The Company

Started in 1998 by a professor and his graduate student in the North Carolina State University (NCSU) Materials Science and Engineering Department, Kyma Technologies is a leading supplier of advanced gallium nitride (GaN) and aluminum nitride (AlN) semiconductor substrate materials.  Recognizing that nitride semiconductor device performance and reliability would be improved if better substrates were made available, Kyma scientists and engineers are focused on advancing a portfolio of crystal growth and fabrication processes with a single goal:  making the best substrates possible for a given application and at the lowest possible cost to the customer.

Mission Statement

Kyma enables their customers to continually improve their semiconductor device business and technology through a portfolio of innovative nitride semiconductor materials products.

The Kyma Name

Kyma is the Greek word representing "wave". It describes the characteristics of a wide range of natural phenomena, from ocean waves to sound waves.  Semiconductor physicists and electrical engineers know that electrons exhibit wave-like behavior in crystalline semiconductor and that their wave-like properties are affected by crystal defects.  Kyma's low defect density GaN substrates enable improved wave-like behavior, which translates to better performance and reliability for a broad range of devices and applications.

Markets and Applications

The market for gallium nitride based semiconductor devices is projected to surpass $25B by 2015 and is associated with a broad range of applications including wireless base station power amplifiers, power switching devices, solid state lighting, optical storage lasers, projection display optoelectronics, ultraviolet water and air purification, and chemical and bioagent optical sensing.