IVWORKS Commences Full-Scale Mass Production of 8-inch GaN Nanowire Wafers

Semiconductor material startup IVWORKS has established a mass production system for 8-inch Indium Gallium Nitride (InGaN/GaN) nanowire epiwafers, opening a new era in the eco-friendly energy market. This lays the foundation for mass supplying the core material for 'artificial photosynthesis panels,' which produce hydrogen using only sunlight and water. IVWORKS' latest achievement holds the potential to revolutionize the production method of green hydrogen, a next-generation energy source. The Indium Gallium Nitride nanowire epiwafer they developed is a core component that maximizes the efficiency of artificial photosynthesis panels. The nanowire structure expands the reaction surface area, enhancing the photocatalytic effect, and implementing this on an 8-inch large-diameter wafer can dramatically increase hydrogen production. The difficulty of this technology is extremely high. Precisely controlling nanowire structures, which are only 1/2000th the thickness of a human hair, while uniformly growing them on large-diameter wafers, is a highly challenging technology with rare commercialization cases worldwide. However, IVWORKS has solved this challenge through its patented technology and continuous R&D, succeeding in mass producing 8-inch wafers. IVWORKS has already been in a consignment production partnership for epiwafers for artificial photosynthesis panels with a US green hydrogen specialist company since 2023. Thanks to IVWORKS' large-diameter technology, prototypes, initially 3 inches, have now expanded to 8 inches, and if 12-inch large-diameter expansion is completed in the future, production is expected to increase by approximately 2.3 times compared to the current level. CEO Noh Young-gyun stated his ambition, saying, "We will contribute to green hydrogen production with 8-inch large-diameter nanowire wafer mass production technology and accelerate 12-inch development." As a company specializing in Gallium Nitride, a next-generation semiconductor material, IVWORKS was also selected as a '2025 Global ICT Future Unicorn Company' by the Ministry of Science and ICT. Industry experts predict that the artificial photosynthesis method, being more energy-efficient and requiring lower facility costs than electrolysis, can significantly reduce green hydrogen production costs. An industry official commented, "Large-diameter nanowire technology is a technically very challenging field, and for a domestic startup to commercialize it is an opportunity to secure significant competitiveness in the green hydrogen market." IVWORKS' innovation will be a significant step toward accelerating the era of carbon neutrality.