Quadrivio and Como Venture take 16.7% stake in Ascatron as part of A-round fundraising
As part of its A-round fundraising, silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor device developer Ascatron AB of Kista, Stockholm, Sweden (which was spun out of research institute Acreo in 2011) has signed an investment agreement with the Italy-based Quadrivio (through its venture capital fund TTVenture) and Como Venture, which together have received a 16.7% stake in Ascatron.
The aim is to continue to support Ascatron in creating industrializing next-generation power semiconductors based on wide-bandgap material such as silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN), for which the market is reckoned to be rising rapidly at an annual growth rate of 54% to $2bn in 2020.
Using its 3DSiC technology, Ascatron provides active doping structures based on epitaxy, enabling material quality and device performance unattainable through existing methods, it is claimed. With 10 staff in Swden, the firm fabricates epitaxial material in-house and outsources the processing of device wafers and chip packaging. Prototype fabrication is performed in the Electrum Laboratory in Kista-Stockholm. Target markets range from high-temperature applications for harsh environments to high-voltage applications for wind, traction and data-centers markets, as well as volume markets for solar and automotive applications.
“This is a first investment from international investors,” notes Ascatron’s CEO Christian Vieider. “The money will be used to bring the Buried Grid technology for next-generation high-performance SiC power electronic devices to the market.”
As part of the agreement, Ascatron aquired 28.8% of the shares of PileGrowth Tech, an Italian start-up based in Milan. Pilegrowth has developed a process for growing different semiconductor materials such as SiC on silicon. The material technology enable Ascatron to also address volume consumer markets.
“The development of MOSFET transistors based on cubic SiC grown on silicon is an exciting challenge, with potential to compete in the 300-1000V market with other semiconductors such as GaN,” notes Ascatron’s chief technology officer Adolf Schöner.