Investor Relations

Crystal IS is poised for tremendous growth and impact on society through the development of aluminum nitride substrates and semiconductor devices based on these substrates. Applications range from bioagent detection to wireless communication to energy-saving sold-state lighting.

Crystal IS has received invaluable funding from such prestigious organizations as DARPA, MDA, ONR and the Air Force. To continue developing ever-increasing wafer usable surfaces, the company seeks investment for research & development, as well as for commercialization of these developments.

Crystal IS offers an unprecedented opportunity for investors to be a part of some of the most impressive innovations in the compound semiconductor industry.

Board of Directors

Gerald Fine, Ph.D.

Gerry was appointed Professor in the Manufacturing Engineering Department at Boston University in 2004. Prior to his appointment, he held a variety of management positions at Corning Incorporated, including Executive Vice President – Photonic Technologies. Dr. Fine started his career at Corning in 1985 as an R&D scientist and subsequently worked in areas as diverse as flat panel displays, specialty glass and consumer housewares.

He holds a Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology.

Leo J. Schowalter, Ph.D.

Leo is the Chief Technical Officer. He co-founded the company with fellow RPI professor Glen Slack. His experience includes employment with the General Electric R&D Center, and three years as the Physics Department Chair at RPI. He has 25 years experience in crystal growth and nanoprobe technologies, for which he has received international recognition. He is currently a member of the Albany Chamber of Commerce and the Materials Research Society.

He holds a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Illinois.

Ding Yuan Day, Ph.D.

Ding is CEO of Crystal IS. He has more than 20 years experience in the compound semiconductor industry for HP, Avantek and Skyworks. Dr. Day founded GaAs RF device company, Network Devices in 1997 which merged with Alpha Industries in 2000 and was eventually sold to Skyworks Solutions in 2002.

He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Sean Brownlee

Sean is an associate of 3i, an international venture capital and private equity company, with expertise in the wireless, security, and telecommunications sectors. His experience also includes employment with the Risk Management Office of the Export Development Corporation, and a management position with the Royal Bank of Canada. He is currently a member of the Toronto Chapter of Chartered Financial Analysts, and the Boston Security Analysts Society.

He holds a MBA and a degree in Economics from Carleton University. He is a CFA charter-holder.

Keith Crandell

Keith is a Managing Director of ARCH Venture Partners. His experience includes a position as Senior Manager with ARCH Development Corporation, and employment with Hercules, Inc. In addition to his Board membership with Crystal IS; he is a director with AlfaLight, Apropos, CelebrateExpress, and Quarry. He has played a key role in the formation and initial funding rounds of physical materials companies such as Nanophase Technologies and Illinois Semiconductors.

He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago, and a MS in Chemistry from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Tom Hierl

Thomas has 30 years of experience within the compound semiconductor industry. He founded Quantum Epitaxial Designs, Inc. (QED), a merchant supplier of III-V epiwafers using MBE in 1989 where he served as CEO and Chairman. Mr. Hierl merged QED with a U.K. company in 1999 to form IQE, plc. Mr. Hierl left IQE in 2003 and has accepted an appointment as a Visiting Scientist at Lehigh University. From 1986 through 1988 Mr. Hierl was Manager of Semiconductor Materials for GAIN Electronics, a venture backed start-up company formed to commercialize GaAs integrated circuits where he started the first domestic source for MBE wafers. He was previously employed by Loral Corporation and Varian Associates in California. Mr. Hierl is currently the CEO of Velox Semiconductor Corp., which aims to commercialize fast, high voltage diodes to address problems of size and efficiency in the power supply industry.

He earned his BSEE and MEE degrees from Cornell University in 1974 and 1975 respectively.

Hong Hou, PhD.

Hong is currently Corporate Vice President and General Manager of Ortel, a division of Emcore. He was previously Executive Vice President, responsible for Emcore’s product strategy and merger and acquisition activities. He started the multi-junction solar cell business for Emcore in Albuquerque, and managed the Emcore Fiber Optics Division subsequently. Hong is also a Venture Partner with Arch Venture Partners. Prior to joining Emcore, Hong was a Principal Member of Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories and Member of Technical Staff at AT&T Bell Laboratories, Holmdel, NJ.

He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from UCSD.

Josh Wolfe

Josh is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Lux Capital, focusing on investments in nanotechnology, semiconductors and life sciences. Josh manages Lux Capital's investments in Nanosys and Cambrios, and serves on the Board of Directors of Crystal IS and Lux Research. Before forming Lux Capital, he worked in Salomon Smith Barney's Investment Banking group, where his experience included a $4 billion hotel merger and a defense against an unsolicited LBO. Josh has also worked in capital markets while at Merrill Lynch on its Financial Futures & Options/ Government Strategy desk and at Prudential Securities in its Municipal Finance department.