About Us
Our Story
The modern world runs on semiconductor integrated circuits. Every second, more than 10,000 new chips are shipped, and the vast majority of them require clean, efficient DC power to function. This makes DC power management one of the critical, unsung foundations of all advanced electronics.
For decades, system designers have sought to optimize three key power management attributes—small size, high efficiency, and minimal electrical noise. However, achieving all three at once is extremely challenging, and designers are left facing some fundamental tradeoffs.
This is the challenge that our founder, Dr. Lumb, tackled during his research into high-efficiency semiconductor optoelectronic devices. He developed a new approach that could break this long-standing tradeoff, and his breakthrough earned first prize at the 2019 GWU Technology Commercialization Office Pitch Competition. This success validated the technology's immense potential, attracting backing from key national partners, including the National Science Foundation and multiple agencies within the US Department of Defense.
Today, that award-winning research forms the basis of Polaris Semiconductor’s patented technology. By integrating our unique optoelectronic chips with state-of-the-art silicon voltage regulators, we have created a new class of DC power management devices with unbeatable output noise, a small footprint, and high efficiency. Headquartered in Northern Virginia, we are bringing this groundbreaking solution to the world's most demanding applications.
Matthew Lumb at Polaris Semiconductor’s first Expo
Born in Defense. Perfected for Space. Delivered Everywhere.
Our Team
Dr. Lumb gained his Ph.D. in physics in the field of semiconductor quantum dots from Imperial College London in 2009. He was previously lead modeler at QuantaSol, a UK startup developing high efficiency photovoltaics, acquired by JDS Uniphase. He has published more than 40 journal articles, 70 conference articles, holds 5 patents, is an honorary member of the National Academy of Inventors, has delivered numerous invited talks at technical conferences, and is co-author of the 2020 book “Bands and Photons in III-V Quantum Semiconductor Structures” with Dr. Igor Vurgaftman and Dr. Jerry Meyer.
Dr. Schmieder has authored over 15 journal articles, delivered an international conference keynote address, and has served as an invited speaker at DoD Technology Showcase events. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Delaware and a Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University.
