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Editorial: Strategic SiC Patents Up for Grabs?
... Not sure what to make of all this, but SiC shifts are afoot, and someone may want to tap dance quickly to the front of the line. The info came from one of the longtime compound semi materials gurus, Heikki Helava, formerly of AXT and Fox Group, etc....
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Strategy Analytics Predicts Increasing Demand for Six-Inch GaAs Bulk Wafers
CompoundSemi News StaffJuly 16, 2008...Strategy Analytics announced its latest analysis of the semi-insulating (SI) GaAs bulk substrates market. The report entitled, “Markets for SI GaAs Substrates: 2007-2012,” predicts that merchant demand for four-inch material will decline by over 20% by 2009, with demand shifting to six-inch material. The report also indicates that six-inch substrates will account for 76% of total revenues from the GaAs bulk substrate market market in 2012, up from 63% in 2007.
Strategy Analytics estimates that demand for SI GaAs bulk substrates increased by 5% year-on-year in 2007 driven primarily by cellular handset and other wireless markets. The company predicts that the overall SI GaAs substrate market will grow at a CAAGR (compound annual average growth rate) of 5%. The company says that merchant demand will account for about 95% of the SI GaAs substrate market by 2012.
“We are forecasting that year-on-year substrate demand will grow 7% in 2008 and 9% in 2009, but demand for bulk substrates will vary by growth technology,” predicts Asif Anwar, Director of the GaAs service at Strategy Analytics. “In addition to the move to six-inch diameters, overall demand for SI GaAs bulk substrates is driven by HBT (Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor) device production, which will ensure dominance of VGF (Vertical Gradient Freeze) and VB (Vertical Bridgman) substrates.” Stephen Entwistle, VP of the Strategic Technologies Practice cautions that the GaAs wafer producers will have to develop and maintain strategic relationships with the main wafer using companies. Company News Release July 16, 2008...The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Optony, Inc. announced plans to collaborate on the development of thin film solar concentrator cells. The collaboration will reportedly develop thin-film solar concentrator cells based on technologies NREL developed with record setting efficiency. The first and second phases of the three-phase development project will concentrate on devising a design to work with Optony’s optical system. The third phase requires real world tests of the cells combined with Optony’s optical system at NREL’s testing facility.
The NREL points out that the conversion efficiency of silicon solar cells is currently better than that of thin film solar cells, but they are more costly. The highest efficiency solar concentrator cells are multi-junction gallium arsenide based solar concentrator cells. These are also more expensive and require 500 to 1000 times the concentration of sunlight to operate a peak efficiency. The NREL notes that silicon solar cells can’t take that high a concentration of sunlight because of the thermal properties of silicon. However, thin film cells apparently do not require as high a level of sunlight concentration, and they are less expensive. The NREL Senior Scientist Miguel Contreras, who developed the thin-film cells with the world efficiency record stated, “The cheaper thin-film cells and low-cost optics should lead to a less expensive product or a lower dollar per watt of electricity.” NREL News Release Nu Horizons to Expand Distribution of Osram Opto Semiconductors’ Products into India
CompoundSemi News StaffJuly 16, 2008...Nu Horizons Electronics Corp., a global distributor of advanced technology, announced an agreement with Osram Opto Semiconductors to expand its distribution of Osram Opto products into India. The agreement involves the distribution of Osram’s LEDs, silicon photo detectors, optical sensors, infrared emitters, high power laser diodes, and intelligent display products. Nu Horizons already distributes Osram’s products throughout North America.
“Tapping into Nu Horizons’ global demand creation, world-class logistics, and expert technical and engineering knowledge gives us both access to a larger customer base and the ability to further penetrate our key target markets e.g. in India ,” said Dr Alfred Felder, CEO of Osram Opto Semiconductors Asia Ltd.
“Customers are using lighting technologies to produce more and more innovative and efficient solutions and Osram is a market leader in LED, IR and Laser Diode solution in the market," said Wendell Boyd, president of Nu Horizons, Asia Pacific. “Nu Horizons is extremely pleased to build on our partnership with Osram, adding this key technology to our lighting portfolio within India.”
Osram Opto Semiconductors News Release Nichia Files Patent Lawsuit Against Seoul Semiconductor in Germany
LIGHTimes StaffJuly 15, 2008...Nichia Corporation has again filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Seoul Semiconductor. This lawsuit alleges that Seoul Semiconductor Co. Ltd. , a German subsidiary of Seoul Semiconductor, Seoul Semiconductor Europe GmbH, and its German distributor, Conrad Electronic SE infringed Nichia’s patent [EP(DE)622858]. Specifically the lawsuit alleges that Seoul Semiconductor’s white Acriche products infringe on Nichia’s European Union patent.
The EU patent is analogous to the patents of Nichia’s other lawsuits against Seoul Semiconductor in other venues. The patent refers to a method of producing a gallium nitride-based III-V device. The patent was awarded to Nichia in 1994, and Shuji Nakamura is listed as one of the original inventors.
Nichia hopes to obtain injunctive relief and compensation for damages for the latest litigation. Content continues for LIGHTimes SecondPage members... Magnolia Optical Technologies and Kopin to Collaborate on Solar Cells
CompoundSemi News StaffJuly 14, 2008...Magnolia Optical Technologies of Woburn, Massachusetts USA, announced that it will be collaborating with Kopin to develop indium nitride (InN)-based quantum dot solar cells for NASA and defense applications. Magnolia specializes in thin film and nanostructured optical technologies for sensors, and various commercial applications such as solar cells. Kopin and Magnolia previously collaborated on GaN-based materials, Magnolia says. Magnolia points out that the solar electric conversion efficiency of traditional semiconductor solar cells is limited by a tradeoff between the current generated by photon absorption and the operating voltage of the device. Magnolia notes that photons with energies below the band gap of the semiconductor pass right through the device and do not contribute to the photogenerated current. However, magnolia says that high energy photons can be absorbed, but the resulting electrons are collected and extracted at a lower voltage limited by the semiconductor band gap.
“The goal of the current program is to develop high performance solar cells that are resistant to extreme conditions while achieving high solar electric power conversion efficiency,” said Dr. Welser, Kopin’s Director of New Business and Product Development. “The advanced solar cell structure incorporating InN-based nanostructures can harness a very large fraction of the solar spectrum while minimizing the effects of high temperatures and high-energy radiation. This technology will enable photovoltaic power systems of future NASA space exploration missions and can be applied to other defense applications.”
Magnolia Optical Technologies News Release Dow Acquires Rohm and Haas, Creating Giant Advanced Materials Company
CompoundSemi News StaffJuly 14, 2008...Dow of Midland, Michigan USA has signed a definitive agreement to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Rohm and Haas. Under the terms of the agreement, Dow will purchase the shares of Rohm and Haas common stock at a price of $78 per share. Rohm and Haas is a maker of specialty chemicals and products for processing semiconductors. The transaction reportedly totals $18.8 billion. Dow’s financing for the acquisition includes an equity investment by Berkshire Hathaway and the Kuwait Investment Authority in the form of convertible preferred securities for $3 billion and $1 billion respectively. Citi, Merrill Lynch, and Morgan Stanley, who acted as financial advisors on the transaction, committed debt financing for the transaction. Dow contends that the acquisition will make it the leading specialty chemical and advanced materials company.
“Rohm and Haas brings us access to new and exciting technologies and offers an extended reach into emerging geographies, all of which are highly complementary to Dow’s existing platforms and value growth priorities,” Andrew N. Liveris, Dow’s chairman and CEO, stated. Dow News Release
Opnext to Acquire StrataLight Communications
CompoundSemi News StaffJuly 14, 2008...Opnext, Inc., an optical component and module manufacturer based in Eatontown, New Jersey USA, has reportedly reached a definitive agreement to acquire privately held StrataLight Communications, Inc. StrataLight Communications is a developer and producer of 40 gigabits per second (40G) line-side optical subsystems and advanced dispersion compensation modules for the communications industry. Opnext will reportedly pay $172 million including $30 million in cash and the rest in common shares.
StrataLight, a 200-employee company based in Los Gatos, California USA, has shipped its optical subsystems to customers that it says are among the largest communications equipment manufacturers. StrataLight also boasts that its subsystems, are widely deployed in several of the world's largest tier-one service provider networks.
"The combined expertise and technologies of Opnext's client-side and StrataLight's line-side products will position Opnext to address current and future 40G applications as well as the emerging 100G applications," said Harry Bosco, president and CEO of Opnext Inc.
Opnext News Release TriQuint Ramps Production of Polar EDGE PA Modules for 3G Handsets
CompoundSemi News StaffJuly 14, 2008...TriQuint of Hillsboro, Oregon USA, an RF front-end product maker and foundry service, announced that more than 15 customers have chosen its TQM7M5012, a 5x5mm Polar EDGE power amplifier module (PAM) for forthcoming 3G handsets. TriQuint says that the TQM7M5012 is a third generation PAM and member of its Hadron II PA-Module Family. The company contends that the TQM7M5012, which is aligned with a leading 3G chipset solution, offers significant improvements in performance, size and cost over existing PA modules and WEDGE transmit module solutions currently on the market.
The company notes that the TQM7M5012 is built with its patented CuFlip technology, a packaging technique that enables a more compact solution. According to the company, when the TQM7M5012 is paired with an industry standard-WEDGE front-end module, the total solution is smaller, uses fewer components and is less expensive compared to existing solutions in the market. The TQM7M5012 boasts world-class current consumption and Rx band noise performance that the company says provides longer talk-time and better thermal efficiencies while eliminating the need for additional low-band GSM transmit filtering. Company News Release Our news features are reported
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The
McDonald Report
Commentary & Perspective...
Strategic SiC Patents Up for Grabs?
Jo Ann McDonald, founding editorJuly 9, 2008...Not sure what to make of all this, but SiC shifts are afoot, and someone may
want to tap dance quickly to the front of the line.
The info came from one of the longtime compound semi materials gurus, Heikki
Helava, formerly of AXT and Fox Group, etc. Since Fox has elected to concentrate
only on UV LEDs, Heikki acquired Fox Group's crystal growth facilities in Deer
Park, New York USA. "This gives me the opportunity to continue to develop
AlN substrates and to exploit them for a variety of devices and applications
that can benefit from the unique properties of AlN," said Heikki. But what
else is up for grabs left over from outstanding (but disappointingly unrewarding
monetarily at the time) work by Helava and Vodakov is what's especially interesting.
As you may recall, one of the great Russian master crystal growers, Vodakov,
died last year. But back in the late 1990s, he and Heikki worked on some key
micropipe and dislocation-free SiC materials growth research and development
that wasn't so popular at the time... but it evidently is now. That in itself
shouldn't surprise anyone in the CS R&D community. Like great artists in
any walk of life, it's often way past one's time on this earth that your work
becomes fully appreciated. The work at least resulted in two key US patents,
numbers 6,534,026
and 6,562,130
for low micropipe SiC material. The former is titled, simply: Low defect
density silicon carbide and the latter is titled Low defect axially grown
single crystal silicon carbide. Clicking on the above hotlinks on the patent
numbers will get you to the particulars.
Since Fox is quietly getting out of the crystal growth business, they've been
equally quietly shopping these patents. Since much-improved and fresh patent-safe
methods of growing SiC is back in vogue (thanks largely to the USA's DoD funding
agencies who've concentrated their wide bandgap efforts on SiC, vs. new and
improved GaN to justify all the heady expenditures of the past), this might
be a route for SiC growers to get to getting more and better funding attention.
Seems there's a bit of a scramble going on in the USA, Europe and Japan to try
to find something that invalidates the patents... which should be a clue that
they're important. Given the traditional carefulness of Vodakov and Helava,
my bet is they're a pretty safe bet.
The pursuit route for the patents is via Barney O'Mera at The Fox Group, www.thefoxgroup.inc.
The way to find Heikki these days is via his newly established company. Heikki
Helava, PhD., Helava Systems Inc., 191B East Industry Ct., Deer Park, NY 11729
USA, T: 631-242-8853 F:631-242-8906 and his new email address is: hhelava@optonline.net.
Good luck!
If you have questions about the
solid state lighting and compound semiconductor industries or have news
or views to share, I'm Jo Ann McDonald, Editor of LIGHTimes and CompoundSemi News.
Feel free to contact me directly, anytime. 
My direct tel at the ranch is
+1-325-463-5345
From time to time Jo Ann may comment on companies in which she holds a
modest investment - be sure to read
her disclosure at some point in time... |
