 2.0% net smelter return royalty. The acquisition adds 181 unpatented claims covering 5,916 hectares adjacent to the Apex Mine,...
EPC Unveils Phase 18 Reliability Report Advancing Understanding of eGaN Reliability and Robustness
Efficient Power Conversion Corp (EPC) released its Phase 18 Reliability Report, delivering deeper insight into the wear‑out mechanisms of enhancement‑mode GaN (eGaN) power transistors. The report bridges the gap between laboratory stress tests and real‑world operating conditions by introducing a quantitative...
Wolfspeed Announces Subscriptions for $379m of Convertible Notes and $96.9m of Common Stock and Pre-Funded Warrants
Wolfspeed Inc. announced private placements raising roughly $475.9 million through $379 million of 3.5% senior secured convertible notes due 2031 and $96.9 million of common stock and pre‑funded warrants. The notes carry a conversion price of about $20.14 per share, a 20% premium...
Guerrilla RF Expands Aerospace & Defense Focus with New SatCom Initiative
Guerrilla RF announced an expanded aerospace and defense focus, unveiling a new satellite communications (SatCom) initiative that adds more than 100 commercial‑off‑the‑shelf RFIC and MMIC solutions for both ground and space platforms. The company released a SatCom product selection guide...
Halo Selects Eyelit to Power Scalable SiC Wafering Production with Composable MES
Eyelit Technologies’ AI‑driven manufacturing execution system has been chosen by Halo Industries to manage its rapidly expanding silicon‑carbide (SiC) wafering operations. Halo selected the platform after a competitive review, citing its composable architecture, flexible recipe handling via the Scenarios feature,...
NVIDIA and ST Present New Delivery Boards for 800VDC Architectures
NVIDIA and STMicroelectronics unveiled two 800 VDC delivery boards aimed at high‑efficiency power conversion. The 6 kW, 850 kHz LLC converter uses a 700 V GaN primary and a 40 V MOSFET secondary, delivering 12 V at 97.5% efficiency and 2500 W/in³ power density. The 20 kW, 650 kHz...
Infineon Introduces CoolGaN-Based High-Voltage Intermediate Bus Converter Reference Designs
Infineon unveiled two high‑voltage intermediate‑bus converter (HV IBC) reference designs powered by its 650 V CoolGaN switches, aimed at AI server platforms operating on ±400 V and 800 V DC. The 800 V‑to‑50 V module delivers over 98 % efficiency, 2.5 kW/in³ density in a 60 × 60 × 11 mm package, while...
Teradyne Launches Photon 100 Opto-Electric Automated Test Platform
Teradyne announced the Photon 100, an opto‑electric automated test platform designed for high‑volume silicon photonics (SiPh) and co‑packaged optics (CPO) manufacturing. The system merges optical and electrical instrumentation on the UltraFLEXplus chassis, covering wafer, optical‑engine and module‑insertion testing. By delivering scalable,...
POET and LITEON to Co-Develop Optical Modules for AI Applications
POET Technologies and Taiwan‑based LITEON Technology have announced a strategic partnership to co‑develop optical communication modules for AI‑driven data centers. The collaboration will combine POET’s patented optical interposer platform with LITEON’s optoelectronic and power‑management expertise to produce compact, thermally optimized...
Coherent Demos InP Technology Innovation at OFC
Coherent Corp used its OFC 2026 booth to unveil a broad suite of indium phosphide (InP) components, including high‑power continuous‑wave lasers, electro‑absorption‑modulated lasers, and high‑speed photodiodes. The portfolio targets co‑packaged optics, silicon‑photonic pluggables and 1.6‑terabit transceivers, delivering up to 400 G...
Lumentum Showcases Optical Scale-Up Demo at OFC Using VCSELs
Lumentum demonstrated a 1060 nm VCSEL‑based optical interconnect platform at OFC 2026, targeting rack‑level AI accelerators. The demo featured a high‑density multi‑mode VCSEL array co‑packaged with a host ASIC in a fan‑out wafer‑level package. The solution promises superior bandwidth, thermal resilience above...
Nagoya University and NU-Rei Report First Gallium Oxide Thin-Film Epi Growth on Silicon
Researchers at Nagoya University and spin‑out NU‑Rei announced the world’s first heteroepitaxial growth of gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃) thin films on silicon wafers. The breakthrough relies on a High‑Density Oxygen Radical Source that doubles atomic‑oxygen density, enabling high‑speed homoepitaxial growth at...
EPC91202 Evaluation Board Added for Three-Phase BLDC Motor Drive Inverter
Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) launched the EPC91202 evaluation board, a three‑phase brushless DC motor‑drive inverter built around its EPC2361 100 V eGaN FET. The board can deliver up to 70 A peak (50 A RMS) current and switch PWM signals as fast as...
IFW Dresden Selects Agnitron Agilis 100 MOCVD Platform for Precursor Chemistry and Ultra-Wide-Bandgap Materials Development
Agnitron Technology’s Agilis 100 MOCVD platform has been selected by the Institute for Materials Chemistry at IFW Dresden to advance precursor chemistry and ultra‑wide‑bandgap semiconductor research. The system’s patented showerhead and low‑vapor‑pressure delivery enable flexible handling of novel metal‑organic precursors. Initial...
TNO and High Tech Campus Eindhoven Begin Construction of First 6-Inch Indium Phosphide Photonic Chip Foundry
TNO and High Tech Campus Eindhoven have broken ground on what will be the world’s first 6‑inch indium phosphide photonic chip foundry, a €150 million project funded under the European Chips Act and inaugurated by EU and Dutch ministers. The pilot...
University of Sheffield to Lead £12.5m UK Centre for Heterogeneous Integrated MicroElectronic and Semiconductor Systems
The University of Sheffield has been appointed to lead the £12.5 million CHIMES 2 centre, a national hub focused on heterogeneous integration of micro‑electronic and semiconductor systems. The initiative brings together ten leading UK universities and the STFC to develop methods for...
CEA-Leti and NcodiN Partner to Industrialize 300mm Silicon Photonics for Bandwidth-Hungry AI Interconnects
CEA‑Leti and French start‑up NcodiN announced a strategic partnership to industrialise NcodiN’s optical interposer technology on a 300 mm silicon photonics platform. The collaboration will transition NcodiN’s nanolaser‑enabled NConnect interconnects—featuring lasers 500 times smaller than conventional devices and densities above 5,000 lasers...
ROHM’s TRCDRIVE Pack, HSDIP20 and DOT-247 Silicon Carbide Molded Power Modules Now Available Online
Japanese semiconductor firm ROHM has launched online sales of three new silicon‑carbide (SiC) molded power modules: the TRCDRIVE pack, HSDIP20, and DOT‑247. The TRCDRIVE pack delivers 1.5‑times higher power density than conventional SiC modules and integrates a top‑mounted gate‑driver board...
Scintil Releases DWDM Laser Source Evaluation Kit for Scale-Up AI Networks
Scintil Photonics unveiled the LEAF Light Evaluation Kit (EVK), enabling customers to test its single‑chip DWDM laser source for AI scale‑up networks. The LEAF Light chip promises up to 50% power reduction and lower latency compared with traditional single‑wavelength co‑packaged...
Navitas Appoints Former Lattice Chief Accounting Officer as CFO
Navitas Semiconductor announced the appointment of Tonya Stevens as chief financial officer, effective March 30, 2026. Stevens brings more than three decades of finance and accounting experience across the semiconductor, technology, and manufacturing sectors, most recently serving as chief accounting...
Navitas Adds Top-Side-Cooled QDPAK and Low-Profile TO-247-4L to Package Line-Up in 5th-Generation GeneSiC Technology
Navitas Semiconductor introduced two 1200 V SiC MOSFET packages— a top‑side‑cooled QDPAK and a low‑profile TO‑247‑4LP— built on its 5th‑generation GeneSiC platform. The new TAP technology improves the RDSon×Qgd figure of merit by 35 % and raises the Qgd/Qgs ratio by roughly...
SK Keyfoundry Develops 450–2300V SiC Planar MOSFET Process Platform
SK keyfoundry has completed a silicon‑carbide (SiC) planar MOSFET process platform covering 450‑2300 V, achieving over 90 % yield and high reliability. The firm demonstrated the technology with a 1200 V MOSFET order from a new SiC design customer, targeting industrial equipment thermal‑efficiency...
Photon Bridge and CPFC Partner to Validate Path to Scalable Multi-Wavelength Light Engines
Photon Bridge of Eindhoven announced a strategic partnership with the Canadian Photonics Fabrication Centre (CPFC) to use CPFC’s InP laser foundry for its heterogeneous photonics platform. The collaboration validates the manufacturability of multi‑wavelength external laser sources, targeting 8, 16 and...
Sivers to Supply Lasers and Optical Amplifiers Worth $53–138m over Customer’s Product Life-Cycle
Sivers Semiconductors announced a multi‑year supply agreement to provide continuous‑wave DFB lasers and optical amplifiers to a strategic LiDAR customer, with a total revenue potential of $53‑138 million over the product life‑cycle. Production is slated to ramp in Q4 2026 for automotive...
POET Demos Hybrid Laser and Next-Gen High-Power External Light Source for AI at OFC
At OFC 2026 in Los Angeles, POET Technologies showcased its hybrid laser Blazar and next‑generation external light source Starlight. Blazar, a wafer‑level integrated multi‑channel laser, promises higher output power, multi‑wavelength operation and lower manufacturing cost compared with traditional DFB lasers....
La Luce Cristallina Releases Beta-Version of 200mm Barium Titanate Wafer
La Luce Cristallina announced the beta‑release of its 200 mm barium titanate (BaTiO₃) wafer, now available for customer evaluation in advanced electro‑optic modulators. The wafer’s ultra‑low‑voltage operation leverages BaTiO₃’s high Pockels coefficient, targeting co‑packaged optics for AI‑driven data‑center, telecom and datacom workloads. It...
NUBURU’s Lyocon Completes Proof-of-Concept for Portable Directed-Energy Laser Platform
NUBURU’s subsidiary Lyocon has completed a proof‑of‑concept for a portable directed‑energy laser dazzler aimed at counter‑drone defense. The system employs multi‑wavelength lasers (green, blue, IR) delivering 1‑10 W of power in a rifle‑mounted, modular architecture for rapid field deployment. Early trials...
Wolfspeed Unveils Foundation for AI Data-Center Advanced Packaging Leveraging 300mm Silicon Carbide
Wolfspeed announced that its 300 mm silicon carbide (SiC) technology platform can serve as a foundational material for advanced AI and high‑performance computing (HPC) heterogeneous packaging by decade’s end. The company recently produced a single‑crystal 300 mm SiC wafer and is collaborating...
Lumentum Promoted From S&P MidCap 400 to S&P 500 Index
Lumentum Holdings has been selected to join the S&P 500, moving from the MidCap 400 on March 23, 2026. The promotion reflects a sharp rise in market capitalization and liquidity. Inclusion places Lumentum among the 500 leading U.S. companies, expanding its investor base. CEO...
Spain’s VLC Photonics and Hitachi High-Tech America Announce Strategic Collaboration in North America
VLC Photonics, a Spanish fabless photonic integrated circuit (PIC) design house, has entered a strategic collaboration with Hitachi High‑Tech America to expand its North American footprint. The partnership leverages VLC’s multi‑platform PIC expertise and Hitachi’s equipment sales and global commercial...
Indra Leading GIGaNTE Project to Develop Autonomous Spanish Gallium Nitride and Advanced Packaging Technologies
Indra Group is spearheading the €9 million, four‑year GIGaNTE initiative to create a fully autonomous Spanish gallium‑nitride (GaN) and advanced packaging ecosystem. The project targets high‑reliability radar and communications systems for defence, developing proprietary GaN processes, monolithic microwave integrated circuits and...
NVIDIA Investing $2bn in Coherent’s R&D, Capacity Expansion and Operations as It Builds Out US-Based Manufacturing
NVIDIA announced a multi‑year strategic agreement with Coherent Corp, investing $2 billion to fund research, capacity expansion, and US‑based manufacturing. The deal includes a non‑exclusive purchase commitment and future access rights to Coherent’s advanced laser and optical networking products. By scaling...
AXT’s Q4/2025 Revenue Constrained by Delay in China Export Permits
AXT Inc reported an 11% drop in full‑year 2025 revenue to $88.3 m, driven by an 8.4% Q4 decline caused by delayed Chinese export permits for indium phosphide. Gross margin fell to 13.1% while the company posted a $18 m net loss...
BluGlass Enters AUS$1.25m Development Program with US Tier-1 Defence Prime for Visible GaN DFB Lasers and Gain Chips
BluGlass Ltd has secured a AUS$1.25 million, 14‑24‑month development program with a US tier‑1 defence prime to deliver visible GaN distributed feedback (DFB) lasers and gain chips. The initial AUS$560,000 purchase order will fund the first phase, with payments linked to...
Smartphone Production Grows 2.5% to 1.25 Billion Units in 2025
Global smartphone production rose 2.5% year‑on‑year in 2025, reaching about 1.254 billion units. Apple and Samsung each manufactured nearly 240 million devices, sharing the top spot. Q4 2025 saw strong iPhone 17 shipments and Samsung’s 11% YoY increase, while rivals trimmed output amid...
Marktech Adds 230nm and 265nm Deep UV, 310nm UVB and 340nm UVA LEDs
Marktech Optoelectronics announced an expanded UV LED portfolio that now includes deep‑UV emitters at 230 nm and 265 nm, a UVB chip at 310 nm, and a UVA part at 340 nm. The new lineup spans 230 nm to 400 nm and is offered in metal‑can,...
Wolfspeed Launches First Commercially Available 10kV SiC Power MOSFET
Wolfspeed announced the industry’s first commercially available 10 kV silicon‑carbide (SiC) power MOSFET, the CPM3‑10000‑0300A die. The device promises a 158,000‑year dielectric lifetime, sub‑10 ns rise time and up to 99% conversion efficiency. Wolfspeed says the technology can cut system cost by...
Circuits Integrated Hellas and Reach Power Sign Multi-Year Strategic MOU
Circuits Integrated Hellas (CIH) and Reach Power have signed a multi‑year memorandum of understanding to co‑develop integrated RF/mmWave and wireless power‑at‑a‑distance (WPDT) solutions. CIH will supply custom semiconductor designs, beamforming architectures and heterogeneous integration, while Reach contributes its proven power‑beaming...
Semtech Expands Data-Center Portfolio by Acquiring HieFo for $34m
Semtech Corp announced it has acquired HieFo Corp for approximately $34 million in cash. HieFo supplies indium phosphide (InP) optoelectronic devices, including lasers and gain chips, used in data‑center interconnects. The deal, cleared by CFIUS, expands Semtech’s domestic semiconductor portfolio and...
CoolSem Establishes Advisory Board to Advance Wafer-Level Thermal Management
CoolSem Technologies, a Dutch startup founded in 2025, announced the creation of an Advisory Board to accelerate its wafer‑level thermal management platform. The board brings together leaders from Murata, Philips, Apple and academia, offering deep expertise in semiconductor processing, materials...
Micro-LED Co-Packaged Optics Cut Power Consumption to Just 5% that of Copper Cables
The rapid expansion of generative‑AI workloads is pushing data‑center interconnect speeds toward 800 Gbps and 1.6 Tbps, exposing the energy inefficiency of copper cables. Micro‑LED co‑packaged optics (CPOs) can deliver the same bandwidth while consuming only about 5 % of the power of...
Circuits Integrated Launches Ka-Band Integrated Switch Power Amplifiers
Circuits Integrated Hellas has introduced the CI-ONE family, a small‑form‑factor Ka‑band module that combines a high‑performance power amplifier with a single‑pole double‑throw switch. The integrated solution delivers 5 ns switching, up to 36 dBm output, and about 22% efficiency at the 1 dB...
UCSB’s Steven DenBaars Receives Optica’s 2026 Nick Holonyak Jr Award
Steven DenBaars, Distinguished Professor at UCSB, has been named the 2026 recipient of Optica’s Nick Holonyak Jr. Award. The honor recognizes his pioneering contributions to high‑efficiency gallium nitride (GaN) LEDs and laser diodes, which have transformed solid‑state lighting and photonic...
United Semiconductors Reserves Payload Space with Starlab to Advance Commercial-Scale In-Space Semiconductor Manufacturing
United Semiconductors has secured payload space on Starlab’s commercial space station to transition its micro‑gravity semiconductor crystal growth from the International Space Station to sustained, commercial‑scale production in low Earth orbit. The partnership leverages Starlab’s rapid, no‑assembly launch architecture and...
Rio Tinto to Progress Gallium R&D Project by Constructing Pilot Plant in Québec
Rio Tinto announced the construction of a pilot plant in Quebec to extract primary gallium from its alumina refining stream, following a successful test extraction with Indium Corp in May 2025. The project receives up to CDN $18.95 million from the Canadian...
Soitec and NTU Singapore Reporting Results of Research Program Into 6G Connectivity
At Mobile World Congress 2026, Soitec and Nanyang Technological University unveiled the results of a four‑year research program targeting 6G connectivity. The collaboration produced three technical papers showing that gallium‑nitride (GaN) devices on Soitec’s epitaxial wafers deliver record power‑added efficiency...