A new spin-out from the University of Glasgow's Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering is commercialising a new semiconductor process technology with the aid of £400,000 from the IP Group and the Synergy Fund.
Over the last 10 years, a team led by Professor Iain Thayne and Dr Khaled Elgaid at the University have demonstrated that they can build ICs with a maximum operating frequency up to 500GHz using the department's 50nm GaAs mHEMT process technology.
Now, XanIC, the spin-out they have formed, will use the fabrication facilities at the James Watt Nanofabrication Centre to manufacture MMICs operating in the frequency band 50GHz -500GHz based on either its own designs or those of its customers.
XanIC’s first product will be a 94 GHz Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) which, it says, has applications in a range of security systems.
The IP Group, which announced its new partnership with the University of Glasgow last October, will invest up to £280,000 in XanIC alongside up to £120,000 from the Synergy Fund subject to the company meeting agreed milestones.
The technology received Scottish Enterprise Proof of Concept funding from 2001 - 2003 followed by pre-incorporation funding from the Synergy Fund, which is managed by Scottish Equity Partners.
In July 2006, Nick Wood was brought-in part-time under the Scottish Enterprise Glasgow/ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) CEO Designate programme, as Interim Chief Executive Officer. Wood is a serial entrepreneur and a founder of Sagentia, the UK listed technology group. Through his incubation company, daVinci Ventures, Wood now specialises in technology commercialisation, working with University spin-outs and start-up companies around the UK.
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Where will all the raw materials come from for the manufacturing process? How will they be transported to the factory and what is going to be done with the various scrap and residues?