AKHAN Technologies, Inc. (Private)

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September 24, 2012 Issue

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Having Successfully Demonstrated the Ability to Manufacture Diamond Based Microelectronic Devices and Penetrated the Power and LED Power Supply Space with their Miraj Diamond™ Platform, AKHAN Technologies, Inc. is Well Positioned for Future Growth

Company Profile:

www.akhantech.com
After many years of research and development, AKHAN Technologies, Inc. was formed in April 2007 to commercialize the Diamond Lattice Technology from founder, Adam Khan. AKHAN Technologies is a fabless semiconductor company pioneering research and development of diamond based semiconductor devices with applications in the microelectronics industry. AKHAN is the result of over six years of peer-reviewed research, and over four years of corporate development. Commercial realization of diamond based electron devices is the primary focus of AKHAN Technologies, Inc. Further, AKHAN Technologies, Inc. is committed to continually introduce the most advanced diamond device technology in the Power (RF and DC), Analog, and Logic IC markets to the global semiconductor community. The company’s comprehensive Miraj Diamond™ platform enables fabrication of complex devices such as high speed/power transistors, RF, and microwave electronics. The technical feasibility, process development, and device fabrication, prior to full commercialization, has been completed utilizing wafer fabs at several locations in the US. Overseeing the development of its core technology, the senior management of AKHAN is a veritable who's who of the semiconductor technology world. With expert industry experience (cumulatively over half a decade) and state of the art technology, AKHAN is well positioned as an emerging leader in diamond technology.

Adam Khan

President
Adam Khan is Founder and Chief Executive of AKHAN Technologies. Previous to AKHAN Technologies, Mr. Khan studied both physics and electrical engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago before pursuing research on the graduate level. Mr. Khan has worked in a variety of positions in various topics in Condensed Matter research with an emphasis on applied physics research. Mr. Khan has assisted in research in Nanoscopic  and Strongly Correlated Electron Systems, (spin-spin interaction [Kondo Systems], Unconventional Superconductor Systems [High Tc]), in addition to conducting Principal Investigator (PI) research in various topics in diamond systems ranging from Ion Beam Materials Research to Advanced Electron Device Fabrication (micro/nanoelectronic, optoelectronic) in Nanocrystalline Diamond Systems. Mr. Khan’s more recent work has also addressed the effects of impurities in diamond semiconductor systems, developing a first time model to address  deep state propensity of dopants resulting in the first time fabrication of shallow n-type diamond. Mr. Khan’s professional memberships include the American Physical Society (APS) and industrial membership at the Stanford NanoFabrication Facility (SNF) at Stanford University. In addition to his peer-reviewed research, Mr. Khan is the listed inventor on the Miraj Diamond™ Patent Suite. Mr. Khan’s unique knowledge, dedication, and entrepreneurial innovation will continue to advance AKHAN Technologies' position in the global diamond semiconductor market.

Technology

Diamond Semiconductor Device Application
(Private)

AKHAN Technologies, Inc.

2300 Barrington Road, Suite 400
Hoffman Estates, IL 60195

408.658.0029

www.akhantech.com

Interview conducted by: Lynn Fosse, Senior Editor, CEOCFO Magazine, Published – September 24, 2012

CEOCFO: Mr. Khan, what was the vision when you founded the company?

Mr. Khan: Originally, we set out to accomplish what many researchers and companies failed to do in the past and that was to successfully demonstrate a manufacturable diamond based microelectronic device. The global community has long been interested in diamond devices as Diamond has some unique aspects which we hope to exploit in the semiconductor marketplace.

CEOCFO: Where are you today?

Mr. Khan: Compared to where we started eight years ago, today we have begun to penetrate some of the most formidable device markets with advanced applications, including power and LED power supply. We have begun transitioning beyond the laboratory research phase, bringing to the open market some practical low cost device demonstrations.

CEOCFO: What was the biggest challenge to get the technology to create the device?

Mr. Khan: Originally, it was the technological feasibility. We were working with a material choice which was considered by the international community at the time to be inferior as compared to single crystal diamond. The process we had originally incorporated had long been forgotten in modern approaches. Once we were successfully able to move past the feasibility and demonstrate the superiority of our process, it became dramatically simpler.

CEOCFO: Who is using your product today?

Mr. Khan: The types of organizations that are looking at our products range from lead chip designers such as those for CPU/Consumer Electronics as well as aerospace and defense.

CEOCFO: What makes your product or process better and how does it stand out from your competition?
Mr. Khan: Diamond offers several unique performance advantages. However, all previous diamond device demonstrations were uncompelling in performance at room temperature, which is crucial for front-end consumer electronics and the cost was very prohibitive. You used to be restricted to what is referred to as single crystal diamond, which is essentially one solid chunk of diamond which as one would expect is very expensive. The process that we incorporate utilizes nano-crystalline diamond material, which can be grown in very thin layers. What we have effectively done is bring all the performance advantage of diamond and bringing it to a material cost where approximately seventeen thousand times less material is required as compared to silicon. We brought the cost into parity while increasing the performance advantages over existing offerings.

CEOCFO: What is the competitive landscape for you?

Mr. Khan: At this point, because it is such a pioneering segment, we are not competing directly with any companies. Diamond electronics is unique. The issue of n-type doping is highly restrictive, so we are sort of the first in that market space.
 

CEOCFO: Is the industry aware of what you can do in general and are they embracing the technology or are they slow to pay attention?
Mr. Khan: I would say towards the beginning, it was slow because at that time we were doing much more research and development, but since we announced our work globally, the industry has widely embraced it. Several industry publications have leapt on our progress. We recently demonstrated our work at the International Materials Research Congress. Many of the #1 and #2 chipmakers have all become aware of us and are attempting to bring our products and processes in their own process lines. Specifically over the last six months or so there has been dramatic progress.

CEOCFO: What are the hurdles to including your designs?

Mr. Khan: What we do addresses those hurdles previously incumbent on diamond semiconductor materials. In the beginning, people were thinking that to incorporate diamond there would have to be a completely different tool set required, but we have developed our whole process at various university labs across the United States with equipment lines currently used to process silicon. The cost of adoption at this point is negligible. One of our goals up to now was to show how simple it is to transition over to this new materials choice.

CEOCFO: Has the current economic scenario hurt or helped, has there been an effect?

Mr. Khan: A few years ago, the effect was felt but now the marketplace is more ready to adopt newer technologies. It is about being energy and cost efficient, and I think at this point the market is eager to look at new technologies specifically focused on this. Because it is a globally sought technology and the size of the potential market globally is some $300 billion we are not limited geographically. I think the marketplace is relatively open for us at this point.

CEOCFO: What is happening day-to-day at Akhan?

Mr. Khan: We have several white papers that are going to be out for scientific publication and we are finalizing those as well as preparing some of our marketing materials to show the competitive performance advantages that we have been able to demonstrate. Essentially, we are in the first stage of commercializing and we are now moving this more to the public eye and outside of the laboratory.

CEOCFO: Would you tell us about your skill set of you and your team that allows you to go from development to commercialization successfully?

Mr. Khan: My background is in electrical engineering and physics. Originally, I had worked with superconductors at the University of Illinois in Chicago before looking at diamond as a semiconductor material. I am a rather young individual at 28 years old so my belief has always been bring on people who are better-suited and more intelligent than you in varying points of weakness. With my board, we brought on individuals who are titans in their respective industries. We have a premiere semiconductor analyst Ross Young, consultant to IMS Research, Bruce Berkoff former CMO of an Applied Materials marketing division. In all these areas originally perceived as weak, we brought on strength-focused players.

CEOCFO: Development and commercialization are expensive, is Akhan funded to get through the next steps?

Mr. Khan: We are!

CEOCFO: Why should investors pay attention to Akhan?

Mr. Khan: The interesting thing about our technology is that it can go virtually everywhere that silicon currently is in play, which is everywhere from televisions to laptops, tablets, etc. In addition to performance advantages, our materials allow for a system level decrease in cost and materials.

CEOCFO: What should people remember most about Akhan?

Mr. Khan: I would say aesthetically that it is diamond but I would say more specifically that this is a next-generation technology which not only brings cost savings but performance advantages which is essential to progression in consumer electronics.

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Originally, we set out to accomplish what many researchers and companies failed to do in the past and that was to successfully demonstrate a manufacturable diamond based microelectronic device. The global community has long been interested in diamond devices as Diamond has some unique aspects which we hope to exploit in the semiconductor marketplace. - Adam Khan