ALLOS Semiconductors: Space solar cell maker buys GaN-on-Si business

GaN-on-Si intellectual property licensing company Allos Semiconductors GmbH (Dresden, Germany) has sold its high-power electronics and RF business to Azur Space GmbH (Heilbronn, Germany).Azur Space is a provider of III-V epitaxy for solar cells and said it will use the GaN on Silicon technology to expand its business into power and RF electronics. Allos said it will focus on the emerging microLED display market."We are the leading provider of high efficiency multi-junction space solar cells based on III-V epitaxy with a capacity of 500,000 wafers per year and with multiple MOCVD reactors running 24/7. Our skills and know-how are a perfect match to the requirements of the quickly emerging III-V HPE epiwafer market," said Juergen Heizmann, CEO of Azur Space.SATELLITE SERVERS IN THE SKY AIM FOR GLOBAL BROADBANDA driver of Azur's decision to enter the high-power GaN-on-Si epiwafer market is the growing demand for energy-efficient power systems in electric or hybrid vehicles, renewable energy systems, server farms and electric motors. "With ever increasing electrification and novel applications, the HPE market continues to grow - and the climate challenge is increasing the need for energy efficiency" he added.Burkhard Slischka, co-founder and CEO of Allos Semiconductors, said business models are different in the high-power electronics and microLED markets and so it makes sense for Allos to focus on one."We can now fully focus on the rapidly evolving microLED market where our technology provides huge yield and cost advantages throughout the entire value chain and where we have direct access to the companies driving the development," said Slischka.Azur and Allos expect to complete the transfer of the HPE and RF business and technology by the end of September 2020.Related links and articles: www.allos-semiconductors.comwww.azurspace.comRelated GaN articlesRAD HARD JOINT VENTURE FOR SPACE APPLICATIONSPROJECT FOR WORLD'S MOST COMPACT 650V MODULEMONOLITHIC POWER CHIPS EMBEDDED IN PCB150MM EPIWAFER BOOST FOR POWER CHIPS