One of Wales’ tech companies IQE has been boosted with a tie up with a leading Asian consumer electronics firm.
The London Stock Market listed and Cardiff headquartered firm, which provides compound semiconductor wafer products and advanced material solutions to the global semiconductor industry, has struck a multi-year strategic agreement with the undisclosed company.
The agreement is focused on the high-volume production of VCSELs (vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers) for advanced 3D Sensing applications. The parties are also engaged in joint research and development for next generation sensing technologies and use cases.
IQE's share price was up more than 6% on the announcement
IQE’s chief executive Americo Lemos said: “This agreement marks the start of a long-term strategic relationship between two industry leaders. At IQE we have demonstrated our ability to deliver unparalleled levels of innovation, scale and quality over the history of our VCSEL production. To secure this partnership with a consumer electronics company of this calibre, reaffirms our position as the leading global vendor of VCSEL products to the semiconductor industry.”
IQE has also entered into a strategic collaboration agreement with Korean firm SK Siltron for the development and commercialisation of compound semiconductor products.
SK Siltron specialises in next-generation semiconductor device. The agreement formalises a strategic agreement to develop business in the Asia market, leveraging SK Siltron’s expertise with IQE’s market-leading epitaxy capabilities.
IQE and SK Siltron will focus on developing and delivering epiwafers based upon gallium nitride (GaN) on silicon carbide (SiC) for radio frequency applications in the wireless communications market and GaN on Silicon (Si) for power electronics applications across a range of markets. Combined, these markets represent a multi-billion dollar opportunity for GaN devices and are forecast for strong growth in consumer, telecom and automotive applications.
Mr Lemos said:“There are tremendous synergies between IQE’s GaN pedigree and SK Siltron’s substrate offerings, and we will leverage these to bring innovative solutions to market. Expansion in Asia is a key focus for IQE and we are excited to be partnering with a globally-recognised leader in advanced materials.”
Yongho Jang, chief executive SK Siltron said: “We are delighted that two world leaders in advanced materials are joining forces to jointly develop products for exciting growth markets related to GaN materials. I am looking forward to building considerable success with IQE and developing the relationship to cover a broad range of semiconductor materials.”
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