News: Suppliers
25 June 2025
Silvaco and Fraunhofer ISIT collaborate on developing GaN device technology
Silvaco Group Inc of Santa Clara, CA, USA — which provides technology computer-aided design (TCAD), electronic design automation (EDA) software and semiconductor intellectual property (SIP) for process and device development — has announced a strategic R&D collaboration with Fraunhofer Institute for Silicon Technology (ISIT) of Itzehoe, Germany, which develops and manufactures customer-specific components for power electronics and microsystems technology.
The partnership aims to accelerate development of next-generation gallium nitride (GaN) devices using Silvaco’s Power Devices Solution to perform design technology co-optimization (DTCO). This collaboration aligns with Fraunhofer ISIT’s role in the EU Chips Act initiative through its participation in the pilot line ‘Advanced Packaging and Heterogeneous Integration for Electronic Components and Systems’ (APECS).
Fraunhofer ISIT’s Power Electronics division is developing and manufacturing device prototypes for high-performance power electronic and sensor systems. Fraunhofer ISIT will leverage Silvaco’s design tools — including the Victory TCAD platform, Utmost IV, and SmartSpice — to perform design technology co-optimization for power and sensor device development. Silvaco’s DTCO platform will enable accelerated prototyping in Fraunhofer ISIT’s post-CMOS process environment, which is set up to explore emerging processes for both GaN and MEMS technologies on 8-inch wafers. In addition, Silvaco’s Victory Design of Experiments (DOE) solution will streamline development workflows and support rapid innovation during the evaluation of novel process modules and emerging device concepts.
“This collaboration marks a significant step forward in strengthening Europe’s semiconductor capabilities and driving the global evolution of GaN devices,” reckons Eric Guichard Ph.D., senior VP & general manager of Silvaco’s TCAD Division. “Institutes like Fraunhofer ISIT are instrumental in pushing the boundaries of innovation in device and process technology. By collaborating with Fraunhofer ISIT, we not only accelerate their development efforts but also enhance our own TCAD tools to meet the demands of future device design,” he adds.
“By using Silvaco’s advanced TCAD solutions, our teams can explore, understand and optimize the performance of GaN devices with greater depth and efficiency,” says Michael Mensing Ph.D., head of the Advanced Devices Group at Fraunhofer ISIT. “Especially during our current development of high-voltage lateral and vertical GaN devices based on engineering substrates, like Qromis Substrate Technology, we see many physical effects that require accurately calibrated process and device models,” he adds.
In addition to the active utilization of Silvaco’s tools in R&D and industry customer projects, Fraunhofer ISIT will train students at local universities in the utilization of Silvaco’s Victory TCAD platform to prepare the next generation of semiconductor device engineers.
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