BluGlass completes its acquisition of GaNWorks Foundry
Image credit: BluGlass Limited
BluGlass, a developer of semiconductor manufacturing technology, has announced that it has completed its acquisition of contract manufacturer GaNWorks Foundry, following the installation and validation of core gallium nitride (GaN) wafer processing equipment at the company’s laser production fab in Silicon Valley.
Testing has confirmed that the n-side wafer metalisation, wafer thinning, and bar cleave equipment is meeting GaNWorks’ operational benchmarks in-house. Product validation of new GaN lasers made at BluGlass’ Silicon Valley fab is also underway.
This news follows the company’s announcement last month of its involvement in the Microelectronics Commons programme. The latter was established by the US Department of Defense, and, as part of its Commercial Leap Ahead for Wide Bandgap Semiconductors (CLAWS) Hub, BluGlass will be developing single-frequency DFB lasers, and potentially also photonic integrated circuits.
BluGlass CEO Jim Haden said, “Our acquisition of GaNWorks’ specialist wafer processing equipment, manufacturing process transfer, and experienced GaN engineers will fast-track development and production cycles, and deliver significant cost savings over the long-term. We have moved quickly to bring these complex processes in-house, having now completed process verification tests, and commenced validation of our first vertically integrated laser lots.
“We are already seeing the benefits of having all processes in-house under our operational control, enabling us to quickly identify additional process optimisation opportunities, which are expected to significantly enhance production yield, reliability, and throughput. With our wafer fab vertical integration completed, we are continuing to refine processes across the manufacturing supply chain to further improve laser performance, reliability, and repeatability.”
