II-VI Incorporated to Acquire Ascatron and INNOViON’s Outstanding Interests to Build SiC Platform
II-VI Incorporated will expand its silicon carbide capabilities by leveraging expertise from Ascatron and INNOViON in upcoming acquisitions later this year.
II-VI Incorporated is a manufacturer of high-power semiconductor laser components, including other optoelectronic devices, laser systems, component and processing tools, epitaxial wafers, silicon carbide (SiC) substrates and more.
Recently, the company announced that it has agreed to buy all outstanding shares of Ascatron AB, an expert in silicon carbide epitaxial wafers and power electronics devices. II-VI will also be acquiring all of the outstanding interests of the owners of the parent of INNOViON Corporation. INNOViON is a leader in compound semiconductor devices and ion implantation technology for silicon.
“II-VI” refers to the group II and group VI of the Periodic Table of Elements and combine to produce crystalline compounds used in II-VI Incorporated products and systems. Image used courtesy of II-VI Incorporated
II-VI engineers unique materials for a range of applications from aerospace and defense, materials processing, semiconductor equipment, life sciences, communications, automotive, and consumer electronics. The basis of II-VI’s materials lies in the refinement of raw materials which involves the growth and fabrication of an expansive portfolio of crystals, ceramics, and metal matrix composites.
Ascatron and INNOViON
In a recent news release, Dr. Vincent D. Mattera, Jr., Chief Executive Officer, II-VI Incorporated gave his views on the upcoming acquisition: “The technology platforms of Ascatron and INNOViON are best in class and a perfect complement to our market-leading SiC substrates, our global large-scale wafer fabrication footprint, and the SiC device technology we recently licensed from GE”.
GE is the General Electric Company, an American multinational conglomerate that operates in the arenas of power, renewable healthcare, aviation, the digital industry, aviation, additive manufacturing, venture capital, and finance.
INNOViON supports leading semiconductor and technology companies worldwide through the provision of innovative and efficient technical solutions. The company is the largest provider of ion implantation services and supports its customers with knowledge of ion implant process theory and estimation of the projected range statistics of ion species. With 30 implants-sites and a multitude of manufacturing sites, INNOViON is primed for semiconductor materials processing for up to 300mm wafer.
Ascatron 3DSiC device wafer and power chip. Image used courtesy of Ascatron
Ascatron’s track record spans 200 years of specializing in the development and production of cutting edge SiC epitaxial wafers and power devices using its proprietary 3DSiC technology. After accruing 20 years of expertise through research and development in SiC, the company was founded in 2020, as a spin-out from research center Acreo (now RISE).
A Disruptive Technology
SiC-based power electronics devices and systems will be a disruptive force in the future of electric vehicles, renewable energy, power supplies for data storage and communications, microgrids, and more.
II-VI will be combining the capabilities of both Ascatron and INNOViON with its own “to achieve one of the world’s most advanced, in-house, vertically integrated 150 mm SiC technology platforms. This builds upon our deep expertise in SiC substrates and adds advanced SiC epitaxy, device fabrication, and module design to meet the rapidly growing demand for SiC power electronics”, said Mattera.
