Charlotte, N.C., April 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Akoustis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKTS) (“Akoustis” or the “Company”), a manufacturer of patented single-crystal BulkONE® bulk
acoustic wave (BAW) high-band RF filters for mobile and other wireless applications, provided an update on its Intellectual
Property (IP) and Patent portfolio related to its single-crystal piezoelectric materials, novel BAW resonators, wide-bandwidth RF
filters and their application in mobile and other wireless devices.
Since last providing a patent update in June 2016, Akoustis has been granted four additional patents - bringing the
total number of issued patents to eleven with numerous patents pending in the U.S. and internationally. In addition to
its patent portfolio, Akoustis’ IP includes the ownership of valuable trade secrets associated with manufacturing its BulkONE® bulk
acoustic wave (BAW) high-band RF filter products and single-crystal piezoelectric materials.
Jeff Shealy, CEO of Akoustis, commented “From the inception of Akoustis, we believed a significant IP and patent portfolio would
ultimately be a key driver of value for our shareholders. We will continue to build and strengthen our IP position with the goal of
creating a significant and meaningful barrier-to-entry for potential competitors utilizing single-crystal bulk acoustic wave
technology."
A summary of the recent patents issued is provided below:
- Issued 10/19/16 - China Patent No. CN205657658U -
“A Substrate and Acoustic Resonator Equipment for Acoustic Resonator Equipment”
- Issued 11/23/16 - China Patent No. CN205725676U – “Wafer Level
Package”
- Issued 1/03/17 – U.S. Patent No. US 9,537,465 - “Acoustic
Resonator Device with Single Crystal Piezo Material and Capacitor on a Bulk Substrate”
- Issued 2/14/17 – U.S. Patent No. US 9,571,061- “Integrated
Circuit Configured with Two or More Single Crystal Acoustic Resonator Devices”
On March 24, 2017, Akoustis announced it had entered into definitive agreements to acquire a
120,000 Sq. Ft. Wafer Manufacturing Facility, and STC-MEMS, a semiconductor wafer manufacturing operation with associated 150-mm
wafer production tools and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) business, as well as 57-acres of real estate associated with the facility located in Canandaigua, New York. The
transaction is expected to close by the end of Q2 CY2017 and enables the Company to control the manufacturing of its BAW RF
filters.
Akoustis is pioneering next-generation material science to address the market requirements for improved RF filters - targeting
higher bandwidth, higher operating frequencies and higher output power compared to conventional polycrystalline BAW technology
deployed today. Superior performance is driven by the significant advances made in the growth of high-purity piezoelectric
materials and the resonator-filter process technology. The elastic and piezoelectric coefficients drive electro-mechanical
coupling, which translates to wide filter bandwidth. High-band RF filters are achieved by leveraging the Company’s high-sound
velocity, single-crystal piezoelectric materials. These single-crystal piezoelectric materials offer high-thermal conductivity
along the path of heat flow, enabling high-power handling capability of the RF filter.
About Akoustis
Akoustis® (http://www.akoustis.com) is a high-tech RF filter solutions company that manufactures its
unique, patented BulkONE® technology to produce single-crystal bulk acoustic wave (BAW) RF filters for mobile and other wireless
markets, which facilitate signal acquisition and accelerate band performance between the antenna and digital back end. Its
BulkONE® technology will service the fast growing multi-billion dollar market of device OEMs, network providers, and consumers to
diminish Front End phone heat, battery drain and signal loss -- all considered to be directly related to current RF polycrystalline
filter technologies' limitations. Akoustis’ capital-efficient business model leverages new and existing investments in
manufacturing infrastructure within the semiconductor industry. Akoustis® is located in the Piedmont technology corridor
between Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release that are not descriptions of historical facts are forward-looking statements, which are based
on management’s current expectations and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties. In some cases, you can identify
forward-looking statements by terminology, including “anticipates,” “believes,” “can,” “continue,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,”
“intends,” “may,” “plans,” “potential,” “predicts,” “should,” “will,” “would” or the negative of these terms or other comparable
terminology. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated include, without
limitation,
- risks relating to the results of our research and development activities, including uncertainties relating to semiconductor
process manufacturing;
- the early stage of our BulkONE® technology presently under development;
- our need for substantial additional funds in order to continue our operations and the uncertainty of whether we will be able
to obtain the funding we need;
- our ability to retain or hire key scientific, engineering or management personnel; our ability to protect our intellectual
property rights that are valuable to our business, including patent and other intellectual property rights;
- our dependence on third-party manufacturers, suppliers, research organizations, testing laboratories and other potential
collaborators;
- our ability to successfully market and sell our technologies;
- the size and growth of the potential markets for any of our technologies, and the rate and degree of market acceptance of any
of our technologies;
- competition in our industry; and
- regulatory developments in the U.S. and foreign countries.
In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking statements regarding future events and circumstances
discussed in this press release may not occur, and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or
implied in the forward-looking statements. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future
events. The forward-looking statements included in this presentation speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as
required by law, we undertake no obligation to update publicly or privately any forward-looking statements for any reason after the
date of this presentation to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in our expectations. The materials do not
constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of any offer to buy, any securities of Akoustis, or any other entity
whatsoever. Any representation to the contrary by any party should be ignored.
Akoustis Contact Information:
COMPANY:
Dave Aichele
Akoustis Technologies, Inc.
VP of Business Development
704-997-5735, ext. 106
daichele@akoustis.com
INVESTORS:
The Del Mar Consulting Group, Inc.
Robert B. Prag, President
858-794-9500
bprag@delmarconsulting.com
