GloFo gets GaN-on-Si funding

GlobalFoundries  has been awarded $35 million in federal funding from the U.S. government to accelerate the manufacturing of GaN-on-silicon ICs at its facility in Essex Junction, Vermont.

With the funding, awarded by the Department of Defense’s Trusted Access Program Office (TAPO), GloFo plans to purchase additional tools to expand development and prototyping capabilities, moving closer to at-scale 200mm GaN-on-silicon semiconductor manufacturing.

As part of the investment, GF plans to implement new capabilities for reducing the exposure of GF and its customers to supply chain constraints of gallium, while improving the speed of development, assurance of supply and competitiveness of U.S-made GaN chips. 

 The funding builds on years of collaboration with the U.S. government – including $40 million in support from 2020-2022 – that leverages the talent of GF’s Vermont team and their 200mm semiconductor manufacturing experience, and applies it to GaN-on-silicon manufacturing. 200mm is state-of-the-art for GaN chip technology. 

“GaN on silicon is an ideal technology for high performance radio frequency, high voltage power switching and control applications for emerging markets, and it’s important for 6G wireless communications, industrial IoT, and electric vehicles,” says GloFo CEO Tom Caulfield.