Odyssey Raises $5M to develop high voltage GaN
US start-up plans to provide customers with samples of its vertically-conducting GaN products before the end of 2021
Odyssey Semiconductor Technologies, a US-based company developing vertically-conducting high-voltage GaN power devices, has raised $5 million (1.25 million shares at $4.00 per share. The common stock private placement was to fund the further development and production of its technology.
"We welcome the new shareholders to Odyssey Semiconductor and their support in enabling more efficient and compact power conversion for applications such as electric vehicles," said Alex Behfar, chairman and CEO of Odyssey Semiconductor. "With the entire world focused on the adoption of clean energy and electric power, we're excited about the advancements our technology can bring to the industry."
Vertically-conducting GaN-based power devices outperform other devices fabricated using silicon and SiC, but they have proven difficult to fabricate using standard methods. As a result, GaN power devices have been relegated to horizontal-conducting low-voltage, consumer electronics. Odyssey has developed a proprietary GaN processing technology to produce high-voltage power-switching devices that will break down long-standing performance barriers for applications such as electric vehicles, solar inverters, industrial motors, and power grids.
According to the comany, vertical-conduction GaN devices grown on GaN substrates have~1000-10,000 fewer defects per unit area allowing for reliable operation at voltages up to 10,000 V and beyond. The much smaller die size of the GaN devices makes them competitive to produce relative to SiC devices with similar ratings even though the GaN substrates are more expensive.
The company plans to provide customers with engineering samples of the vertically-conducting GaN product and start qualifications under Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDC) standard before the end of 2021.
Odyssey Semiconductor has also recently expanded its customer base using its foundry fabrication services. The Odyssey team has vast experience supporting diverse semiconductor applications, including power devices, integrated optoelectronics, chemical sensing, and spectroscopy. The Company provides support to its customers from prototype production to full foundry capabilities.
Odyssey is based in Ithaca, NY, where it owns and operates a 10,000 sq.ft. semiconductor wafer manufacturing facility complete with a mix of class 1,000 and class 10,000 clean space as well as tools for advanced semiconductor development and production.
