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Editorial: Executive Changes Afoot
... Recent shakeups and changes in the upper echelons of mainstay compound semi (CS) companies like Cree and Anadigics are leading CS industry followers to ask: What's happening? Is there anything inherently wrong? The answer is NO. In fact, something very good is actually happening. It's called "maturing." Those...
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August 20, 2008...First Solar Inc., a maker of cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin film solar cells based in Tempe, Arizona USA, announced plans to expand its manufacturing operation in Perrysburg, Ohio. The company says it will add about 500,000 square feet of manufacturing, research and development, and office space. In addition, First Solar says it will add at least 134 new jobs to the company’s current workforce of 700.
First Solar indicated that it is collaborating with state and local leaders on incentive packages that it says are critical for the two projects. This expansion plan will add a fourth production line and reconfigure its original pilot line to the same four-line configuration like its five other plants located in Germany and Malaysia. The company says that it expects the expansion to be completed in the second quarter of 2010, and it will increase the annual capacity at the Perrysburg facility to approximately 192 megawatts (based on run rates for the second quarter of 2008). In addition, the company will construct a separate facility for research and development of its advanced thin film solar module manufacturing technology.
"Scaling our manufacturing capacity while taking advantage of existing infrastructure will incrementally lower the manufacturing cost per watt at a rate comparable to our lowest cost facility in Malaysia," said Bruce Sohn, president of First Solar. "The expansion of our operations in Ohio is a direct result of the outstanding achievements of our associates and a strong, ongoing partnership with state and local leaders." Company News Release Skyworks Awarded Five-Year Contract with Lockheed Martin
CompoundSemi News StaffAugust 20, 2008...Skyworks Solutions of Woburn, Massachusetts USA, announced that it has been awarded a five-year, multi-million dollar contract to supply Lockheed Martin with ceramic toroids and inserts for the Aegis Weapon system. Toroids are essentially donut shaped solids. Aegis is an extremely sophisticated naval weapon system, and it is the sea-based component of the nation’s Ballistic Missile Defense System. According to Skyworks and the U.S. Navy, its radar and missile package is seamlessly integrated with its own command-and-control system that can counter any existing and emerging threats to naval battle groups and to those striking inland targets. Skyworks boasts that Aegis is based on the most powerful and robust tactical phased array radar in the world, the SPY-1.
“By virtue of this strategic contract win, Skyworks is proud to supply ceramic toroids and inserts in support of Lockheed-Martin and the U.S. Navy,” said Seth F. Stein, general manager of Skyworks’ advanced ceramic materials business. “This new, multi-year agreement is a testament to the strength of our state-of-the art ceramics portfolio. We look forward to continuing to foster our working relationship with these world-class partners in defense of our country.”
“This five-year contract reflects a key component of our supplier partnership strategy,” said Orlando Carvalho, vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Surface and Sea-Based Missile Defense Systems line of business. “These long term contracts provide cost efficiencies to the Navy and stability to our supplier base.”
Skyworks News Release Bookham Demonstrates 40G Tunable Transmitter
CompoundSemi News StaffAugust 20, 2008...Bookham, Inc., an optical component maker based in San Jose, California USA, reports that it has completed tier 1 customer demonstrations of its 40Gb/s ODQPSK tunable transmitter. The company says that the tunable transmitter assembly (TTA) is designed to allow cost-effective deployment of 40Gb/s transmission in metro networks. The TTA was demonstrated in the Bookham Caswell, UK , facility using cascaded DWDM nodes to reproduce real network conditions. Next month, the company says it will send samples to customers.
The TTA is based upon a single gold box co-packaging an indium phosphide Mach Zehnder modulator (InP MZ) measuring less than 10mm. The company says it believes the TTA to be the industry's smallest 40Gb/s modulator. The company notes that the other integral part of the TTA is the LambdaFLEX DSDBR tunable laser. The TTA, implementing all required control circuitry including an OIF standard tunable laser interface that measures just 74mm x 39mm x 8.4mm. The interface is the first building block of Bookham’s 40Gb/s transponder. The Bookham 40Gb/s products utilize InP technology and the Optical Differential Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (ODQPSK) modulation scheme for 40Gb/s.
PLM Director, Adam Price commented, "Through our vertical integration model we are proving that InP technology established by Bookham can provide the high performance needed for line side 40Gb/s optical networks, without the cost, power and size issues linked to less integrated transmitter and decoder solutions.” Company News Release
Opnext Releases Laser diodes at 705nm for Biomedical ApplicationsAugust 20, 2008...Opnext, a laser diode maker based in the UK has released the HL 7001MG and the HL7002MG infrared laser diodes for biomedical applications such as blood analysis and endoscopy. The laser diodes operate at a wavelength of 705nm, and the company says they offer high reliability and high output power while requiring low operating current. The lasing wavelength of 705nm at 50mW reportedly offers high permeability for living tissue and low absorption of haemoglobin and water.The laser modules produce an elliptical output beam of 3.5 x 2mm with a TTL modulation input which will accept signals from DC up to 1kHz and can be used to enable, inhibit or modulate the laser. The Opnext HL7001MG and HL7002MG laser diodes have optical output power of 50mW CW (typical) at a lasing wavelength of 705nm, low operating current of 75mA, low operating voltage of 2.5V, LD reverse voltage of 2V, PD reverse voltage of 30V, a low threshold current of 30mA and monitoring output current of 0.15mA.
They operate in a temperature range of -10 to +60C, and come in a 5.6mm package with 3P-type common cathode pin configuration, (HL7001MG) or 1N pin configuration, (HL7002MG), this is a single longitudinal mode Opnext laser diode with a built-in monitor photodiode. The company says that the 5.6mm package size is ideal for small, energy-efficient medical sensor equipment and low-power optical measurement applications.
Company News Release Cree Gets COO
LIGHTimes StaffAugust 19, 2008...
Cree Inc. of Durham, North Carolina USA, reported that Steve Kelley will join the company as executive vice president and chief operating officer, effective today. Previously, Kelley served as VP of the Standard Linear and Logic Group at Texas Instruments. Prior to working at Texas Instruments for five years, Kelley held various management positions at Philips Semiconductor for ten years.
“Steve's breadth of experience and track record of success in the semiconductor business will be a strong addition to the Cree leadership team as we drive the adoption of energy-efficient LED lighting,” said Chuck Swoboda, Cree chairman and chief executive officer.
The new position comes after the company posted record revenues for the quarter and for the year. The new position appears to be part of the company’s strategy to delve further into the LED luminaire market. Company News Release Dr. Bami Bastani Resigns as CEO at Anadigics; Gilles Delfassy Becomes Chairman
CompoundSemi News StaffAugust 18, 2008...Anadigics, a wireless solution provider based in Warren, New Jersey USA, announced that its president and CEO, Dr. Bami Bastani has resigned. The company appointed Gilles Delfassy to be the chairman of the board of directors. Anadigics says that Delfassy, who has been director of the company since January of 2008, will temporarily take on the job of CEO until a permanent replacement is found. Dr. Bastani’s resignation comes just weeks after the company lowered its projected third quarter revenues and announced a delay in constructing its fab facility in Kunshan, China.
Before coming to Anadigics, Delfassy served as an executive at Texas Instruments. Delfassy reportedly helped guid Texas instruments to be one of the largest suppliers of semiconductors for wireless handsets. Before that he managed Texas Instruments’ European digital signal processing operations and its European automotive electronics business.
Ron Rosenzweig, founder of the company and vice chairman of the board commented, “Bami has made a significant contribution to Anadigics by guiding us over the past ten years. We thank Bami and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.” He later stated, “Gilles is the ideal person to move the company forward during our CEO search. His extensive understanding of the semiconductor industry coupled with his knowledge of our customers and his experience in managing a business with high-volume manufacturing operations will help ensure a smooth transition.” Company News Release NREL Solar Cell Reaches 40.8 Percent Conversion Efficiency
CompoundSemi News StaffAugust 18, 2008...Researchers at the US. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) reported setting a world record in solar cell efficiency. The researchers boasted that its specially designed solar cell achieved 40.8 percent conversion efficiency under the concentration of light equivalent to about 326 suns. This is the highest conversion efficiency of any photovoltaic device to date. One sun is the amount of light that hits the earth on a sunny day. The inverted metamorphic triple-junction cell was reportedly designed, fabricated, and independently tested at NREL. The researchers indicated that the new cell is ideal for the space satellite market and for terrestrial concentrated photovoltaic arrays, which use lenses or mirrors to focus sunlight onto the solar cells. Although achieving 326 suns of concentration outside of the laboratory would be difficult and dangerous for terrestrial solar concentrator cells.
The NREL points out that the new solar cell efficiency record holder differs significantly from the previous record holder – also based on a NREL design. The design of the cell splits the solar spectrum into three equal parts, one for each of the junctions. A germanium wafer forms the bottom junction, and compositions of gallium indium phosphide and gallium indium arsenide form the other two junctions. The split spectrum arrangement allows higher potential efficiencies. The layers of the solar cell are grown on a gallium arsenide wafer, flipping it over, then removing the wafer. Additionally the junctions are lattice mismatched (with atoms that don’t line up) to get higher conversion efficiency. NREL News Release
QPC Lasers Receives Order for Custom Green Laser Development
CompoundSemi News StaffAugust 18, 2008...QPC Lasers of Sylmar, California USA announced that it has received an order for the design and delivery of a customized green laser from an undisclosed digital information equipment maker. According to QPC the specially designed green laser will be used in the development of a commercial laser projector. QPC Lasers reportedly produces high-brightness, high-power semiconductor chip-based lasers for the consumer electronics, defense, industrial, and medical markets. QPC says it has received $15 million in orders for its visible lasers since September of 2007. The company also reported several additional orders from consumer electronics companies. QPC indicates that these orders may result in additional large orders.
QPC’s Vice President of Marketing and Sales Paul Rudy, Ph.D. commented, “It is well known in the display industry that green lasers are the most challenging laser color to produce for commercial projectors because of unique and demanding performance and cost requirements. We believe that our green laser technology can enable higher brightness displays with substantially reduced power consumption and attractive costs compared to other green lasers commercially available in the past.” Company News Release
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The
McDonald Report
Commentary & Perspective...
Executive Changes Afoot
Jo Ann McDonald, founding editorAugust 20, 2008...Recent shakeups and changes in the upper echelons of mainstay compound semi
(CS) companies like Cree and Anadigics are leading CS industry followers to
ask: What's happening? Is there anything inherently wrong? The answer
is NO. In fact, something very good is actually happening. It's
called "maturing."
Those of us who have followed the silicon industry and rightfully compared
the evolution of the CS industry to that of silicon know that, indeed, business
has been tough all over. The reality in the USA is that companies have all cut
to the bone in order to cope with a politically-driven recession that's moving
quickly towards a real depression, while worldwide demand for our technologies
and products continues to rapidly grow. What we're experiencing within the CS
industry is the next logical and predictable growth step towards industry maturity.
And with that growth, longtime CS industry leaders, like Cree and Anadigics
in particular, are likely realizing that the compounds are simply reaching the
next evolutionary stage, and that with that next growth spurt, that it's probably
a good idea to call upon bigger guns to run operations. Both Cree and Anadigics,
for example, have recently turned to veterans from Texas Instruments to take
over top executive slots in what I feel is a sensible effort to help the compound
semi industry live up to expectations. TI has "been there; done that"
to coin what's now an old adage. Plus... if you've been working for decades
in silicon, wouldn't the hope vested in the compounds entice you into
moving to our side of the circuit? In addition, relative newcomer to the CS industry, SolFocus, has tapped a former Lockheed Martin executive, Mark Crowley, as their new president, reporting to chairman, CEO and founder Gary Conley
In the case of Anadigics and Cree, we can blame lots of things for the management changes. Anadigics reportedly
failed to meet the growing demand for power amplifiers for 3G cellphone handsets,
so Bami Bastani is taking the hit and stepping down as CEO and Ron Rosenzweig
is graciously moving from chairman to vice chairman to make way for 53 year
old Gilles Delfassy to move from board member to chairman and temporary CEO
while searching for a permanent CEO. Delfassy hails from Texas Instruments’
wireless terminals business unit, which he grew into a multibillion dollar operation.
Prior to that, he managed TI's European digital signal processing operations
and its European automotive electronics business. And don't worry about Bami.
He leaves with a severance package of $3,097,054 cash and the vesting of all
outstanding restricted shares and options, plus medical coverage for 24 months.
He's also on the board of Nitronex, which has always been poised to do great
things in GaN land. Maybe now he'll have time to better help them achieve their
goals.
At Cree, where times have been as tough as anywhere (and maybe tougher), Cree's
chairman and CEO sensibly moves upward, sharing top management responsibilities
now with Steve Kelley who will become Cree's new executive VP and COO, taking
over responsibility for business development, global manufacturing, technology,
and administrative operations of the company. Nobody, even Chuck, can be expected
to do it all. Kelley is also from TI where he served as vice president and general
manager of the Standard Linear and Logic Group. Prior to that, he spent 10 years
at Philips Semiconductors in various management positions. So don't worry about
Cree either, for as we all know, that uniquely creative company was born to
thrive in the longrun. Even Cree's most rabid investors should be pleased with
this latest expansion of executive chores.
See the pattern here? Top silicon managers are being tapped for top compound
semi industry slots. That, to me, spells CS industry maturation, coupled with
the fact that, by now, the silicon industry has to be getting pretty
boring. And I say it's about time. Like the people who run it, no industry...not
even the compounds...can hope to be young forever.
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... |
