Phiar Corporation Wins 2007 CSIA Apex Fast Forward Award
June 19, 2007 08:00 AM US Eastern Timezone
Emerging company honored for forward thinking, next-generation technology development.
BOULDER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Phiar Corporation, the leading provider of metal-insulator electronics, today announced that it won the Fast Forward Award at the seventh annual CSIA Apex Awards ceremony held in Denver, Colo. on June 5. The annual CSIA (Colorado Software & Internet Association) event honors the breakthrough innovations and contributions of Colorado’s leading technology companies.
“We are honored to be named the first ever recipient of the CSIA Apex Fast Forward Award,” said Bob Goodman, CEO of Phiar Corporation. “Phiar is excited to be developing technologies that have the potential to impact our daily lives as well as working in a local market that is taking the lead in commercializing the next-generation of nanotechnology.”
A new category in CSIA’s 2007 Apex Awards, the Fast Forward Award, is presented to a company or individual who is thinking beyond the boundaries of today’s technology and is creating the path to enable next-generation technology innovations. As the first recipient of this award, Phiar Corporation and its developments in metal-insulator technology are exemplary displays of innovation driving new technology developments.
Phiar develops metal-insulator electronic devices, including diodes, detectors, modulators and transistors. These basic devices are the first cost-effective, credible alternative to semiconductors since the vacuum tube era. The company expects applications to include: cameras that can detect plastic explosives and allow pilots to see through fog, automotive collision-avoidance systems and next generation wireless radios that will enable communication 100 times faster than today’s Wi-Fi connections.
“CSIA is proud to honor up-and-coming businesses like Phiar Corporation that are achieving significant technology milestones right here in the state of Colorado,” said Su Hawk, president of CSIA. “Phiar is a company with a bright future that demonstrates innovation with the potential to deliver new mass market applications in the very near future.”
Phiar’s patented devices contain no semiconductors. Metal-insulator electronics utilize quantum tunneling, a phenomenon where electrons on one side of an insulating layer are forced to “appear” on the other side. This transport mechanism is so fast it happens in about 1 femtosecond, providing a substantial speed advantage over semiconductor devices. Phiar’s devices can be manufactured using readily available semiconductor factory equipment. In high volumes, Phiar’s technology will be less expensive than traditional silicon-based electronics.
About CSIA
CSIA is the leader on behalf of the technology industry in Colorado, providing connections, insight, advocacy and competitive-edge programs and services to help technology companies succeed and prosper. Since 1994, CSIA has led legislative issues and public policy to represent the technology industry in Colorado, and has provided a number of annual programs, events and to create peer-to-peer connections to grow business success for Colorado’s technology industry. CSIA’s activities represent the more than 3,000 technology companies in the state, with specific attention to the more than 750 companies who are active in CSIA.
About Phiar Corporation
Phiar is developing low cost, nano-scale devices that take performance beyond the physical limits of semiconductors. Phiar’s metal-insulator technology can be integrated into supporting CMOS chip dies, or manufactured on a wide range of other substrates. Natively operating from DC to 3 THz, Phiar’s technology is a compact, practical replacement for costly compound semiconductors in GHz applications and cryogenic devices in the emerging THz field. Phiar is funded by Menlo Ventures. For more information, visit www.phiar.com.