Globalfoundries has received a $30 million federal funding award for the development and production of next-generation gallium nitride (GaN) on silicon semiconductors.
The funding was part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2022 secured by U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy. As part of the funding, GF will be able to purchase tools and extend development and implementation of 200 mm GaN wafer manufacturing.
The GaN semiconductors will be manufactured at GF’s Essex Junction, Vermont, facility. The fab, which is located near Burlington, was one of the first major semiconductor manufacturing sites in the U.S. and manufactures more than 600,000 wafers per year.
GaN semiconductors have significant heat and power levels that allow them to be used in applications such as 5G and 6G smartphones, RF wireless infrastructure, electric vehicles, power grids, solar energy and other technologies.
The federal funding is part of the Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) as part of the Defense Microelectronics Activity via the Trusted Access Program Office (TAPO) of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). TAPO is used for both civilian and military applications to advance the technology needs of the DoD, which includes GaN on silicon.
