News Release

JX Nippon Mining & Metals Corporation (President: Seiichi Murayama; hereinafter “the Company”) has begun collaborating with Novel Crystal Technology, Inc. (President & CEO: Akito Kuramata; hereinafter “NCT”), having entered into a capital relationship by acquiring NCT shares issued in a capital increase through third-party allocation. The arrangement is aimed at commercial implementation of gallium oxide crystals, which show promise for adoption in next-next-generation power semiconductor devices.

 

Power semiconductor devices are used in the control and supply of electrical energy. Today silicon is in mainstream use as the material for these devices. Since, however, the material properties of silicon make it difficult to achieve further reductions in power loss, silicon carbide is increasingly being put to practical use as a next-generation material that can replace silicon in high current and high voltage application areas.

 

Gallium oxide, meanwhile, recently discovered by a research group that includes the founder of NCT, is seen as potentially superior to silicon carbide for low-cost manufacturing of high-quality, large-size single crystal substrates. As a material for next-next-generation power semiconductor devices, gallium oxide is expected to revolutionize the design of power supplies in electric vehicles and other applications and of electric power transmission systems, contributing to more effective use of energy.

 

One policy in the JX Nippon Mining & Metals Group Long-Term Vision 2040^*1 is to move forward with “co-creation” development together with partners. In this collaboration with NCT, the Company will aim for practical implementation of gallium oxide crystals by combining its technologies, including high purification and handling of metal oxides, with the technologies and knowledge of NCT, while further maturing such core technologies as raw material purification.

 

Through the development of materials that help bring about energy saving, the Company seeks to contribute to realization of a sustainable society as envisioned in the SDGs.

 

 

*1   Details are given in a June 27, 2019 news release.

See: “Establishment of JX Nippon Mining & Metals Group Long-Term Vision 2040—Aiming to foster the development of society’s innovation with advanced　　　  materials”

https://www.jx-nmm.com/english/newsrelease/2019/20190627_02.html

 

 

 

◆  Overview of NCT (as of June 1, 2020)

Name	Novel Crystal Technology, Inc.
Location	2-3-1, Hirosedai, Sayama-shi, Saitama
Representative	Akito Kuramata, President & CEO
Main business operations	Manufacture and sales of substrates with gallium oxide epitaxial film Manufacture and sales of single crystals and their applied products Manufacture and sales of semiconductors and their applied products
Established	June 2015 A carve-out venture of Tamura Corporation; A technology transfer venture of the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT)