Technology forum – laser – photonics

In the mid-1980s, semiconductors and integrated circuits in particular were conquering more and more areas of application in communication, data processing and industry. During this early growth phase, Dr Heiner Flocke and Manfred Herz founded iC-Haus GmbH in 1984 in Bodenheim near Mainz as a manufacturer of ICs and microsystems. Today, Flocke can look back on 40 years of company history at the Bodenheim site with absolute satisfaction. “Even in the current challenging times, we are very confident about the future,” emphasises Flocke.

Orientation on depth of added value

The company’s success is based on a smart decision regarding its positioning within the microelectronics value chain, says the co-founder. “Right from the start, we decided in favour of the greatest possible vertical integration for a medium-sized company,” says Flocke. “With the exception of pure wafer production, we combine all development and production expertise for our own standard ICs and microsystems as well as solutions based on ASICs, including wafer processing, assembly and testing. This enables us to deliver chip-based solutions that are customised to the applications and needs of our customers.”

A location that grows with them

iC-Haus has remained loyal to Bodenheim. “Our foundation in Bodenheim on the edge of the Rhine-Main region has proven to be both right and fortunate,” emphasises Flocke. “With our focus on industrial customers, we are located in Germany and here again on the Rhine within easy reach of the mechanical engineering regions of southern and south-west Germany. Added to this is the proximity to renowned university locations such as Darmstadt, Kaiserlautern, Frankfurt, Wiesbaden and Bingen, which is important for our HR work.”
According to the company, 1993 marked a first milestone when iC-Haus left the rented premises of the founding phase and began production in its own company building. In 1997, iC-Haus expanded its production and R&D space. According to the company, a clean room for chip processing and assembly was added in 2006. This was followed in 2012 by construction phase four for production, IC testing, logistics and training. According to iC-Haus, 350 people were employed in Bodenheim in 2021, after the fifth construction phase for the production expansion was put into operation in 2019.

Public funding as a driver of innovation

In addition to customer orientation, public funding also plays a sustainable role in the innovative strength of iC-Haus, explains Flocke. “The projects supported by state and federal funds, such as our reflexive encoder ICs and the open source BiSS interface for over 600 licence holders, have played an important role in helping us to achieve a leading global position in selected industrial application areas. The fact that we are also commercially successful with these innovations ensures that the subsidies can flow back to us in the form of tax payments.”

Management team expanded

Dr Alexander Flocke was also appointed as an additional Managing Director at the turn of 2022/23. According to the company, he had initially worked in chip development since 2008, then in applications and sales.