Take a gander at Nitronex's GaN designs. The company -- a pioneer in gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors -- uses its wafer processing technique to grow GaN crystals onto industry-standard silicon substrates. GaN-based devices can withstand much higher power levels, frequencies, and temperatures than ordinary silicon components. Nitronex is marketing radio-frequency power transistors used in wireless base stations, as well as GaN-on-silicon optoelectronics devices, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and lasers. Founded in 1999 by four graduate students from North Carolina State University, the company was acquired by private investment fund Gaas Labs in 2012.