Finwave Semiconductor, Inc. today announced that Dr. Pierre-Yves Lesaicherre has joined the company as its chief executive officer. In his new role, Dr. Lesaicherre will be instrumental in driving the adoption of Finwave’s disruptive technology and bringing it to the broader market. Dr. Lesaicherre is a seasoned semiconductor industry veteran with decades of experience leading technology companies into accelerated growth and increased profitability.
Finwave co-founder and former CEO, Dr. Bin Lu, is now taking on the role of chief technology officer. In this position, Dr. Lu will maintain his unwavering commitment to driving technology development and innovation within the company.
“With his extensive leadership experience in the semiconductor industry, profound expertise in technology, science and global business, and a remarkable track record of transforming businesses into resounding successes, Pierre-Yves is ideally positioned to guide the company forward as we continue to push the boundaries of GaN semiconductor technology,” stated Dr. Lu. “I eagerly anticipate the positive impact he will undoubtedly make, as we strive to revolutionize energy-efficient 5G/6G communications, data centers, automotive power, the IOT and more.”
Finwave, an early-stage semiconductor company that emerged from MIT, is actively enhancing its disruptive GaN technology. The crown jewel of the company’s innovation lies in its revolutionary 3DGaN FinFET technology, which delivers remarkable advancements in linearity and power efficiency for 5G communications. Moreover, Finwave’s pioneering enhancement-mode (Emode) RF technology opens up a world of possibilities for high-performance power amplifiers in mobile handsets. By capitalizing on high-volume 8″ Si CMOS manufacturing, Finwave’s GaN-on-Si platform enables substantial cost reductions compared to traditional 6″ GaN-on-SiC and GaAs technologies, while embracing the scalability principles akin to “Moore’s Law” for GaN. This multiprong approach positions the company as a leader in driving industry transformation and staying at the forefront of technological innovation.
“Finwave has introduced a new era of innovation and progress and is on the cusp of bringing the true potential of GaN to some of today’s most important enabling markets – including 5G, AI, and the IoT,” said Dr. Lesaicherre. “The company’s technology has already demonstrated its ability to deliver extremely high performance in higher frequency applications, and the implications of that are very exciting.”
Before joining the Finwave team, Dr. Lesaicherre was the president, CEO and a director of Nanometrics Incorporated, a leading provider of advanced process control metrology and software analytics. He also held the CEO position for Lumileds, an integrated manufacturer of LED components and automotive lighting lamps, from 2012 to 2017. Dr. Lesaicherre previously held senior executive positions at NXP and Philips Semiconductors, and served as chairman of the board of Silvaco Group, Inc., a leading supplier of TCAD, EDA software and design IP. Dr. Lesaicherre currently serves on the board of InterDigital, a technology company that develops and licenses mobile and video technologies that are at the core of devices, networks and services worldwide.
Dr. Lesaicherre holds an MBA with a focus on International Business and Strategy from INSEAD, and has an M.S. degree and a Ph.D. degree in Material Science from the Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP). He is a board leadership fellow, governance fellow and director certified for NACD (National Association of Corporate Directors) and an active member of NACD and SVDX (Silicon Valley Director’s Exchange).