Our Solutions

We are specialized in developing novel transistor designs and semiconductor related solutions. All our designs are either patented or in the process of being patented.

Multi-Purpose Sensor

Existing Problems:  Current detection mechanisms use chemical processes to determine the existence of a pathogen or a virus. As a result, a lot of material is used, and the testing kit can only be used once leading to a high cost and waste. Also, for each virus new chemicals and testing kits and instructions need to be provided. The consequences are:

– Bad for the environment: The chemicals and kits are wasted and not easily recyclable
– 
Too costly:
  o  
Equipment: For each test a new kit and equipment is needed
  o  
Tests: New tests need to be developed for each pathogen
– 
High response time: Obtaining the test result is time consuming

Our solution: Our semiconductor biosensor doesn’t use chemicals, provides the results within seconds and can be programmed to detect any pathogen or virus without any limitations on the number of times they can be used.

Additional applications: The device can be used for identification of any liquid and is not limited to pathogens. Among its other applications the following can be mentioned:

– Medical applications:
 o  
Blood analysis: It can be programmed to determine the level of sugar or cholesterol in blood samples.
  o  
Cancer: It can identify the change in cancer cells after chemotherapy
– 
Food industry: An easy and fast way of checking any type of liquid food for its freshness and health
– 
Agricultural sector: Determining ripeness, level of chemicals, soil examination
– 
Boarder and customs: Examination for illegal substance contamination


Differences between MPS and conventional detectors

Conventional practical detectors are normally chemical based. Ours work based on the physical characteristics of any material. Specifically, it measures the placement of atoms in the molecule of viruses. The placement of atoms in a virus acts as an identifying fingerprint and this makes detection very accurate, and the result is available in seconds. 


Advantages compared to current detection methods

Reusable: Our device can be used thousands of times. A ten thousand test cycles would be minimum.

Programmable: Through its accompanying software application, the device can be programmed to detect any virus or pathogen. 

Fast and convenient: Detection occurs only in a few seconds and the result is stored in a computer. The device would be ready for another test withing a couple of minutes after wash and rinse.

Low temperature functionality: Our device is also suitable for gas detection at low temperatures. Gas detectors normally operate at elevated temperatures, which makes them especially impractical for space or combustible environments. Our detector can operate at any temperature down to zero kelvin.

Improved JFET

Existing Problems: The state-of-the-art technology for manufacturing CMOS has faced a challenge with regards to downscaling this type of transistor below 2-5 nanometre range. Also, the power consumption of these transistors needs to be decreased if further downscaling is to occur. It is also desirable to achieve higher frequencies in microprocessors – something that has remained dormant for several years now.

Our Solution: Our modified JFET addresses all these problems! It can be downscaled below 2nm without suffering the problems that CMOS has at these dimensions. Its power consumption is one tenth of CMOS transistors. Its speed is estimated to be at least 3 times faster than CMOS transistors.

Additional application usage: Our modified JFET transistors are optimal for supercomputer and space-based electronics as they:

 · perform better at lower temperatures (supercomputers are normally cooled); 

 · are more resilient against solar radiation;

 · are less noisy requiring less power transmit/receive information; and

 · consume much less energy that makes them optimum for these two applications.


Differences between our modified JFET with conventional JFETs

In our novel design, the Source and the Drain terminals do not need to reach (touch) the Gate connection. This approach eliminates several processing steps and allows for much smaller transistors to be fitted in advanced processors. This allows it to be operational at 1nm gate length. Manufacturing of our JFET is less time consuming and less expensive since some steps are not needed in our design.

Table: Comparison of conventional JFET with our Solution

Conventional JFET

Our Solution

Both Voltage polarity

No

Yes

Current Leakage Stoppage

No

Yes

Digital capabilities

No

Yes

Digital vs. Analogue

Analogue

Analogue/ Digital

Both voltage polarities: Our modified JFET can tolerate both voltage polarities at its input, unlike a regular JFET that can only accept one voltage polarity. If a different voltage polarity is applied to its input the device allows a very large current to flow from the input into the output either burning the transistor and its associated circuits or interfering with its operation in the best-case scenario.

Lack of current leakage: Our modified JFET eliminated the so-called input or gate current leakage that plagues all JFET transistors including HEMTs. As such it helps with the power consumption of the device; furthermore, in digital applications the power consumption of this transistor is relatively less compared to other types of transistors.

Digital performance: Unlike regular JFTEs, our modified version operates as a digital switch with all the performance characteristic that are needed for a viable microprocessor chip.

Analogue and digital: The fact that our transistor can operate with both voltage polarities, makes it possible to be used in analogue as well as digital applications.


Advantages compared to conventional CMOS transistors

Due to the limitations of JFET models, CMOS transistors are the most used types in chips. However, our modified JFET performs all the functions of CMOS and in addition has the following advantages:

Table Comparison of conventional CMOS and our Solution

Conventional CMOS

Our Solution

Power Efficiency

Switching Frequency

Signal to Noise Ratio

Manufacturability

Downscaling

Power efficiency: Compared to the state-of-the-art CMOS transistors and circuits, our JFET solutions can operate at lower voltage and current levels, meaning that they consume much less power.

Higher frequency of operation: Our modified JFET is intrinsically faster than CMOS transistors for two basic reasons. First the speed of electrons is higher secondly because parasitic capacitances are negligible compared to CMOS models.

Signal to noise ratio: The signal to noise ratio of our JFET is much better than CMOS. This means less power is necessary to transmit and read information from each transistor and much weaker signals can be amplified by these transistors.

Less fabrication steps: Our modified JFET is easier to fabricate than a CMOS (MOSFET). Our nanometre size modified JFET eliminates 4 unnecessary and expensive fabrication steps of CMOS manufacturing. These steps are currently proprietary and belong exclusively to certain manufacturers.   

Easier to downscale: Our modified JFET does not suffer from the nanometre size consequences that hamper the performance of CMOS. As a result, it can be downscaled by less expensive equipment. As is shown in Figure 1, the very fact that the source and drain do not need to touch the gate makes it possible to downsize the gate as much as technology allows without worrying that this brings the source and the drain closer to each other. The closeness of the source and drain causes all the problems for CMOS devices. Here we can keep the source and drain at a safe distance and decrease the size of the gate which determines the speed of the device. The size of a transistor is the critical dimension that determines its speed.

HEMT Transistor

Existing Problems: Current HEMT transistors cannot be used in digital circuits. Furthermore, these transistors suffer from the current leakage that connects their input to their output.

Our solution: Our modified HEMT transistor solves both mentioned problems. In other words, it can be used in digital circuits, and it also eliminates the current leakage.

Additional application usage: The possibility of digital usage opens a whole new set of applications and markets. These include:

– Ultrafast microprocessors for computers and smartphones that could be 100 times faster than the conventional silicon ones. Such fast microprocessors can improve AI technology by the same factor. 

– Medical applications in terms of non-invasive diagnostics becomes limitless. 

– The space electronic market can be dominated by this technology in a decade, because of its resistance to radiation.

Our design only adds one additional fabrication step to HEMT manufacturing process. The step involves oxidising a metal layer, which is a standard process in semiconductor manufacturing. This additional step allows the HEMT transistor to act as a digital subcircuit.

Comparison of conventional HEMT and our Solution

Conventional HEMT

Modified HEMT

Digital Capabilities

No

Yes

Both voltage polarity

No

Yes

Current leakage prevention

No

Yes

Microprocessor application

No

Yes

Digital performance: Perhaps the most distinguishing comparison is that unlike regular HEMTs our modified version can operate as a digital switch with all the performance characteristics that are needed for a viable microprocessor chip. Our modified HEMT is appropriate for both analogue and digital applications.

Both voltage polarities: Our modified HEMT can tolerate both voltage polarities at its input. Regular HEMT that can only accept one voltage polarity at its input and if a different voltage polarity is applied to it, the transistor burns up or its operation is ruined.

Lack of current leakage: Our modified HEMT eliminates the so-called input or gate current leakage. As such it helps with the power consumption of the device; furthermore, the total power that it can deliver is larger for radar and power electronic applications.

Microprocessor application: Current HEMT transistors cannot be used to make a microprocessor, but with our modified HEMT we can manufacturer microprocessors which are much faster than existing CMOS transistors. For example, using InP (Indium Phosphide) semiconductor compounds in our HEMTs results in digital circuits operating at 400 GHz frequency range. A frequency level that is unheard of and impossible to achieve by existing microprocessors based on CMOS transistors. 

Superconductive Transistor

Our superconductive transistor [1] eliminates the need to use semiconductors in quantum computing. This increases the speed and reduces the cost and the size of a quantum computing unit dramatically.

Existing Problems: The building blocks of a quantum computer known as quantum bits need to be manipulated, their states need to be read or changed, and this is done via semiconductor transistor outside the quantum unit. The quantum unit is stored in a cryocooler with a temperature of -273° Celsius. The data needs to be transferred outside the cryocooler and then sent back via bulky connections, which leads to latency, higher costs, and bigger sizes of the unit. In general, today’s quantum computers consume too much energy, mostly due to the transfer of data between the cryocooler and semiconductors. 

Our solution:  Create digital and analogue circuits using innovative superconducting transistors alongside quantum bits. This will eliminate the need to send the signals outside the cryocooler and helps with speed and makes it possible to use millions of quantum bits instead of current tens of quantum bits.

Application usage: A huge market exists for quantum computers. Its economic justification based on our superconducting transistors, would create a vaster market for:

– Governments:

  o  Space and defence

  o  Social & economic planning

  o  Climate predictions

– Private sector:

  o  Automotive industry and autonomous driving

  o  Big data and data processing

  o  Financial markets projections

  o  Cyber security

So far only a handful of governments (the US, China, Russia…) and companies (Tesla, IBM, Google…) have their own quantum computers. As a more commercially viable product, there is no limit to its existing and emerging users.


Advantages compared to current superconductive transistors

Amplification: Our superconductive transistor can amplify signals, which in electronic terms is known as gain. The current superconductive transistors are based on RSFQ [2] digital electronics, which does not produce any gain. Our device produces gain similar to a BJT transistor and hence it can be used in digital circuits.

Non-latching: Our transistor is non-latching like regular CMOS transistors, meaning that one can either turn it off or on with application of voltage to the input. The problem with a previous generation of superconductive transistor was that their output latched and stayed at either on or off state. This problem rendered them useless, and IBM abandoned its research on this topic citing the latching problem as the cause.

Digital performance: For a transistor to perform well as a digital device it needs to possess specific characteristics. Our transistor has all these characteristics, which are the ability to amplify input signals, isolation of input and output, and the ability to connect to several transistors at its output. Therefore, the proper digital performance is predicted for our devices.

Analogue and digital: There is no superconductive transistor capable of both analogue and digital operations. Our solution can operate in both modes. This is very important when a practical electronic system is to be designed. There won’t be any need to use semiconductor transistor for any purpose in quantum computers. 

[1] Transistor with zero electrical resistance
[2]
Rapid Signal Fluxon Quantum Logic

ASIC Services

III-V Technologies’ ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) branch has extensive knowledge and experience in the areas of digital, analogue, mixed signal and MEMS design, development, and manufacturing. An ASIC is an IC that is designed for a specific purpose for a single customer.

Whether you would like us to just design, perform validation and/or to manufacture the end-product, our collaboration journey starts as follows.

Whether you would like us to just design, and perform validation of your project and/or to follow through the manufacture of the end-product, our collaboration journey starts as follows.

III-V can assist your company in any of the followings:

Project Assessment – It begins with matching your needs with our expertise to ensure we can implement your requirements successfully.

Project Setup: Project framework, specification, fine tuning and optimizat.

Project Design: Next step is the development of the design whether digital, analogue, mixed signal, or MEMS. This step concludes with design layout and verification. At this stage the customer may want III-V Technologies to follow through manufacturing and testing on their behaves.

Foundry Contacts: Includes GDS production, prototyping, wafer production, assembly, and test

End Product: Mass production, packaged devices, optimization

We seek a long-term relationship with our customers with collaboration, innovation, and commitment. We offer multiple different working and business models at any of the five levels mentioned above.

Our experienced design team can contribute to your ASIC design project with a working model that suits your company the best. Already have an idea you would like to share with III-V Technologies? For optimized solutions please contact us.