Mississippi-based SiC-device manusfacturer, SemiSouth Laboratories, is set to close, according to a Starkville Daily News report. The company designs and manufactures SiC power devices for high-power, high-efficiency, harsh-environment power-management and -conversion applications SemiSouth was founded in 2001 by former MSU (Mississippi State University) faculty member Jeffrey Casady and current MSU electrical and computer engineering professor Michael Mazzola, and has since been housed at the Thad Cochran Research, Technology, and Economic Development Park near MSU. MSU director of university relations Sid Salter said that, while MSU does not have a formal business relationship with SemiSouth, the university assigned the technology's intellectual property rights to non-profit organization MSU Research and Technology Corp, giving the university a 2% stake. In October 2010, to drive the expansion of its SiC fabrication facility, Power Integrations made a $30 million strategic investment in SemiSouth including an equity investment, a technology license, and other financial commitments. The two companies also collaborated on driving the adoption of SemiSouth's SiC technology, aiming to speed the development of efficient power-conversion devices for applications including solar and wind inverters as well as HEVs and EVs. In second-quarter 2011, to expand production capacity, SemiSouth installed an Aixtron AIX 2800G4 WW CVD (chemical vapor deposition) reactor in 10 x 100 mm- and 6 x 150 mm-wafer configuration for the production of power SiC JFET and Schottky barrier diode devices. More recently, just this March, SemiSouth announced its second major capacity expansion, worth $18 million, within 18 months, intended to add 50% more capacity to meet demand for SiC power JFETs and power diode products from the solar inverter and industrial power supply markets. However, now, Power Integrations says that its third-quarter 2012 results will include a pre-tax charge of about $60 million from the closure of SemiSouth, resulting in a net loss. "The expected closure of SemiSouth is disappointing, but reflects the challenges and risks inherent in the quest for disruptive technologies," said Power Integrations' president & CEO Balu Balakrishnan. "Our strategic direction remains unchanged, and we continue to invest in promising technologies to expand our market opportunity within the realm of high-voltage power conversion," he added. SemiSouth
PDF
