Akoustis™ Produces World’s First Single-Crystal BAW RF Filters
- Company Expands Patented BulkONE™ Process Technology to Produce Miniaturized, Multi-Pole High Band RF Filters -
Charlotte, N.C., July 25, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Akoustis Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB: AKTS) (“Akoustis” or the “Company”), an innovator of high performance, single-crystal piezoelectric materials and bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonators for mobile wireless, announced today it has expanded its BulkONE™ wafer process technology — enabling the fabrication of its patented single-crystal BAW RF filters focused on high band applications.
In order to support the design and manufacture of single-crystal BAW RF filters, several process enhancements have been added, including resonator tuning for band-specific, multi-pole ladder network filter configurations. As a result, the first single-crystal RF filter Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) chips exhibited low insertion-loss (less than 1.0dB) in the 2.7GHz passband spectrum, miniaturized form factor (die area ~1mm2), high isolation, and fractional bandwidths consistent with the piezoelectric material composition in the resonator. The RF filters, based upon Akoustis’ patented single-crystal materials, exhibit typical bandpass behavior as predicted by the proprietary BAW resonator circuit models developed and validated by the Company. Such models will ultimately be used to construct product design kits (PDK) for internal and external design use.
Jeff Shealy, CEO of Akoustis, commented, “Through the process advancements reported today, Akoustis has leveraged its vertical IP portfolio to successfully extend our technical capabilities from developing single crystal resonators in a R&D capacity to producing integrated BAW RF filter die that will serve as the basis of our product offerings.” Mr. Shealy added, “We believe this is the world’s first large-scale, single-crystal BAW RF filter process and it leverages high-grade materials and processes compatible with the fabrication of power amplifiers and RF switches.”
Today’s announcement is a significant step towards a product configuration which puts Akoustis on a path to deliver highly-differentiated solutions as a pure-play supplier of high-band (4G/LTE/LTE-A) RF BAW filters - a fast growing $2 billion-plus market that today is dominated by two RF module manufacturers. Additionally, Akoustis’ believes its patented technology is ideally positioned for the emerging 5G WiFi and 5G mobile communications standards.
Akoustis continues to meet with multiple design clients to share its single-crystal resonator and RF filter results. The Company has received positive feedback through such engagements, as well as received key performance specifications for both resonators and RF filters designs. Akoustis is currently focused in three areas: (a) expanding its process capabilities to deliver high quality factor (“Q”) resonators, (b) ongoing materials development to deliver high “K-squared” resonator bandwidth performance, and (c) designing and fabricating RF Filter prototypes in support of engagements with potential design clients and strategic partners.
About Akoustis
Akoustis™ (http://www.akoustis.com) is a high-tech RF filter solutions company that manufactures its unique, patent-pending BulkONE™ technology to produce single-crystal bulk acoustic wave (BAW) filters for the mobile-wireless industry, which facilitate signal acquisition and accelerate band performance between the antenna and the back end of mobile devices. Its BulkONE™ technology will service the fast growing multi-billion dollar market of device OEMs, network providers, and consumers to diminish Front End phone heat, battery drain and signal loss -- all considered to be directly related to current RF polycrystalline filter technologies' limitations. Akoustis’ “fabless” business model is capital efficient, leveraging existing manufacturing infrastructure in the semiconductor industry. Akoustis™ is located in the Piedmont technology corridor between Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release that are not descriptions of historical facts are forward-looking statements that are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology including “anticipates,” “believes,” “can,” “continue,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “potential,” “predicts,” “should,” “will,” “would” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated include, without limitation,
- risks relating to the results of our research and development activities, including uncertainties relating to semiconductor process manufacturing;
- the early stage of our BulkONE™ technology presently under development;
- our need for substantial additional funds in order to continue our operations and the uncertainty of whether we will be able to obtain the funding we need;
- our ability to retain or hire key scientific, engineering or management personnel; our ability to protect our intellectual property rights that are valuable to our business, including patent and other intellectual property rights;
- our dependence on third-party manufacturers, suppliers, research organizations, testing laboratories and other potential collaborators;
- our ability to successfully market and sell our technologies;
- the size and growth of the potential markets for any of our technologies, and the rate and degree of market acceptance of any of our technologies;
- competition in our industry; and
- regulatory developments in the U.S. and foreign countries.
In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking statements regarding future events and circumstances discussed in this press release may not occur, and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The forward-looking statements included in this presentation speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update publicly or privately any forward-looking statements for any reason after the date of this presentation to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in our expectations. The materials do not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of any offer to buy, any securities of Akoustis, or any other entity whatsoever. Any representation to the contrary by any party should be ignored.
Akoustis Contact Information: COMPANY: Dave Aichele Akoustis, Inc. VP of Business Development Main: 704-997-5735, ext. 106 Email: daichele@akoustis.com INVESTORS: The Del Mar Consulting Group, Inc. Robert B. Prag, President 858-794-9500 bprag@delmarconsulting.com or Alex Partners, LLC Scott Wilfong, President 425-242-0891 scott@alexpartnersllc.com
Released July 25, 2016