Gallium oxide: A key material for next-generation power electronics
The visit began at the NextGO Epi office, where co-founder and CEO Dr. Ta-Shun Chou presented the company's work on gallium oxide (β-Ga₂O₃) epitaxy. Founded in 2025 by Dr. Chou together with German co-founders Dr. Andreas Popp and Dr. Andreas Fiedler, the IKZ spin-off produces industrial-grade gallium oxide epitaxial wafers up to four inches in diameter – the electrically active layer at the heart of high-performance power semiconductor devices.
With an ultra-wide bandgap of approximately 4.8 eV and a breakdown field of around 8 MV/cm, gallium oxide enables devices that withstand higher voltages and operate more efficiently than silicon carbide or gallium nitride, with applications in EV charging, renewable energy inverters and AI data centers.
IKZ: A cradle of semiconductor crystal innovation
The delegation then continued to IKZ, where Director Prof. Dr. Thomas Schröder welcomed the guests and led a tour of the institute. IKZ is one of the world's leading centers for crystal growth and a cradle of semiconductor crystal innovation. Since 2009, its researchers have pioneered the growth of bulk β-Ga₂O₃ single crystals by the Czochralski method using a patented process, producing 2-inch crystals and substrates used by researchers worldwide, alongside MOVPE epitaxy of gallium oxide layers for power electronics. NextGO Epi grew directly out of this work: its founders spent more than a decade developing gallium oxide epitaxy at IKZ, and the institute has actively supported the spin-off with its scientific foundation, infrastructure and expertise – a prime example of how IKZ translates excellent research into industrial value.
A distinctive model of Taiwan-Germany cooperation
NextGO Epi represents a special case of Taiwan–Germany collaboration: a hybrid Taiwanese-German founding team bringing a German-originated technology from the laboratory to the market. Rather than transferring technology across borders, the company unites both countries' strengths in one venture – Germany's excellence in fundamental materials research and Taiwan's deep experience in semiconductor industrialization. The talks explored how this model could inspire further cooperation in semiconductor materials. Participants also highlighted the role of the Berlin-Adlershof ecosystem in connecting research with industry – a timely theme as Europe works to strengthen its semiconductor supply chain under the proposed Chips Act 2.0.
Contact:
Dr. Ta-Shun Chou (周大順)
Co-founder & CEO
NextGO Epi GmbH (i.G.)
Phone: +49 (0) 30 / 246 499 313
Email: t.s.chounextgoepi.com
Web: https://www.nextgoepi.com/
Leibniz-Institut für Kristallzüchtung (IKZ)
Stefanie Grüber
Press and Public Relations
Phone: +49 (0) 30 / 246 499 126
Email: stefanie.grueberikz-berlin.de
Web: https://www.ikz-berlin.de/en
