What SixPoint Materials does

SixPoint Materials, Inc. is a privately held materials-science company founded on September 29, 2006 as a spin-off from the Nitrides' group at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), commercializing the NEAT (Near-Equilibrium AmmonoThermal) method for bulk single-crystal gallium nitride (GaN) growth. The NEAT process uses supercritical ammonia chemistry modeled on natural quartz growth in geothermal environments, and is claimed to deliver lower dislocation density than substrates produced by the conventional hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) method. SixPoint's core product line, marketed as "GANKIBAN," consists of n-type power-grade GaN wafers offered in 10x10 mm, 15x15 mm, and 50 mm diameter formats with single- or double-side polishing and CMP surface finish options.

The company targets R&D groups and manufacturers building GaN-on-GaN devices for power electronics (high-voltage switching transistors), RF and wireless/defense applications, ultra-high-power blue and green laser diodes, and next-generation high-brightness LEDs. In addition to substrate sales, SixPoint sells R&D-oriented crystal processing services — multi-wire saw slicing (up to 2" ingots), wafer dicing (up to 4" diameter, 5 mm thick), grinding, and lapping/polishing/CMP — covering GaN, AlN, SiC, sapphire, quartz, glass, and ceramics. The technology base is protected by more than 100 patents worldwide developed under Professor Shuji Nakamura's ERATO Inhomogeneous Crystal Project at UCSB.

Commercially, SixPoint sells direct in the United States and other non-APAC regions and routes APAC demand through authorized dealer Crystal Base, which covers Japan, Taiwan, China, and Singapore. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and engagement is inquiry-based via website contact forms. The company operates with 1-10 employees, has no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or acquisitions, and discloses no revenue; monetisation is therefore driven by wafer shipments, custom crystal processing, and the underlying NEAT IP portfolio rather than scaled merchant volumes.

Name

SixPoint Materials

Legal name

SixPoint Materials, Inc.

Website

https://spmaterials.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SixPoint Materials produces power-grade gallium nitride (GaN) wafers using its proprietary NEAT ammonothermal crystal-growth method, serving R&D labs and manufacturers of power-electronics, RF/wireless, laser-diode, and LED devices via direct sales and APAC dealers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Gallium Nitride (GaN) Semiconductor Substrates

NAICS

Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing (33441)

SIC

Semiconductors & Related Devices (3674)

akta.pro primary industry

Compound Semiconductor Wafers & Substrates (SiC/GaN/GaAs/InP/Sapphire) (HDAHAGAB)

Keywords

• Gallium nitride wafers
• GaN crystal substrates
• Ammonothermal crystal growth
• Power electronics substrates
• Semiconductor crystal processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Buellton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. GaN Wafer Sales (GANKIBAN): Sale of power-grade gallium nitride wafers in various sizes (10x10mm, 15x15mm, 50mm diameter) with different surface finishes including single/double side polishing and CMP finishing.
2. Crystal Processing Services: R&D-oriented processing services including wire saw slicing, wafer dicing, crystal grinding, and lapping/polishing/CMP for GaN, AlN, SiC, sapphire, and other materials.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

SixPoint Materials produces power-grade gallium nitride (GaN) wafers under the GANKIBAN brand using its proprietary NEAT ammonothermal method, which yields substrates with lower dislocation density than conventional HVPE-grown material. The company supplies wafers in three sizes (CN10MM 10x10mm, CN15MM 15x15mm, CN50MM 50mm diameter) targeting power electronics, RF devices, blue/green laser diodes, and high-brightness LEDs. In parallel, SixPoint offers R&D crystal processing services including wire saw slicing, wafer dicing, crystal grinding, and lapping/polishing/CMP for GaN and other hard-to-machine materials (AlN, SiC, sapphire, quartz, ceramics).

Product overview

SixPoint Materials produces power-grade gallium nitride (GaN) substrates and wafers using its proprietary NEAT (Near-Equilibrium AmmonoThermal) method. The core product line consists of GANKIBAN wafers available in three sizes: CN10MM (10x10mm square), CN15MM (15x15mm square), and CN50MM (50mm diameter). These substrates target power electronics (high-power switching devices), RF devices for wireless and defense applications, blue/green laser diodes, and high-brightness LEDs. In addition to wafer products, the company offers R&D-oriented crystal processing services including slicing (wire saw), dicing, grinding, and lapping/polishing/CMP for GaN and other materials such as AlN, SiC, sapphire, glass, and quartz.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GANKIBAN: Power-grade gallium nitride (GaN) wafers produced using the proprietary NEAT (Near-Equilibrium AmmonoThermal) method. Available in various sizes including CN10MM (10x10mm), CN15MM (15x15mm), and CN50MM (50mm diameter).
• NEAT (Near-Equilibrium AmmonoThermal)

Products and services

• GANKIBAN CN10MM 10 x 10 mm square-shaped, n-type power-grade gallium nitride wafer suitable for vertical power devices and laser diodes. Standard product is single side polished with CMP finish on the Ga side, with options for double-side polishing and N-side CMP finish available on request.
• GANKIBAN CN15MM 15 x 15 mm square-shaped, n-type power-grade gallium nitride wafer suitable for vertical power devices and laser diodes. Standard product is double-side polished with CMP finish on the Ga side, with options for single-side polishing and N-side CMP finish available on request.
• GANKIBAN CN50MM 50 mm diameter, n-type power-grade gallium nitride wafer suitable for vertical power devices and laser diodes. Standard product is double-side polished with CMP finish on the Ga side, with options for single-side polishing and N-side CMP finish available on request.
• Crystal Slicing Service Wire saw crystal slicing service for R&D customers. Uses a multiple wire saw with wire thickness of 0.17 mm and variable slicing thickness from 0.3 to 3 mm, accepting ingots up to 2 inches in diameter across materials such as GaN, AlN, SiC, sapphire, glasses, quartz, and ceramics.
• Wafer Dicing Service Wafer dicing service for R&D needs, specialized in hard-to-machine materials such as GaN, sapphire, and SiC. Capable of cutting wafers up to 4 inches in diameter and 5 mm thick.
• Crystal Grinding Service Crystal grinding service for R&D needs, specialized in hard-to-machine materials such as GaN, sapphire, and SiC. Can handle materials up to 4 inches in diameter.
• GaN Lapping, Polishing, CMP Service Lapping, polishing, and chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) service for GaN wafers, designed for R&D needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Lower dislocation density compared to HVPE-produced GaN substrates

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Crystal Base (Japan)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCrystal Base serves as the authorized dealer for SixPoint Materials GaN wafers in Japan, providing local sales and support for Japanese customers.
• Crystal Base (Taiwan, China, Singapore)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCrystal Base serves as the authorized dealer for SixPoint Materials products in Taiwan, China, and Singapore, providing regional coverage for Asia-Pacific markets.
• University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSixPoint Materials was founded as a spin-off from the Nitrides' group in the materials department at UCSB. The company's core NEAT technology was developed under the ERATO Nakamura Inhomogeneous Crystal Project at UCSB, led by Professor Shuji Nakamura, pioneer of GaN-based LEDs and laser diodes.
• ERATO Nakamura Inhomogeneous Crystal ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch program under the Japanese Science and Technology Agency (JST) Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology (ERATO) Program, led by Professor Shuji Nakamura. The project developed the ammonothermal growth technology for bulk GaN crystal that became SixPoint's core technology.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• II-VI / Coherent: II-VI (now Coherent) is a major compound semiconductor materials supplier, including SiC and other wide-bandgap substrates; it competes for the same high-power device customer wallet that SixPoint addresses with GaN.
• Nichia Corporation: Nichia, founded by the original inventor of the blue LED, is both a major GaN device maker and a vertically integrated buyer of GaN substrates, comparable to SixPoint as a customer-side incumbent in GaN materials.
• Cree / Wolfspeed: Wolfspeed is a leader in wide-bandgap semiconductors, primarily silicon carbide, and competes for power-electronics design wins that SixPoint's GaN-on-GaN substrates also target, shaping the relative TAM available to GaN substrates.
• Saint-Gobain Crystals: Saint-Gobain's crystals business supplies a range of engineered substrates and crystal materials including GaN, placing it in the same specialty wafer supply market as SixPoint.

Others

• Crystal Base: Crystal Base is SixPoint's authorized distributor in Japan and parts of Asia-Pacific for GaN wafers and is also a broader specialty-crystal supplier, making it an adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• Mitsubishi Chemical: Mitsubishi Chemical is one of the leading commercial suppliers of bulk gallium nitride substrates, directly competing with SixPoint's GANKIBAN product line in the power, RF, and optoelectronic device wafer market.
• Kyma Technologies: Kyma Technologies is a US-based developer of wide-bandgap semiconductor materials, including GaN substrates and related crystal products, and is closely comparable as a small, focused materials supplier.
• SinoNitride: SinoNitride is a China-based bulk GaN substrate manufacturer, competing directly with SixPoint on power- and opto-grade GaN wafers, particularly in the Chinese domestic supply chain.
• Sumitomo Electric Industries (SCIOCS): Sumitomo Electric, through its SCIOCS subsidiary, produces bulk GaN substrates and is a primary global competitor to SixPoint, supplying similar wafer products for power, RF, and LED applications.

Emerging players

• Soraa: Soraa has historically used bulk GaN substrates (GaN-on-GaN) for its high-performance LED products, making it both a potential customer for SixPoint and a downstream competitor at the device level.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SixPoint Materials