Cambridge GaN Devices’ Unique 2D Barcodes Increase Process Ruggedness and Reliability

CGD first to include individual GaN chip 2D barcodes that can be read by a commercial code reader, enabling IC manufacturing position on a wafer to be identified

CAMBRIDGE, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cambridge GaN Devices (CGD), the fabless, clean-tech semiconductor company that develops a range of energy-efficient GaN-based power devices to make greener electronics possible, is demonstrating its commitment to innovation with another industry first: the incorporation of an individual 2D barcode on a GaN IC, which can be read by a standard, commercial code reader. This not only enables CGD to scan packaged devices and identify the circuit and the batch, but also to learn exactly whereabouts on the wafer each individual die was made. This is of great significance in providing vital data concerning process ruggedness and reliability.

Zahid Ansari | VP operations, CGD “We engineered the incorporation of individual 2D barcodes with our packaging team to give us complete ownership of the process and the ability to resolve any reliability issues. We know, for example, that yields are lowest at the wafer edge – now we can see how the position on the wafer might affect device performance. This information can be fed back to the foundry to enable continuous manufacturing process improvements.

The ability to immediately identify a device using a cheap, commercial barcode reader also has huge implications for speeding up anti-counterfeiting measures, which will be of great interest to companies operating in hi-rel fields.

Giorgia Longobardi | CEO, CGD “Although we have a great deal of data to prove the ruggedness and reliability of our ICeGaN™ HEMTs, GaN is still a relatively new technology, certainly when compared to traditional silicon for power electronics applications. By incorporating 2D barcodes we are able to provide extremely fast feedback to our manufacturing supply chain, which helps cement our relationships and scale-up for high volume manufacture.”

ENDS

About Cambridge GaN Devices
Cambridge GaN Devices (CGD) is a fabless semiconductor company spun-out by Professor Florin Udrea and Dr Giorgia Longobardi from Cambridge University in 2016 to exploit a revolutionary technology in power devices. Now in the scale-up phase, our mission is to bring innovation into everyday life by delivering effortless energy-efficient GaN solutions. CGD designs, develops and commercialises GaN transistors and ICs enabling a radical step change in energy efficiency and compactness and is suitable for high volume production. CGD’s ICeGaN™ technology is protected by a strong IP portfolio which constantly grows based on the company's leading innovation skills and ambitions. In addition to the multi-million seed fund and Series A and B private investments, CGD has so far successfully secured four projects funded by iUK, BEIS and EU (Penta). The technical and commercial expertise of the CGD team combined with an extensive track record in the power electronics market has been fundamental in early market traction of its proprietary technology.