Moderator
Marnix Tack, Ph.D.
Dr. Tack got a MSc degree in Electronic Engineering in 1984 from the Univ of Gent (Belgium) and a PhD degree in Microelectronics in 1990 from the Univ of Leuven & imec (Belgium). He got additional degrees in international business management and innovation leadership from the Vlerick Business School (Belgium), INSEAD (France), MIT (US) and IMD (Swiss). He joined MIETEC, a semiconductor company in Belgium in 1990, that became Alcatel Microelectronics, and was acquired by AMI Semiconductor in 2002 and ON Semiconductor in 2008.
In Feb 2022 he joined BelGaN that acquired part of onsemi in Belgium, as formerly CTO and VP Business Development.
Throughout the past 30+ years he was leading global professional teams in various fields of semiconductor R&D and Innovation, including Si CMOS & BCD, power MOSFETs and GaN. He also took the lead in setting up and driving a corporate innovation business process and global Open Innovation partnerships in the field of novel semiconductor technologies and products
Panelist
Roman Straßer
Volkswagen Group Technology
- For more than 25 years involved in Electronics Development
- Since 2022 – Head of Development Group Platform Power Electronics – Volkswagen Group
- 2004-2022 – Head of Development Power Electronics and Charging – Audi AG
- 1998-2004 – Head of Development Transmission Electronics – Jatco Europe
- 1995-1998 – Project Lead for Transmission Scheduling – Continental AG
- Dipl. Ing. Electrical Engineering (Technical University Munich)
Volkswagen Group Technology
Company Profile
As group-wide „Powerhouse“ of Volkswagen, the group resort Technology with its business units is responsible for the core transformation-topics “battery”, “charging and energy”, and “components”. It shapes the development and production of strategic components for the car-manufacturing brands of the group and with its “platform business” also for OEMs outside the Volkswagen Group. As an independent company inside the group resort Technology, Volkswagen Group Components employs 70.000 employees in more than 60 factories worldwide. They provide a valuable contribution for the Volkswagen Group, its brands and products. Thomas Schmall is the board member for the group resort Technology and CEO of Volkswagen Group Components.
Panelist
Dr. Elke Meissner
Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems
Elke is an experienced senior researcher at Fraunhofer IISB and member of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, chair for electron devices, with a demonstrated history of work in different research environments from fundamental to applied research. Highly experienced as national and international collaborator for industry and academic partners in the field of nitride semiconductor crystal growth, materials development, technology, R&D of novel semiconductor materials and innovative semiconductor characterization and metrology. After more than 20 year in research in nitride semiconductor materials, she now represents the strategic business development semiconductor materials and technology at Fraunhofer IISB.
Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems
Company Profile
Fraunhofer IPMS is a leading international research and development service provider for electronic and photonic microsystems in the application fields of Smart Industrial Solutions, Bio and Health, Mobility as well as Green and Sustainable Microelectronics. Research focuses on customer-specific miniaturized sensors and actuators, MEMS systems, microdisplays and integrated circuits as well as wireless and wired data communication, neuromorphic and quantum computing. Services range from consulting and design to process development and pilot series production.
The Fraunhofer IPMS is one of 75 institutes of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, the leading organization for applied research in Europe. With nearly 32,000 employees Fraunhofer operates with an annual budget of €3.6 billion, €3.1 billion of which is generated by contract research — Fraunhofer’s core business model.
Company Products & Services
The range of services includes wafer processing, characterization & testing, assembly and interconnection technology and the organization of external and supplier services. At the Center Nanoelectronic Technologies (CNT), Fraunhofer IPMS offers applied research, process and material development on 300 mm wafers for microchip producers, suppliers, device manufacturers and R&D partners. 4000 m² of clean room space is available for processing customer orders as well as laboratory space for over 80 processing and analytical tools.
Panelist
Vincent Meric
Aixtron SE
Vincent Meric is Vice President Marketing of AIXTRON SE. After spending a few years at Air Liquide in France and Japan as a researcher, he joined AIXTRON in Germany, where he has grown as a material enthusiast. First as a process engineer and then taking different roles in Sales and Marketing, he has been involved in the development and roll out of new equipments to the market , enabling the adoption of Compound Semiconductors into more and more applications . Since 2020, he leads the global product marketing team, covering all compound semiconductor applications from power & RF devices, to lasers, Micro LED or 2D material devices
Aixtron SE
Company Profile
AIXTRON SE is a leading provider of deposition equipment to the semiconductor industry. The Company was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Herzogenrath (near Aachen), Germany, with subsidiaries and sales offices in Asia, United States, and in Europe. AIXTRON´s technology solutions are used by a diverse range of customers worldwide to build advanced components for electronic and optoelectronic applications based on compound semiconductor materials. Such components are used in a broad range of innovative applications, technologies and industries. These include Laser and LED applications, display technologies, data transmission, SiC and GaN power management and conversion, communication, signaling and lighting as well as a range of other leading-edge applications.
Company Products & Services
G10 Series for Power devices and advanced Optoelectronic and Display applications
G10-SiC for 150/200mm SiC Power devices
G10-GaN for 150/200mm GaN Power devices
G10-AsP for 100/150/200mm for advanced Optoelectronic and Display applications
Panelist
Christophe Maleville, Ph.D.
Soitec
Christophe Maleville has been appointed Chief Technology Officer and Senior Executive Vice President of Soitec’s Innovation.
He joined Soitec in 1993 and was a driving force behind the company’s joint research activities with CEA-Leti. For several years, he led new SOI process development, oversaw SOI technology transfer from R&D to production, and managed customer certifications. He also served as vice president, SOI Products Platform at Soitec, working closely with key customers worldwide.
Maleville has authored or co-authored more than 30 papers and also holds some 30 patents. He has a PhD in microelectronics from Grenoble Institute of Technology and obtained an executive MBA from INSEAD.
Soitec
Company Profile
Soitec is a world leader in the production of innovative semiconductor materials. The company leverages its unique technologies to serve the electronics markets.
In meeting the technical and economic challenges of mainstream electronics, Soitec is helping to speed up the mobile and digital revolutions. Its products are used to manufacture chips that go into smartphones, tablets, computers, IT servers and data centers as well as electronic components in cars, connected devices, and industrial and medical equipment.
With more than 4,000 patents, the company pursues a strategy of disruptive innovation to provide its customers with products that combine performance, energy efficiency and competitiveness.
Soitec is headquartered in Bernin France. The company was founded 30 years ago in Grenoble’s high-tech ecosystem and has manufacturing facilities, R&D centers and sales offices in Europe, the United States and Asia. Soitec is listed on the CAC NEXT 20, in Paris.
For more information visit: www.soitec.com.
Panelist
Rodney Pelzel, Ph.D.
IQE
Dr. Rodney Pelzel is the Chief Technology Officer at IQE, the leading supplier of compound semiconductor wafer products and advanced material solutions to the global semiconductor industry
Rodney has over 20 years of experience in the semiconductor industry, with deep expertise in semiconductor materials engineering and the epitaxial growth of compound semiconductors. Rodney joined IQE as a Production Engineer in 2000 and during his first twelve years at IQE he held various engineering and operational management roles focusing on scaling leading edge epitaxial technology for high volume manufacturing for wireless applications.
In 2012, Rodney was appointed as head of R&D for the IQE Group and was tasked with creating unique materials solutions that enable IQE’s customers and provided them with a competitive edge. Throughout his career, Rodney has been involved in numerous new product introductions, including IQE’s highly successful launch of 6” VCSELs for consumer applications.
Rodney is a chemical engineer by training and graduated from the University of Colorado in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree (high distinction) in Chemical Engineering and a PhD in Chemical Engineering (surface chemistry of semiconductors, GaAs and Si) from the University of California in 2000. He is a Chartered Engineer, Chartered Scientist, and a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers, with his work widely published and a co-inventor of 30+ patents.
IQE
Company Profile
IQE is the leading supplier of compound semiconductor wafer products and advanced material solutions to the global semiconductor industry that enable a diverse range of applications across mobile handsets, global telecoms infrastructure, smart connected devices, electric vehicles, infrared and sensing applications.
Panelist
Andrew Patterson
Silvaco, Inc.
Andrew Patterson manages the European Business for Silvaco Inc, a leading provider of Semiconductor Device Design, Simulation, and Semiconductor IP. Andrew is also Chair of the Power Electronics Special Interest Group at the UK Automotive Innovation forum (AESIN), with special focus on GaN technology. Prior to his role at Silvaco, Andrew served as global director of the Automotive Embedded Software business at Siemens Digital Industries, enabling deployment of complex power sub-systems and ECUs in Electric Vehicles. Andrew holds a master’s degree in Engineering and Electrical Sciences from Cambridge University, UK.
Silvaco, Inc.
Company Profile
Silvaco is a provider of TCAD, EDA software, and SIP solutions that enable semiconductor design and AI through software and innovation. Silvaco’s solutions are used for process and device development across display, power devices, automotive, memory, high performance compute, photonics, internet of things, and 5G/6G mobile markets for complex SoC design. Silvaco is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and has a global presence with offices located in North America, Europe, Brazil, China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan.
Company Products & Services
Silvaco is a provider of software solutions for semiconductor design, including TCAD, EDA software, and SIP solutions that enable semiconductor design and AI through software and innovation. Our primary markets include Display, Power, and RF semiconductor device and SoC development.
