London, 2 November 2026. Elethron, a UK-based advanced materials company, announced plans to establish a UK manufacturing capability for aluminium nitride (AlN) substrates, starting with 2-inch wafers for customer evaluation, device fabrication trials and industrial qualification.
The company said AlN combines an ultra-wide bandgap and high thermal conductivity with favourable electron mobilities and deep-UV transparency. It is a native substrate for aluminium-rich III-N epitaxial structures used in emerging semiconductor devices. Elethron cited high-performance power electronics, advanced RF devices and optoelectronics for extreme environments as target applications.
Elethron has begun work to establish its initial crystal-growth capability for a 2-inch AlN wafer platform. This will support small-batch wafer supply to UK and European epitaxial foundries, semiconductor manufacturers and laboratories for customer evaluation, epitaxial growth and fabrication trials. The company said it will focus on improving wafer quality and yields, reducing production costs and building a reliable supply base, with a pathway towards 4-inch wafer production.
"The UK relies on foreign and challenged supply chains for wide-bandgap materials, exposing domestic industry to geopolitical and supply risks," the company stated. "Establishing UK production would provide a long-term sovereign source of this critical material, giving industry reliable access to support its continued innovation and maintain the UK's leadership in compound semiconductors."
In parallel, Elethron is developing its AlN4RF initiative, the first in a series of industry co-development programmes to shape the specifications for its application-led substrate portfolio. AlN4RF will connect its AlN wafer engineering with downstream processing, packaging and product qualification for precision microwave and high-power RF applications in radar, satellite communications and advanced radio infrastructure.
"Our immediate priority is to develop AlN substrates that manufacturers can process, test and qualify in their devices," the company stated. "Our planned demonstrators with industry partners are intended to accelerate the transition of AlN from initial evaluation into device fabrication and, ultimately, commercial applications in high-performance electronic systems."
Source: Elethron news
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