EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — International Rectifier, IR® (NYSE: IRF), a world leader in power management technology, today announced its GaN-based power device platform, GaNpowIR™ has been selected as a finalist in the R&D category of Electronics Weekly magazine’s Elektra Awards 2009.

GaNpowIR is a revolutionary Gallium Nitride (GaN)-based power device technology platform that can provide customers with improvements in key application-specific figures of merit (FOM) of up to a factor of ten compared to state-of-the-art silicon-based technology platforms to dramatically increase performance and cut energy consumption in end applications in a variety of market segments such as computing and communications, automotive and appliances. The pioneering GaN-based power device technology platform is the result of five years of research and development by IR based on the company’s proprietary GaN-on-silicon epitaxial technology.

The high throughput, 150mm GaN-on-Si epitaxy, together with subsequent device fabrication processes which are fully compatible with IR’s cost effective silicon manufacturing facilities, offers customers a world-class, commercially viable manufacturing platform for GaN-based power devices.

Tim McDonald, vice president of IR’s Emerging Technologies Group said: “As a leader in power management innovation, IR is delighted to be a finalist in the R&D category of the prestigious Elektra Awards. We are very pleased with the interest that GaNpowIR is receiving from the semiconductor and electronic design engineering community".

Elektra Awards’ finalists were selected by an independent panel of judges. Now in its seventh year, the Elektra European Electronics Industry Awards give the industry the opportunity to recognise the achievements of individuals and companies across Europe. They are designed to promote best practice in key areas, including innovation, sales growth and employee motivation. For more information go to http://www.electronicsweekly.com.