Lehigh Valley chip start-up unveils revolutionary semiconductor technology

Bethlehem-based iDEAL Semiconductor, a fabless semiconductor company focused on delivering power efficiency that reduces the carbon footprint, announced Tuesday the general availability of its patented SuperQ technology.

SuperQ can reduce power loss in many applications including data centers, electric vehicles, solar panels, motor drives, medical devices and white goods (such as refrigerators and washing machines). Its higher efficiency provides a more sustainable future.

iDEAL’s engineers and scientists reinvented the power device architecture and delivered a step-function increase in performance. The technology – manufactured using state-of-the-art complementary metal-oxide semiconductor equipment – is based in silicon, which represents 95% of global semiconductor manufacturing capacity, and is forward compatible with future power semiconductor materials.

Through scientific research and engineering at the atomic level, iDEAL has created a novel architecture that “sets the next frontier of performance and debunks the idea that the industry has reached the end of the road for silicon advancement,” a release said.

“Our improvements in silicon rival the improvements offered by other materials, but with silicon’s manufacturability, availability and reliability,” said Mark Granahan, CEO and co-founder of iDEAL Semiconductor. “Through collaborations in the U.S. with Applied Materials and Polar Semiconductor, we have unlocked previously unimaginable performance gains. … With the current global push for a greener future, we are thrilled about the role we play in making products more sustainable while also showcasing what investment in America’s semiconductor industry can accomplish.”

After launching SuperQ, the company plans to aggressively expand its hiring, product proliferation and U.S. manufacturing capacity.

Paula Wolf is a freelance writer