The Executive Team
Dr. Benjamin A. Haskell, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Engineer
Dr. Benjamin A. Haskell is a leading researcher in nonpolar GaN thick film growth and defect reduction. Dr. Haskell’s research while a graduate student and then post-doctoral researcher under Prof. Shuji Nakamura at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), yielded the first planar a-plane and m-plane GaN films grown by HVPE, as well as the first demonstrations of HVPE-based lateral epitaxial overgrowth for microstructural defect reduction in these films. He is author or co-author of sixteen issued and pending patents on nonpolar and semipolar GaN crystal growth, processing, and device fabrication.
Dr. Paul T. Fini, Chief Technology Officer
Dr. Paul T. Fini was previously a senior researcher in the UC Santa Barbara GaN research effort. While a graduate student with Prof. Steven DenBaars at UCSB, he studied the mechanisms of defect generation in MOCVD GaN films, and the use of lateral epitaxial overgrowth for dislocation reduction. Later he acted as Lead Researcher of Prof. Nakamura’s Nitride Crystal Growth laboratory at UCSB by overseeing laboratory research activities and equipment design. He was also actively involved in funding proposal writing and project planning/oversight. Paul is recognized in the Gallium Nitride community as an expert in nonpolar GaN materials and growth technology.