Summary
- Profile Type
- Technology offer
- POD Reference
- TOGB20250120024
- Term of Validity
- 20 January 2025 - 20 January 2026
- Company's Country
- United Kingdom
- Type of partnership
- Commercial agreement with technical assistance
- Research and development cooperation agreement
- Targeted Countries
- All countries
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General information
- Short Summary
- UK SME developing semi-conductor design software known as TCAD (Technology Computer-aided Design), that will focus heavily on emerging wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor materials, seeks pilot partners who will test their tool and provide feedback, and in return they will benefit from free use during the testing period, which could be up to 6 months. Partnerships sought under research or commercial cooperation agreements.
- Full Description
-
Established in 2022, this UK SME is developing semiconductor design software, known as TCAD (Technology Computer-aided Design), that will focus heavily on emerging wide band-gap (WBG) semiconductor materials such as silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN) and gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃).
These compound semiconductors are rapidly being adopted for use in power electronics for more electrified transport such as electric vehicles. They are also a core building block of the electrical infrastructure of the world electrical grid, in particular in the connection of clean energy renewables.
The company aims to bring this software tool to market within the next year, leveraging the directors’ expertise and experience in the semiconductor industry to drive innovation and meet the needs of its customers.
Existing tools like Silvaco's ATLAS and Synopsys's SENTAURUS are widely used for simulating mature technologies, particularly those based on silicon. In contrast, KuasaSemi’s AQUARIUS has been specifically developed to address the unique challenges of wide bandgap technologies, such as SiC and GaN. The tool incorporates proprietary algorithms designed to accurately model phenomena like high-field breakdown and other effects unique to these advanced materials.
Main features:
- 2D Device Simulation
- Physics-Based Modeling:
- Parameter Extraction and Optimisation:
- Visualisation and Analysis.
Seeking partners to test its software tool, provide valuable feedback, and/or collaborate on developing new features—such as support for emerging materials or modelling new physical effects. Potential partners could be chip fabricators, chip designers, or both. These collaborations can take place through two routes:
1. Commercial Collaboration with Technical Assistance – Partners in this model will receive technical support to integrate and optimise the tool for their workflows. In return, they will provide structured feedback on performance, usability, and potential improvements, helping refine the tool for industrial deployment.
2. Research Cooperation Agreement – This approach focuses on joint innovation, where KuasaSemi and its partners explore new functionalities, extend the tool’s capabilities for novel materials or physical effects, and validate advanced applications in wide bandgap technologies. - Advantages and Innovations
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The company is focused on developing and commercialising software to aid in the design of advanced wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor technologies. These WBG technologies underpin the compound semiconductors which are at the forefront of power electronics and are essential for the new generation of electric vehicles. This company aims to bring this software tool to market within the next year, leveraging the directors’ expertise and experience in the semiconductor industry to drive innovation and meet the needs of its customers.
Current R&D activities are focused on developing new features and full validation of its software to ensure its accuracy and reliability so it can be easily adopted by semiconductor design companies.
The product is innovative due to its ability to accurately model the unique physical properties and defects in WBG materials.
It uses advanced numerical techniques to simulate high-field effects, defect impacts, and thermal behaviour, enabling engineers to optimise power semiconductor designs.
This allows for the development of more efficient, reliable devices that outperform traditional silicon-based semiconductors, particularly in high-power and high-temperature applications. - Stage of Development
- Available for demonstration
- Sustainable Development Goals
- Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- IPR status
- Secret know-how
Partner Sought
- Expected Role of a Partner
-
The company is looking for a partner who will test their tool and provide feedback, and in return they will benefit from free use during the testing period, which could be up to 6 months. They might be chip fabricator, or chip designer, or they do both.
The company is specifically looking for partners in the Power Semiconductor space, specifically Wide Bandgap semiconductors (e.g. GaN, SiC & Ga2O3). They might be chip fabricator (Foundry / Pure-play), or chip designer (Fabless), or they do both (IDM – Integrated Device Manufacturer).
It may also be useful for the company to engage with others in the value chain. For example, there may be a project consortium where the UK SME works with an IDM who manufactures SiC power devices, and there are also other partners that make the power electronics (dc/dc converters or inverters), and a partner that is an end user. - Type and Size of Partner
- R&D Institution
- SME 11-49
- SME <=10
- Other
- Big company
- SME 50 - 249
- University
- Type of partnership
- Commercial agreement with technical assistance
- Research and development cooperation agreement
Dissemination
- Technology keywords
- 01002001 - Micro and Nanotechnology related to Electronics and Microelectronics
- 01003006 - Computer Software
- Market keywords
- 03001001 - Semiconductors
- Sector Groups Involved
- Electronics
- Digital
- Targeted countries
- All countries