CHICAGO, Oct. 16, Businesswire-- AKHAN Semiconductor, a technology company specializing in the fabrication and application of lab-grown, electronic-grade diamonds, announced today that it has been issued a patent by the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO). The patent covers AKHAN’s next-generation N-type diamond semiconductor system and diamond-based multilayer antireflective coating systems, key components in military & aerospace sensor and detector applications, amongst other use cases.
The issued patent, No. I672795, is a key addition to AKHAN’s breakthrough Miraj Diamond® intellectual property portfolio. It is the Company’s third Taiwan-issued patent, and the fifth foreign counterpart that’s been issued. The technology enables breakthrough performance in semiconductor devices as well as new capabilities in optical sensing, detecting, and transmission. Through the integration of high-quality diamond in semiconductor electronics applications and multilayer materials, the novel systems allow for next-generation electronics performance, and optical components with ultra-hardness, scratch-resistance, high thermal conductivity, hydrophobicity, chemical and biological inertness, and with high transmittance at a variety of critical angles.
“Taiwan is a world leader in semiconductor fabrication, and the Taiwanese patent will allow AKHAN to work with the industries best, while still protecting our revolutionary diamond technology,” said Adam Khan, Founder and CEO of AKHAN Semiconductor. “The Taiwan patent will be crucial in establishing key partnerships that will help advance our technology, and we are excited about the opportunity to further advance our relationship with the people and companies of Taiwan.”
AKHAN’s flagship Miraj Diamond® Glass for consumer display is 6x stronger, 10x harder, and runs over 800x cooler than leading glass competitors like Gorilla Glass. The Company achieves this by coating standard commercial glass such as aluminosilicate, BK7, and Fused Silica with proprietary lab-grown nanocrystalline diamond. Diamond-based technology is capable of increasing power density as well as creating faster, lighter, and simpler devices for consumer use.
Todd Werkhoven
Adam Khan, founder and CEO of AKHAN Semiconductor, joins the show to talk about how the company is using diamonds to revolutionize tech manufacturing.
Gina Roos
The Association of the United States Army (AUSA) held its annual meeting and exposition in October, where vendors get a chance to showcase their products and technologies for the military market. This year’s conference highlights a range of technologies from development systems and servers with artificial intelligence (AI) engines to multi-function displays and connectors. Whether the product is a system or a component, vendors are focused on meeting the latest requirements in the areas of modern warfare, cybersecurity, enhanced networking capabilities and communications, and autonomous mobility.
Here’s a sampling of products showcased at the exposition.
Materials development also is an important area of innovation. AKHAN Semiconductor Inc., in partnership with Lockheed Martin, successfully demonstrated a new diamond-based coating technology, designed to improve the survivability of manned and unmanned military aircraft systems.
Multilayer anti-reflective coating systems are critical in systems such as military aerospace sensor and detector applications. Previous coatings have had problems in the areas of delamination, degradation, and fluctuating optical transmissivity, said the companies.
The test provided evidence that the diamond coating can be an effective countermeasure to state-of-the-art directed energy weapons, including electromagnetic, kinetic, and laser energy weapons, when applied to sensitive control systems and cockpit areas. Lockheed Martin supplied the testing environment to simulate the force of these weapons on coated and uncoated fused silica samples.
CHICAGO, Oct. 29, 2019 /Businesswire/ -- AKHAN Semiconductor, a technology company specializing in the fabrication and application of lab-grown, electronics-grade diamond, announced today issuances by both the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and Japan Patent Office (JPO) of patents covering AKHAN’s next-generation n-type diamond semiconductor system and diamond-based multilayer antireflective coating systems, key in military & aerospace sensor and detector applications, amongst others.
The granted and issued patents, 6580644 in Japan and 10,422,928 & 10,410,860 in the US, are key additions to AKHAN’s breakthrough Miraj Diamond® intellectual property portfolio, and enable breakthrough performance in semiconductor devices as well as new capabilities in optical sensing, detecting, and transmission. Through integration of high-quality diamond in semiconductor electronics applications and multilayer materials, the novel systems allow for next-generation electronics performance and optical components with ultra-hardness, scratch-resistance, high thermal conductivity, hydrophobicity, chemical and biological inertness, and with high transmittance at a variety of critical angles.
“With breakthrough performance from our recently announced Miraj Diamond® protective coatings products, these are major patent issuances that certainly add to the value of our diamond optics and diamond electronics intellectual property,” explains AKHAN Founder & CEO, Adam Khan.
“Previous diamond and diamond-like coatings have suffered from delamination, degradation, and fluctuating optical transmissivity. AKHAN’s Miraj Diamond® materials provide high transmissivity protective coatings with high reliability,” said AKHAN President and Chief Operating Officer Carl Shurboff. “We look forward to announcing new products featuring this patented technology soon.”
AKHAN’s flagship Miraj Diamond® Glass for consumer display is 6x stronger, 10x harder, and runs over 800x cooler than leading glass competitors like Gorilla Glass by coating standard commercial glass such as aluminosilicate, BK7, and Fused Silica with proprietary lab-grown nanocrystalline diamond. Diamond-based technology is capable of increasing power density as well as creating faster, lighter, and simpler devices for consumer use.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- AKHAN Semiconductor, Inc., in collaboration with Lockheed Martin, announced a successful demonstration of a new diamond-based coating technology that will enhance survivability of manned and unmanned military aircraft systems at the AUSA Annual Meeting and Expo.
AKHAN Semiconductor, Inc. is a technology company specializing in the fabrication and application of electronics-grade diamonds as functional semiconductors. The Illinois-based company has been awarded numerous patents and trademarks for inventions under its Miraj Diamond® Protective Coating platform of products.
The successful tests provide evidence the company's diamond coating will serve as an effective countermeasure to state-of-the-art directed energy weapons, including electromagnetic, kinetic and laser energy weapons, when applied to sensitive control systems and cockpit areas. Lockheed Martin supplied the testing environment and expertise to simulate the force of these weapons upon coated and uncoated fused silica samples.
"The opportunity to apply our technology to serve our nation's security and defense is an honor not taken lightly," said Adam Khan, CEO and Founder of AKHAN. "We are extremely grateful to be working with Lockheed Martin to demonstrate the capabilities and myriad applications of our Miraj Diamond coatings."
Multilayer anti-reflective coating systems are critical in military aerospace sensor and detector applications, amongst others. While previous coating systems have suffered from delamination, degradation and fluctuating optical transmissivity, AKHAN's technology enables new capabilities in optical sensing, detecting and transmission.
The technology further allows development of optical components with ultra-hardness, scratch-resistance, high thermal conductivity, hydrophobicity, chemical and biological inertness, and with high transmittance at a variety of critical angles.
Gurnee--AKHAN Semiconductor, a technology company specializing in the fabrication and application of lab-grown, electronics-grade diamonds, has been issued a patent by the Korean Intellectual Property Office covering a method for the fabrication of diamond semiconductor materials.
The technology is core to next-generation applications in automotive, aerospace, consumer electronics, military, defense and telecommunications systems, among others.
Originally filed in 2014, the Korea-issued patent is the fourth foreign counterpart of other issued and pending patents owned by AKHAN related to the company's Miraj Diamond Platform products. With other patents awarded in 2017 and 2018 in Japan and Taiwan, this is the first patent for the Korean market and will cover Korean-based semiconductor electronics.
"The award of this key Korean patent and the country's recognition of our intellectual property is a significant development for our business, underscoring our leadership in the diamond semiconductor space," said Adam Khan, founder and CEO of AKHAN Semiconductor. "Korea represents the world's fourth largest economy and is home to major OEMs such as LG, Samsung and others."
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AKHAN Semiconductor, a technology company specializing in the fabrication and application of lab-grown, electronic-grade diamonds, announced today the appointment of Vice Admiral Charles W. Moore Jr. to its Board of Directors. Moore is a distinguished 36-year veteran of the United States Navy, who began his military career as a Naval Aviator and rose to the rank of Vice Admiral serving as the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Fleet Readiness and Logistics and as Commander, United States Fifth Fleet and Commander, U. S. Naval Forces Central Command headquartered in the Middle East in the country of Bahrain.
“The technology developed by private companies is crucial to the United States Military’s success, and AKHAN’s Miraj Diamond® technology is critical in that it can be applied to a number of capabilities to increase durability and efficiency,” said Moore. “I look forward to joining the Board and lending my expertise to aid AKHAN in establishing itself as a valued partner to our country’s military."
Upon retiring from the U.S. Navy in 2004, Moore joined Lockheed Martin as Vice President, F-35 Program Assessment. Subsequently, Moore served as Vice President, Global Sustainment and President of Lockheed Martin Middle East and Africa. After retiring from Lockheed Martin in 2013, Moore joined the Dodsal Group, where he served as Chairman and President of Dodsal Resources, an oil and gas exploration and production company in the Dodsal Group. He also served as Chairman of Dodsal Group Executive Board, before retiring from Dodsal in 2016.
“As AKHAN continues to apply our Miraj Diamond® technology to more military and defense capabilities, Vice Admiral Moore will be instrumental in identifying new opportunities and helping us refine the technology to ensure we’re providing solutions that meet the United States military's needs,” said Adam Khan, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at AKHAN. “AKHAN is excited and honored to add such an impressive and decorated American patriot to our board.”
A 1968 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aerospace Engineering, Moore earned his first Master’s Degree in International Relations from Salve Regina University and his second Master’s Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College.
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AKHAN Semiconductor, a technology company specializing in the fabrication and application of lab-grown, electronic-grade diamonds, announced today that it has appointed H. Delano Roosevelt to its Board of Directors. Roosevelt, the grandson of United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, joins AKHAN from his current role as Director, New Business Development at Reza Investment Company, which focuses on assisting organizations and private investors in structuring cross-border transactions, technology transfers and direct investments globally with a focus on the Middle East.
“Delano is a world-renowned dignitary who has committed his adult life to promoting prosperous business relationships between the United States and Middle East, which makes him a welcome addition to the board,” said Adam Khan, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at AKHAN. “His influence will be crucial to AKHAN as it continues to seek new technological applications for its Miraj Diamond Glass® technology.”
In addition to his role with Reza, Roosevelt, who resides in Bahrain with his family, is involved in a number of initiatives that promote business relationships between the U.S. and the Middle East, including roles as: Chairman Emeritus, Middle East Council of American Chambers of Commerce (MECACC), Board Member, Executive Board, American Mission Hospital Bahrain and Executive Board, and American Business Group Eastern Province. Roosevelt attended the International School in Geneva Switzerland, Brentwood Military Academy California, Pacific Palisades High School and Woodbury University.
AKHAN Appoints CFO
Robert Mohr, CPA CGMA CITP, will also join AKHAN in the role of Chief Financial Officer. Mohr joins AKHAN from his current role of Consultant at CFO Express International, which provides business coaching to assist in optimizing financial accounting practices and policies to maximize cash flow.
“Robert is a creative executive whose depth of experience in finance, accounting, operations and information technology will be valued as AKHAN continues to grow and develop new technologies,” said Carl Shurboff, President and Chief Operating Officer of AKHAN. “Robert will be charged with operationalizing the Company’s finances, and we’re excited to have him on board.” Mohr is a graduate of Illinois State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Financial Accounting and a master's degree in Management Accounting.
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AKHAN Semiconductor, a technology company specializing in the fabrication and application of lab-grown, electronic-grade diamonds, announced today that it has appointed decorated intelligence veteran and US national security expert Don Hepburn to the Company’s Board of Directors as the Global Security and Intelligence Advisor. He will be working closely with the executive management team out of AKHAN’s global headquarters, located in Gurnee, Illinois. Mr. Hepburn joins AKHAN from his current role as President at Boanerges Solutions LLC, where he serves as an expert advisor to US and foreign companies in the area of corporate security, intelligence matters and business development.
Prior to founding Boanerges Solutions, Mr. Hepburn served for nearly three decades in the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) Directorate of Operations, where he achieved the rank of Senior Intelligence Service Officer. He completed his government service with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) where he served as the Deputy Assistant Director of International Operations overseeing all Legal Attache activities world-wide. During government service with CIA, Mr. Hepburn held executive command positions in both the field and Washington D.C.
“Don’s extensive experience serving the United States as a highly trained intelligence officer and with senior law enforcement executive experience makes him an ideal partner to ensure AKHAN’s security system scales as the Company grows,” said Adam Khan, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of AKHAN. “In addition to maintaining a safe and secure work environment for AKHAN’s employees and visitors, Don’s expertise will also be of particular use investigating and defending the company from potential cyber threats, and hostile activities directed by state and non-state actors that may threaten the Company as it develops its ground-breaking diamond technology. We welcome Don to the Board and look forward to his leadership and expertise.”
“We are excited to have such a well-respected and insightful member of the intelligence community join our board. His expertise will be especially valuable as the Company continues to build its relations with the various parts of the US defense and high-tech research communities,” said Carl Shurboff, President and Chief Operating Officer of AKHAN.
Don earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California, and a master’s degree from Columbia University in the City of New York. He is the recipient of numerous awards and intelligence medals.
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AKHAN Semiconductor, a technology company specializing in the fabrication and application of lab-grown, electronics-grade diamond, announced today the issuance by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) of a patent covering AKHAN’s next generation diamond based multilayer antireflective coating systems, key in military & aerospace sensor and detector applications, amongst others.
The granted and issued patent, 10,254,445, is a key addition to AKHAN’s breakthrough Miraj Diamond® Glass intellectual property portfolio, and enables new capabilities in optical sensing, detecting, and transmission. Through integration of high-quality diamond multilayer materials, the novel system allows for optical components with ultra-hardness, scratch-resistance, high thermal conductivity, hydrophobicity, chemical and biological inertness, and with high transmittance at a variety of critical angles.
“Due to diamond’s absorption spectra in the medium wavelength infrared region, the material has been historically absent for infrared application use. However, through our novel diamond-based multilayer materials, it is now possible to capture the favorable properties of diamond for more rugged systems use, such as experienced in battlefield conditions,” explains AKHAN Founder & CEO, Adam Khan.
“It was a great experience interacting with Army and Defense professionals, detailing AKHAN’s unique solutions for their technology needs,” said Ernest Schirmann, AKHAN Senior Electrical Engineer & xTech co-presenter. “I look forward to demonstrating our work later this year.” “Previous antireflective coatings have suffered from delamination, degradation, and fluctuating optical transmissivity. AKHAN’s Miraj Diamond® materials provide high transmissivity infrared windows with high reliability,” said AKHAN Chief Technology Officer Bill Alberth. “We look forward to announcing new products featuring this patented technology soon.”
AKHAN’s flagship Miraj Diamond® Glass for consumer display is 6x stronger, 10x harder, and runs over 800x cooler than leading glass competitors like Gorilla Glass by coating standard commercial glass such as aluminosilicate, BK7, and Fused Silica with proprietary lab-grown nanocrystalline diamond. Diamond-based technology is capable of increasing power density as well as creating faster, lighter, and simpler devices for consumer use.
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The United States Army has named AKHAN Semiconductor, Inc. as a Phase III winner and finalist in the United States Army Expeditionary Technology Search (xTechSearch) 2.0. The company was awarded $120,000 and the opportunity to demonstrate its Miraj Diamond® protective coatings for Directed Energy and Electromagnetic weaponry for Future Vertical Lift Army Modernization Priorities.
Of the initial 300 competing companies, 25 were selected to present at the phase III event in Huntsville, AL at the AUSA Global Force 2019 meeting. AKHAN was among the 12 companies chosen to move on to the final phase, which includes a capstone demonstration of their technologies at the 2019 Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting, scheduled for October 14-16th, 2019 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC.
“We are deeply honored for this recognition by the US Army,” said AKHAN Founder & CEO Adam Khan. “As we witnessed earlier this year, external interests have already identified the strategic importance of diamond technology, and ours in particular. We are grateful for the opportunity to leverage our expertise in this field to service the needs of the military and intelligence communities, especially in demonstrating robust and reliable countermeasures to future threats.” The Expeditionary Technology Search, shortened to xTechSearch, calls on companies to demonstrate technologies that can help the Army meet its modernization challenges. The goal is to seek nontraditional innovators who can work with the Army, including through cooperative research opportunities with Army scientists, as it modernizes the force.
“It was a great experience interacting with Army and Defense professionals, detailing AKHAN’s unique solutions for their technology needs,” said Ernest Schirmann, AKHAN Senior Electrical Engineer & xTech co-presenter. “I look forward to demonstrating our work later this year.”
AKHAN’s flagship Miraj Diamond® Glass for consumer display is 6x stronger, 10x harder, and runs over 800x cooler than leading glass competitors like Gorilla Glass by coating standard commercial glass such as aluminosilicate, BK7, and Fused Silica with proprietary lab-grown nanocrystalline diamond. Diamond-based technology is capable of increasing power density as well as creating faster, lighter, and simpler devices for consumer use.
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The United States Army has named AKHAN Semiconductor, Inc. as a Phase II awardee and semifinalist in the United States Army Expeditionary Technology Search (xTechSearch) 2.0. Later this month, AKHAN representatives will travel to Huntsville, Alabama to present live at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA)’s 2019 Annual Global Force Symposium and Exposition, the “largest land power exposition and professional development forum in North America” according to the event’s website. This year’s exposition will feature more than 600 exhibitors. It will also host as many as 30,000 attendees from more than half the world’s countries.
“We’re ecstatic to advance to the semifinal round of the U.S. Army 2019 xTech competition,” said AKHAN Founder & CEO Adam Khan. “We look forward to leveraging our advances in consumer technology to service the near-term and future Army modernization priorities. We are honored for the opportunity to present alongside so many military leaders and industrial experts.”
AKHAN will display its Miraj Diamond® technology for protective coatings on Tuesday, Mar. 26 in the event’s Innovator’s Corner — a designated area for xTechSearch Phase II winners to showcase new solutions in line with the Army’s priorities for modernization. Phase II winners will also give formal presentations of their technologies, spaced out across the three days of the AUSA event. AKHAN secured a Phase I Award earlier this year after competing among 300 entrants. Company representatives then presented AKHAN’s Future Vertical Lift solution live in Austin, TX, as part of xTechSearch’s competition for Phase II awards. xTechSearch is currently exploring technologies related to cyber warfare, future vertical lift, and other topics. To accelerate technology concepts that may benefit Army stakeholders, the program will award $2M to competing companies over the next several months. The program’s goals include “integrating the sector of nontraditional innovators into the Army’s research and development ecosystem.” The 2019 AUSA National Meeting will take place at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, AL from March 26-28.
AKHAN’s flagship Miraj Diamond® Glass for consumer display is 6x stronger, 10x harder, and runs over 800x cooler than leading glass competitors like Gorilla Glass by coating standard commercial glass such as aluminosilicate, BK7, and Fused Silica with proprietary lab-grown nanocrystalline diamond. Diamond-based technology is capable of increasing power density as well as creating faster, lighter, and simpler devices for consumer use.
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AKHAN Semiconductor, a technology company specializing in the fabrication and application of lab-grown, electronics-grade diamond, announced today the issuance by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) of a patent covering AKHAN’s next generation multilayer diamond display systems, key in smartphone/mobile display applications, amongst others.
The granted and issued patent, 10,224,514, is a key addition to AKHAN’s breakthrough Miraj Diamond® Glass intellectual property portfolio, and enables deeper integration of the Miraj Diamond® Glass technology within the smartphone display module systems. Through integration of high transmission diamond display materials, the novel system allows for lighter and thinner display modules, ultimately enabling a lighter, thinner, stronger smartphone which runs cooler during use.“The basis of today’s current display glass module utilizes chemically hardened aluminosilicate glass, which hasn’t substantially changed or improved since its debut in the 1960’s. Every aspect of our consumer technology has benefited from modernity, and now with the integration of our world leading nanodiamond on glass technology, display will too,” explains AKHAN Founder & CEO, Adam Khan.
“Beyond a first product offering of a more durable and efficient diamond-based display cover glass, we are excited to bring the next level of offering to our consumer electronics customer partners-- a fundamental increase in engineering capability with next-generation display modules which are lighter, stronger, and more heat efficient than what’s on the market today. This is a direction that our glass competitors simply cannot compete with,” said AKHAN President & COO Carl Shurboff. “We look forward to announcing new capabilities for the platform in the near future.”
AKHAN’s flagship Miraj Diamond® Glass for consumer display is 6x stronger, 10x harder, and runs over 800x cooler than leading glass competitors like Gorilla Glass by coating standard commercial glass such as aluminosilicate, BK7, and Fused Silica with proprietary lab-grown nanocrystalline diamond. Diamond-based technology is capable of increasing power density as well as creating faster, lighter, and simpler devices for consumer use.
Leading Diamond Technology Company Selected for 2019 U.S. Army Expeditionary Technology Search
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AKHAN Semiconductor, a technology company specializing in the fabrication and application of lab-grown, electronics-grade diamonds, announced today that its Miraj Diamond® technology has been selected by the U.S. Army to be part of the 2019 Army Expeditionary Technology Search (xTechSearch).
The proposal, submitted by AKHAN, calls for the integration of its proprietary Miraj Diamond® technology in protective coatings that can significantly enhance protection and survivability of aircraft developed under the Army’s Future Vertical Lift (FVL) initiative.
“Our multi-layer Miraj Diamond® materials have broad applicability for protection of both optically transparent and opaque surfaces including aircraft canopies, sensor windows, and other sensitive structures,” explains AKHAN Founder & CEO, Adam Khan.
“With the recent launch of our pilot production facility in Gurnee, Illinois, AKHAN continues to expand its rapid prototyping capabilities and deep expertise in developing innovative diamond-based solutions for consumer electronics, aerospace, and defense,” said AKHAN President & COO Carl Shurboff. “We look forward to expanding our market share in 2019.”
AKHAN’s flagship Miraj Diamond® Glass for consumer display is 6x stronger, 10x harder, and runs over 800x cooler than leading glass competitors like Gorilla Glass by coating standard commercial glass such as aluminosilicate, BK7, and Fused Silica with lab-grown nanocrystalline diamond. Diamond-based technology is capable of increasing power density as well as creating faster, lighter, and simpler devices for consumer use.
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AKHAN Semiconductor recently cooperated with a U.S. federal investigation into what appears to be a theft of its intellectual property by Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. When AKHAN agreed to send its proprietary Miraj Diamond® technology to Huawei pursuant to an agreement, AKHAN expected that Huawei would abide by the agreement and its material would be returned unharmed. Unfortunately, AKHAN believes that Huawei destroyed our product, shipped it to China without authorization, subjected it to tests that it was not authorized to conduct, and returned most of it to us in pieces. We still have not recovered all of our product from Huawei, despite repeated written and oral requests and inquiries to Huawei.
AKHAN takes seriously any unlawful use of its technology. The theft of any AKHAN assets, attempted or successful, will be not be tolerated. AKHAN will continue to cooperate with law enforcement and work towards an expedient resolution to this matter. Given the threat that Huawei’s apparent theft poses to AKHAN shareholders, employees, and customers-- and the potential loss to U.S. jobs, revenue, and other projected economic impact-- AKHAN is considering any and all legal remedies available, and will work with the involved parties to make public the relevant information to all stakeholders to the extent it can do so. AKHAN is committed to acting with integrity and conducting its business in a safe, ethical and legal manner.
Since its creation in early 2013, AKHAN Semiconductor, an Illinois corporation, has garnered global attention with its proprietary diamond-based materials and device solutions. From research and development work maintaining U.S. competitiveness in the advanced materials market, to the creation of new high-technology manufacturing and other STEM jobs, AKHAN is publicly committed to maximizing domestic economic impact with the commercialization of our Miraj Diamond® technology.
For more information, please contact Christopher Fox at 847.855.8400 or email at [email protected].