-
LATEST NEWS3 Min Read
Wolfspeed, Inc. announced that it has taken the next step to implement its previously announced Restructuring Support Agreement (“RSA”) with key lenders, including (i) holders of more than 97% of its senior secured notes, (ii) Renesas Electronics Corporation’s wholly owned U.S. subsidiary and (iii) convertible debtholders holding more than 67% of the outstanding convertible notes.
Upon emergence from the process, the Company expects to have reduced its overall debt by approximately 70%, representing a reduction of approximately $4.6 billion and a reduction of its annual total cash interest payments by approximately 60%. By taking this proactive step, the Company expects to be better positioned to execute on its long-term growth strategy and accelerate its path to profitability. Wolfspeed is continuing to operate as usual throughout the process, including delivering silicon carbide materials and devices to its customers and paying its vendors in the ordinary course.
To implement the prepackaged plan, the Company has voluntarily filed petitions for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Wolfspeed expects to move through the process expeditiously and emerge by the end of the third quarter calendar year 2025.
“We are continuing to move forward with our accelerated restructuring process to strengthen our capital structure and fuel our next phase of growth,” said Robert Feurle, Wolfspeed’s Chief Executive Officer. “With a stronger financial foundation, Wolfspeed will be better positioned to move faster on our strategic priorities and maintain our position as a global leader in the silicon carbide market. The strong support of our lenders is a testament to their belief in our business and our ability to capitalize on the opportunities ahead, driven by our exceptional, purpose-built, fully automated 200mm manufacturing footprint.”
He continued, “Looking ahead, we remain laser-focused on delivering cutting-edge products to our customers and working with our vendors in the normal course. I’d also like to thank our employees for their hard work and continued commitment to driving the business forward. I am confident that taking this action will better position Wolfspeed to meet the growing demands of the semiconductor market.”
Wolfspeed has filed a number of customary motions with the Court to support ordinary-course operations, including, but not limited to, continuing employee compensation and benefits programs. The Company is continuing to pay vendors in the ordinary course of business for goods and services delivered throughout the restructuring process via an All-Trade Motion. Vendors are expected to be unimpaired in the process. The Company expects to receive court approval for these requests shortly.
For additional information regarding the restructuring, please visit Wolfspeed’s dedicated microsite at wolfspeedforward.com. Information about Wolfspeed’s Chapter 11 case can be found at https://dm.epiq11.com/Wolfspeed or by contacting Epiq, the Company’s claims agent, at (888) 818-4267 (for toll-free U.S. calls) or +1 (971) 606-5246 (for tolled international calls).
Latham & Watkins LLP and Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP are serving as legal counsel to Wolfspeed, Perella Weinberg Partners is serving as financial advisor and FTI Consulting is serving as restructuring advisor. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is serving as legal counsel to the senior secured noteholders and Moelis & Company is serving as the senior secured noteholders’ financial advisor. Kirkland & Ellis LLP is serving as legal counsel to Renesas Electronics Corporation, PJT Partners is serving as its financial advisor, and BofA Securities is serving as its structuring advisor. Ropes & Gray LLP is serving as legal counsel to the convertible debtholders and Ducera Partners is serving as financial advisor to the convertible debtholders.
Original – Wolfspeed
-
LATEST NEWS1 Min Read
Infineon Technologies AG has completed the sale of its 200 mm fab in Austin, Texas. As announced in February 2025, SkyWater Technology will assume operations with current employees, and further develop the site to support multiple customers.
As such, SkyWater and Infineon have also entered into a long-term supply agreement that enables Infineon to maintain a strong, efficient and scalable manufacturing footprint in the United States. Infineon remains committed to keeping a long-term presence in Austin and continuing to further develop R&D and sales operations across Texas.
Original – Infineon Technologies
-
GaN / LATEST NEWS / PRODUCT & TECHNOLOGY / WBG2 Min Read
Wise Integration announced the release to production of its first fully digital controller, WiseWare 1.1 (WIW1101) based on the MCU 32 bits. This milestone innovation enables high-frequency operation up to 2 MHz, unlocking new levels of power density, efficiency, and form factor in compact AC-DC power converters.
The product is now available and ready for volume production in customer-validated designs.
“This release marks a strategic milestone for Wise Integration’s roadmap,” said Thierry Bouchet, CEO of Wise Integration. “WiseWare 1.1 represents more than a product—it’s a key pillar in our vision to redefine power electronics through digital control. It strengthens our value proposition in high-density power conversion and reinforces our leadership as GaN technology scales to mass adoption.”
Unlike legacy analog solutions, WiseWare 1.1 leverages the speed and switching capabilities of GaN (gallium nitride) through a proprietary digital control algorithm in a MCU 32 bits, that enables zero voltage switching (ZVS) across all power transistors. Designed specifically for totem pole power-factor correction (PFC) architectures in critical-construction mode (CrCM), this controller allows engineers to dramatically reduce the size, weight, and thickness of magnetic components while maintaining >98 percent efficiency.
WiseWare 1.1 supports a broad power range from 100 W to 1.5 kW, making it suitable for a wide array of modern applications requiring both compactness and high energy efficiency.
Designed with flexibility in mind, WiseWare 1.1 works seamlessly with standard GaN across the full RDS(on) spectrum (drain-source on-resistance), giving power designers the freedom to choose the optimal transistor for each application—without compromising performance.
Typical applications include:
- High-efficiency AC-DC power converters,
- High-power density designs,
- Power supplies for servers,
- USB power delivery adapters for laptops and notebooks, and
- Switch-mode power supplies for monitors and displays.
The WiseWare 1.1 platform has already demonstrated robust market validation, with multiple customer design-ins and live demos at PCIM Europe, one of the industry’s most prominent power- electronics exhibitions. These demonstrations showcased 300W totem pole PFC converter boards using WiseWare 1.1 and WiseGan® WI71060A transistors (RDS(on)=60mohms),operating from 90–264 VAC input to a 400 VDC output. At the same time, technical collaborations are progressing in Asia, reinforcing the company’s global reach.
Technical Highlights of WiseWare 1.1 (WIW1101)
- Switching frequency: up to 2 MHz
- Control mode: CrCM ensuring full ZVS
- Integrated protections: OCP, OVP, OTP, OPP
- Inrush management: no need for relay or thermistor
- Standby power: as low as 18 mW
- EMC-compliant demoboard with >98 percent efficiency
Original – Wise Integration
-
LATEST NEWS / PRODUCT & TECHNOLOGY3 Min Read
ROHM has developed an isolated gate driver IC – the BM6GD11BFJ-LB. It is designed specifically for driving HV-GaN HEMTs. When combined with GaN devices, this driver enables stable operation under high-frequency, high-speed switching conditions – contributing to greater miniaturization and efficiency in high-current applications such as motors and server power supplies.
As global energy consumption continues to grow, energy-saving initiatives have become a shared global priority. Motors and power supplies alone are estimated to account for approx. 97% of the world’s total electricity consumption. Achieving higher efficiency in these systems is increasingly dependent on utilizing wide bandgap devices such as SiC and GaN to control and convert electricity more efficiently.
Leveraging expertise in developing isolated gate driver ICs for silicon semiconductors and SiC devices, ROHM has introduced this new IC as the first in a series of isolated gate driver solutions optimized for GaN devices. Safe signal transmission is achieved by isolating the device from the control circuitry during switching operations that involve rapid voltage rise and fall cycles.
The BM6GD11BFJ-LB utilizes proprietary on-chip isolation technology to reduce parasitic capacitance, enabling high-frequency operation up to 2MHz. This maximizes the high-frequency switching capabilities of GaN devices. This contributes not only to greater energy efficiency and performance in applications but also reduces mounting area by minimizing the size of peripheral components.
At the same time, CMTI (Common-Mode Transient Immunity – an indicator of noise tolerance in noise isolated gate driver ICs) has been increased to 150V/ns – 1.5 times higher than conventional products – preventing malfunctions caused by the high slew rates typical of GaN HEMT switching. The minimum pulse width has also been reduced to just 65ns, 33% less than conventional products. These performance improvements allow for stable, reliable operation at higher frequencies while minimizing power loss through better duty cycle control.
With a gate drive voltage range of 4.5V to 6.0V and an isolation voltage of 2500Vrms, the BM6GD11BFJ-LB is designed to fully support a wide range of high-voltage GaN devices, including ROHM’s newly added 650V EcoGaN™ HEMT. The industry-leading low output-side current consumption of 0.5mA (Max) also reduces standby power, improving overall system efficiency.
The BM6GD11BFJ-LB is now available. It is offered through online distributors such as DigiKey™, Mouser™ and Farnell™. The sample price is $4.0/unit (excluding tax).
Going forward, ROHM plans to offer gate driver ICs for GaN device control together with GaN device products, supporting simpler application design.
Original – ROHM
-
LATEST NEWS / PROJECTS3 Min Read
Three leading players in semiconductor research and development – the Leibniz Institute for Crystal Growth (IKZ), the PVA TePla AG, and the Siltronic AG – are combining their expertise in a pioneering project to scale up aluminum nitride (AlN) crystal growth. The project focuses on the fabrication of 4-inch AlN substrates to enable advanced applications in high-power electronics and ultraviolet photonics.
Aluminum nitride (AlN) is an ultra-wide bandgap (UWBG) semiconductor material characterized by outstanding intrinsic properties, including high critical electric field strength, superior thermal conductivity, and optical transparency in the ultraviolet spectrum. These attributes make AlN a highly promising substrate and device material for next-generation power electronic components and UV disinfection technologies, enabling compact, energy-efficient, and thermally robust device architectures.
The project’s focus on scaling AlN crystal diameters from 2 to 4 inches addresses a fundamental requirement for transitioning this key material from research-scale to industrial manufacturing environments. The project is set to make a substantial contribution to advancing Europe’s sovereignty in the field of semiconductor materials research. AlN-based power electronics enable major efficiency gains in electromobility, renewable energy, and industrial systems. In UV photonics, new opportunities arise in areas such as disinfection (preventing pandemics and water treatment), production technology (material processing), agriculture (yield enhancement), as well as sensors and medical applications.
The partners are leveraging their respective core competencies to jointly develop a market-ready technology for the industrial production of aluminum nitride crystals.
The Leibniz Institute for Crystal Growth (IKZ) brings its long-standing expertise in growing AlN crystals to the project and has a proven 2-inch AlN crystal growth platform. Thanks to its leading position in producing high-quality AlN wafers, the institute is widely acknowledged as a European reference in this field of technology.
Siltronic AG, one of the world’s leading producers of silicon wafers (using both Czochralski and Float Zone methods), contributes its extensive experience in in the research and development of substrates for power electronics and in precision metrology – both of which are crucial for the industrial application of AlN wafers.
PVA TePla AG is an internationally leading provider of high-tech solutions in the fields of material and metrology technology with decades of experience in manufacturing crystal growing systems. With its expertise in the Physical Vapor Transport (PVT) method, particularly based on comprehensive experience from the SiC market, PVA TePla provides the technological equipment foundation for a reliable and reproducible growth process for bulk AlN crystals with industry-relevant diameters. This forms a central prerequisite for scaling and industrializing AlN technology.
Through their collaboration, IKZ, PVA TePla, and Siltronic are firmly demonstrating their commitment to Europe’s technological sovereignty and the sustainable development of a semiconductor materials value chain. “The expansion from 2-inch to 4-inch is a crucial milestone in making AlN accessible for mass production”, the project partners explain. “Thanks to the synergies among the partners, we can overcome the technological barriers.”
Original – Siltronic
-
LATEST NEWS2 Min Read
Ideal Power Inc. announced two major developments that underscore growing traction for its B-TRAN® technology in the electric vehicle (EV) market. The company is now collaborating with a fourth global Tier 1 automotive supplier, while also securing a significant order from another Tier 1 supplier for evaluation of its B-TRAN® devices, SymCool® power modules, and reference designs for solid-state EV contactors.
These suppliers serve several top 10 global automotive OEMs, including previous Ideal Power engagements with Stellantis and three other Tier 1 suppliers. This reflects Ideal Power’s expanding footprint within the EV industry and the transition away from legacy electromechanical contactors toward advanced solid-state solutions.
B-TRAN®-enabled solid-state contactors provide numerous advantages over conventional electromechanical devices. These include:
- Ultra-low conduction losses for greater efficiency
- Bidirectional operation, reducing component count by half
- Faster response times, eliminating arcing and enhancing safety
- Programmable settings for trip and current limits
- Integrated diagnostics for predictive maintenance
- Lower cost compared to silicon carbide-based alternatives
Ideal Power recently shipped packaged B-TRAN® devices, SymCool® modules, and driver boards to a Tier 1 partner evaluating an innovative solid-state contactor design. The supplier also requested budgetary quotes for millions of SymCool® modules as part of long-term planning—signaling serious interest and commercial potential.
“We are excited to see growing demand and engagement from the world’s top automotive suppliers,” said Dan Brdar, CEO of Ideal Power. “Our B-TRAN® technology is proving to be a compelling alternative to traditional contactors, and we believe it will become the standard in EV and hybrid EV applications within the next five years.”
This momentum highlights Ideal Power’s continued leadership in delivering reliable, efficient, and cost-effective solid-state solutions for next-generation EV power architectures.
Original – Ideal Power
-
GaN / LATEST NEWS / WBG2 Min Read
EPC Space announces the launch of the EPC7030MSH, a radiation-hardened (RH) 300 V gallium nitride (GaN) FET that delivers unmatched performance for high-voltage, high-power space applications, including next-generation satellite power plants and electric propulsion systems.
As satellite platforms require higher voltage buses to support growing power demands and advanced solar array technologies, the EPC7030MSH addresses a critical need for efficient, compact, and robust front-end power conversion.
With the lowest RDS(on) and gate charge in its class, the EPC7030MSH delivers the highest power current rating among all 300 V rad-hard GaN FETs currently on the market. This makes it ideal for front-end DC-DC converters that must operate under stringent thermal and radiation constraints.
“The EPC7030MSH 300V RH GaN FET delivers high current and rad-hard reliability, meeting the rigorous demands of higher-voltage space power architectures and simplifying thermal design for our customers,” said Bel Lazar, CEO of EPC Space.
Key Features:
- Rated for 300 V operation at LET = 63 MeV, and 250 V at LET = 84.6 MeV
- Lowest RDS(on) and QG of any 300 V rad-hard GaN FET
- Highest current rating in its voltage class
- FSMD-M hermetic surface-mount package optimized for conduction cooling and increased creepage distance
- Compatible with existing GaN gate drivers
Target Applications:
- Front-end DC-DC converters in satellite power systems
- Power conversion for higher voltage distribution buses
- Electric propulsion platforms requiring compact, high-performance switching
The EPC7030MSH is part of EPC Space’s ongoing mission to deliver space-grade Radiation Hardened GaN solutions that outperform silicon Radiation Hardened MOSFETs in efficiency, size, and thermal management—enabling more capable, reliable, and scalable satellite systems.
For 500-unit quantities engineering models are priced at 236 USD, and Rad Hard space qualified are priced at 349 USD.
For product details, please see the EPC7030MSH page.
Original – EPC Space
-
GaN / LATEST NEWS / PROJECTS / WBG2 Min Read
Silvaco Group, Inc. announced a strategic R&D collaboration with Fraunhofer Institute for Silicon Technology (ISIT). The partnership aims to accelerate development of next-generation Gallium Nitride (GaN) devices using Silvaco’s industry-leading Power Devices Solution to perform Design Technology Co-Optimization (DTCO). This collaboration aligns with Fraunhofer ISIT’s role in the EU Chips Act initiative through its participation in the APECS pilot line (www.apecs.eu).
Fraunhofer ISIT’s Power Electronics division is at the forefront of developing and manufacturing cutting-edge device prototypes for high-performance power electronic and sensor systems. Fraunhofer ISIT will leverage Silvaco’s industry-leading design tools—including the Victory TCAD™ platform, Utmost IV™, and SmartSpice™—to perform Design Technology Co-Optimization (DTCO) for power and sensor device development. Silvaco DTCO platform will enable accelerated prototyping in Fraunhofer ISIT’s post-CMOS process environment, which is set up to explore emerging processes for both GaN and MEMS technologies on 8-inch wafers. In addition, Silvaco’s Victory Design of Experiments™ (DOE) solution will streamline development workflows and support rapid innovation during the evaluation of novel process modules and emerging device concepts.
“This collaboration marks a significant step forward in strengthening Europe’s semiconductor capabilities and driving the global evolution of GaN devices,” said Eric Guichard, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and General Manager of Silvaco’s TCAD Division. “Institutes like Fraunhofer ISIT are instrumental in pushing the boundaries of innovation in device and process technology. By collaborating with Fraunhofer ISIT, we not only accelerate their development efforts but also enhance our own TCAD tools to meet the demands of future device design.”
“We are excited to expand our GaN design capabilities with Silvaco’s Victory products,” said Michael Mensing, Ph.D., Head of the Advanced Devices Group at Fraunhofer ISIT. “By using Silvaco’s advanced TCAD solutions, our teams can explore, understand, and optimize the performance of GaN devices with greater depth and efficiency. Especially during our current development of high voltage lateral and vertical GaN devices based on engineering substrates, like Qromis® Substrate Technology, we see many physical effects that require accurately calibrated process and device models.”
In addition to the active utilization of Silvaco’s tools in R&D and industry customer projects, Fraunhofer ISIT will train students at local universities in the utilization of Silvaco’s Victory TCAD™ platform to prepare the next generation of semiconductor device engineers.
Original – Silvaco
-
LATEST NEWS2 Min Read
Navitas Semiconductor has been awarded the ‘Outstanding Technical Collaboration Award’ from VREMT Energy, a subsidiary of Geely, which specializes in new energy vehicle power batteries, electric drive systems, charging systems and energy storage systems.
VREMT and Navitas opened a joint R&D Laboratory to accelerate EV power-system developments using Navitas’ GaNFast power ICs and GeneSiC power MOSFETs, driving technical breakthroughs and facilitating the rapid deployment of high-voltage EV systems. GaN and SiC technologies enable improved efficiency, weight, and size, critical for EV on-board chargers (OBCs) and DC-DC converters to deliver faster charging, longer range, and greater system efficiency for electric vehicles.
Navitas recently introduced the industry’s first automotive ‘AEC-Plus’ qualified SiC MOSFETs in HV-T2PaK top-side cooled package, which offers a new level of reliability to meet the system lifetime requirements of the most demanding automotive and industrial applications. The latest generation of 650 V and 1200 V ‘trench-assisted planar’ SiC MOSFETs combined with an optimized, HV-T2PaK top-side cooled package, delivers the industry’s highest creepage of 6.45 mm to meet IEC-compliance for applications up to 1200V.
In April 2025, automotive grade GaNSafe™ ICs were introduced achieving AEC-Q100 and AEC-Q101 qualifications, showcasing GaN’s next inflection into the automotive market. The GaNSafe 4th generation family integrates control, drive, sensing, and critical protection features, enabling unprecedented reliability and robustness in high-power applications. It is the world’s safest GaN with short-circuit protection (350ns max latency), 2kV ESD protection on all pins, elimination of negative gate drive, and programmable slew rate control. All these features are controlled with 4 pins, allowing the package to be treated like a discrete GaN FET, requiring no VCC pin.
“This award is a testament to Navitas’ technology leadership and commitment to the EV industry,” said Charles Zha, Navitas SVP and GM of APAC. “We are proud that partnering with VREMT — the leading global EV power solutions provider, our GaN and SiC solutions can empower ZEEKR, Volvo, and SMART and potentially more next-generation EV makers worldwide. Our unwavering commitment to ‘Electrify Our World’ will continue to drive innovation and collaboration as we lead the clean energy revolution in transportation and beyond.”
Original – Navitas Semiconductor