SkyWater to implement VORAGO’s patented HARDSIL® technology that enhances performance of radiation-hardened and radiation-tolerant devices used in commercial, aerospace and defense applications
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. and AUSTIN, Texas – January 24, 2023 – SkyWater Technology (NASDAQ: SKYT), the trusted technology realization partner, today announced a strategic partnership with VORAGO Technologies, effectively moving VORAGO’s fabrication efforts stateside to SkyWater’s DMEA-accredited Category 1A Trusted Foundry. The partnership is based on SkyWater implementing VORAGO’s patented HARDSIL® technology, which is a cost-effective semiconductor processing method that enables devices to operate at higher temperature and radiation levels.
With this implementation, HARDSIL will be available to SkyWater customers as a design-enabled processing method for new or existing designs without any impact on die size, specification, and without redesign. HARDSIL will enhance SkyWater’s bulk 90 nm CMOS process for commercial use in space, aviation, industrial, and medical applications that require higher levels of radiation tolerance.
In contrast to standard commercial design and manufacturing processes, high-reliability radiation-hardened (rad-hard) electronic components must be designed and manufactured so that exposure to ionizing radiation and/or extreme temperatures does not result in malfunctions or catastrophic failure. VORAGO offers innovative technology which enables meeting rad-hard performance without requiring design changes – eliminating or reducing the need for costly and time-consuming adjustments or modifications.
Recently, the U.S. has made the strengthening of domestic semiconductor manufacturing capabilities a major priority. As the semiconductor industry experiences silicon shortages, SkyWater’s fab and VORAGO’s technology are positioned to domestically source these important components for use in commercial as well as aerospace and defense applications.
“Partnering with a U.S.-based pure-play foundry is an incredible milestone for us,” says Bernd Lienhard, CEO of VORAGO Technologies. “We’re excited to move all of our manufacturing to SkyWater, the foundry of choice for our next-generation of rad-hard processors. We’re proud to work with SkyWater to bring our patented HARDSIL technology to the aerospace and defense industry at large.”
“We are pleased VORAGO has chosen SkyWater as its preferred foundry,” said Thomas Sonderman, president and CEO of SkyWater. “Implementing their HARDSIL technology enhances our bulk 90 nm CMOS process by enabling applications in commercial and other markets that require high levels of radiation tolerance. VORAGO’s choice to move all their manufacturing to the U.S. is commendable as the nation continues its reshoring efforts for national and economic security.”
About HARDSIL® Technology
HARDSIL is a patented, node-, foundry- and product-agnostic solution utilizing a few additional implant modules based on standard fab equipment, allowing for the fabrication of rad-hard electronic components. Specialized design libraries or major process modifications are not necessary, allowing foundries to transparently re-use existing IP, design libraries and flows. HARDSIL easily incorporates exceptional rad-hard capability into standard semiconductor IC creation. HARDSIL is a cost-effective modification to commercial process flows that can be implemented quickly with minimal incremental mask and implant steps. VORAGO has developed multiple products using HARDSIL and it has been used under license by other leading semiconductor suppliers.
About VORAGO Technologies
VORAGO Technologies is a privately held, high technology company based in Austin, Texas with over 15 years of experience in providing radiation-hardened and extreme-temperature solutions for the Hi-rel marketplace. VORAGO’s patented HARDSIL® technology uses cost-effective high-volume manufacturing to harden any commercially designed semiconductor component for extreme environment operation, and has created a number of solutions throughout Aerospace, Defense and Industrial applications, with a proven flight heritage. VORAGO has been named as one of Inc.’s 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in the US. VORAGO Technologies opens up a new world of possibilities for your designs, no matter how hostile the environment. www.voragotech.com
About SkyWater Technology
SkyWater (NASDAQ: SKYT) is a U.S.-owned semiconductor manufacturer and a DMEA-accredited Category 1A Trusted Foundry. SkyWater’s Technology as a Service model streamlines the path to production for customers with development services, volume production and heterogeneous integration solutions in its world-class U.S. facilities. This pioneering model enables innovators to co-create the next wave of technology with diverse categories including mixed-signal CMOS, ROICs, rad-hard ICs, power management, MEMS, superconducting ICs, photonics, carbon nanotubes and interposers. SkyWater serves growing markets including aerospace & defense, automotive, biomedical, cloud & computing, consumer, industrial and IoT. For more information, visit www.skywatertechnology.com/.
SkyWater Technology Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements that are based on the Company’s current expectations or forecasts of future events, rather than past events and outcomes, and such statements are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, which may cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Key factors that could cause the Company’s actual results to be different than expected or anticipated include, but are not limited to, factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of its annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and in other documents that the Company files with the SEC, which are available at http://www.sec.gov. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.
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