News: Optoelectronics

Aeluma Inc of Goleta, CA, USA has signed a letter of intent (LOI) for up to $30m of proposed funding under the CHIPS and Science Act, which is administered by the US Department of Commerce. The award will support R&D on the firm’s scalable, non-InP (indium phosphide) semiconductor manufacturing platform for photonics.

Scalable manufacturing of compound semiconductors is critical to AI, advanced computing, and other applications. Aeluma says that its non-InP, large-diameter substrate platform addresses supply chain constraints and enables the scaling of photonic components such as high-speed photodetectors and lasers. These technologies will accelerate domestic production for next-generation AI interconnects, network communications, and sensing.

“This award aims to accelerate development and commercialization of our scalable, high-performance semiconductor platform, leveraging Aeluma’s facilities in Goleta, California, and partner sites within the US,” says president & CEO Jonathan Klamkin Ph.D. “With growing demand for photonics in AI and advanced computing infrastructure, Aeluma is poised for broad market adoption of our innovative technology solutions,” he adds.

“The CHIPS R&D incentives will support a breakthrough in manufacturing of photonic devices for compute and communication networks,” says Bill Frauenhofer, executive director for Semiconductor Innovation and Investment at the US Department of Commerce. “Accelerating R&D for next-generation substrates for domestic photonic devices provides American industry the extreme bandwidth and energy efficiency to scale complex AI workloads.”

Aeluma pioneered a platform to build high-performance photonics on large-diameter, mismatched substrates up to 300mm in size. This technology bridges compound semiconductor materials with mainstream microelectronics to meet the scaling requirements of high-growth markets. The funded initiatives would accelerate commercialization of Aeluma’s high-performance semiconductors for the AI and advanced computing markets. InP substrates are used for manufacturing critical photonic components, but these substrates are relatively expensive, limited in manufacturing throughput, and subject to geopolitics and supply shortages. Aeluma leverages alternative, larger-diameter substrates to build high-performance photonics. The development contemplated in the LOI emphasizes manufacturing readiness and scaling of Aeluma’s non-InP photonics, aligning with the US CHIPS and Science Act objectives to strengthen domestic semiconductor manufacturing, supply chain resiliency, and national security.

The award is subject to the completion of further due diligence, required approvals (including internal approvals of the US Government) and the parties’ execution of definitive award documents. The LOI contemplates a portion of the award being funded up front and the remainder funded on a milestone-based award structure tied to eligible project costs and technical progress.

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www.aeluma.com