SA's Updated Predictions for GaAs Market Have Up Side
CompoundSemi News StaffDecember 17, 2008...Strategy Analytics (SA) has updated its forecast for the gallium arsenide industry through 2012. The market research firm still predicts 9 percent growth for 2008 going from $3.5 billion in 2007 to $3.9 billion in 2008. However, SA says that the global recession will impact unit growth across nearly all the major end markets. Specifically SA expects that the GaAs industry will shrink 5 percent in 2009 compared to 2008. SA also says that beginning in 2010 the GaAs device market will grow at a reduced CAAGR (compound annual average growth rate) of 7 percent through 2012. SA previously predicted a CAAGR of 9 percent during the period. The company indicates that it expects corresponding demand for GaAs substrates to decline by 10 percent in 2009. The SA predicts that growth will return in 2010 at a CAAGR of 4 percent through 2012.
SA contends that demand from the military sector will not be affected through 2010 due to the strong industry backlog. The company expects that the cellular handset market will drive about 70 percent of the GaAs device market through 2012. SA also contends that by the end of 2012 WiFi will be the second largest segment of the GaAs market. The company predicts that beginning in 2010 through the end of 2012, the WiFi segment of the GaAs Market will grow at a CAAGR of 20 percent.
"Negative growth in handset shipments for the next year, along with slowdowns in other markets, will slow GaAs industry growth over our earlier projections," observed Asif Anwar at Strategy Analytics. "However, we maintain that the overall metrics for the industry remain strong and we're not going to see the industry collapse as it did in 2001." Company News Release RFMD to Put 4-Inch Fab on Ice
CompoundSemi News StaffDecember 17, 2008...RF Micro Devices, Inc., announced that it intends to streamline operations and reduce GaAs semiconductor manufacturing costs. RFMD expects these actions will begin to take effect in the March 2009 quarter and will positively impact cash flow in its fiscal 2010, beginning March 29, 2009.
RFMD says that all of its manufacturing at its Greensboro, North Carolina USA, facility will be transfered to its 6-inch wafer fabrication facility.
The company indicated that its 4-inch manufacturing facility, which accounted for less than 10 percent of its total gallium arsenide manufacturing capacity will be "idled and kept in a clean environment."
The company anticipates that switching its 4-inch GaAs fabrication to 6-inch will lower direct material and manufacturing costs and increase utilization rates. RFMD says it has already started to reduce its 6-inch wafer production at its UK facility. The company indicated that it will run the UK facility for 8-hour shifts, five days a week instead of running it 24/7 currently.
The company estimates that it will have to lay off about 250 employees or 5 percent of its workforce between December 2008 and March 2009.
Bob Bruggeworth, President and CEO of RFMD, said, "RFMD is taking prudent and decisive actions to match manufacturing capacity to anticipated demand during the current recessionary environment."
Bruggesworth indicated that the cost cutting measures are expected to save the company 15 million in fiscal 2010, and will allow the company to respond as the recession wanes.
Company News Release December 17, 2008...Emcore has been affected by the massive drop in oil prices and the economic recession. However, its results for fiscal 2008 were very good. Emcore reported a 41 percent increase in revenue for the year from $239.3 million in fiscal 2008 from $169.6 million for fiscal 2007. The company also reported a 107 percent international revenue increase of $48.8 million to $94.4 million. Both the fiber optics and photovoltaics segments increased revenue during the year. The company noted that annual revenue for the Fiber Optics segment increased by $60.9 million, or 55%, to $171.3 million, and annual revenue for the photovoltaics segment increased by $8.8 million, or 15%, to $68.0 million.
Since mid September the company's fiber optics business had a $19.7 million loss for the quarter. It went from $53.6 million down to $46.1 million compared to the previous quarter. The government canceled a $5.3 million for GaAs-based solar cells on satellites. The company recorded another $4.5 million loss from CPV systems that became obsolete as the company upgraded from second-generation to third generation CPV technology. As a result of the setbacks, the company says it will lay-off some 100 workers. Despite this, Emcore is cautiously optimistic with 150 MW of GaAs solar currently in negotiations. Company Financial Results Panasonic Develops New GaN Power Device
CompoundSemi News StaffDecember 17, 2008...Panasonic of Osaka, Japan, reported the development of a gallium nitride (GaN) -based diode with a new junction structure it calls a "Natural Super Junction." Panasonic says that the new GaN diode with a low operating loss can be used in a variety of consumer and industrial power switching systems.
The company notes that the junction structure consists of multilayered GaN-based semiconductor thin films with different compositions, and each interface produces fixed positive and negative charges because of the material's unique polarization. Panasonic points out that the layered structure acts as an insulator at the reverse bias. The company says that this is due to the complete balancing of the fixed charges so that the breakdown voltage can be increased just by extension of the distance between the two electrodes. Furthermore, Panasonic says that the increase of the number of the multilayer results in the increase of the current channels, thereby also reducing the on-state resistances.
The proposed device structure is reportedly similar to super junction of Si devices with alternately stacked p-type and n-type layers. However, according to the company, the new junction structure does not require any precise control of the doping concentration in the layers as is necessary for the Si super junction. The high breakdown voltages can be achieved from naturally formed fixed charges. This makes it a natural super junction.
These R & D results have been presented at International Electron Devices Meeting 2008 in San Francisco. Company News Release TriQuint to Expand North Carolina Design Center; Ralph Quinsey Named ‘CEO of the Year’
CompoundSemi News StaffDecember 15, 2008...TriQuint Semiconductor of Hillsboro, Oregon USA, an RF solution provider, announced that its North Carolina design center in High Point has moved into a new facility to accommodate its growing handset business.
The company is among the few who seem to be doing well in the economic crisis. It reported stellar Q3 financial results with revenues up 47 percent sequentially. Also in recent news, TriQuint reported that its CEO, Ralph Quinsey, has received the Portland Business Journal’s “CEO of the Year” award for technology companies in Oregon. Company News Release.
The North Carolina design center, which is double the size of the first location, opened two years ago with one person and now hosts a team of advanced RF engineers. The team develops TriQuint’s latest advanced module solutions for mobile phone manufacturers. The company says the center will accommodate future growth.
Darrell Epperson, manager of TriQuint North Carolina, said, “We are excited to move into the new facility as it represents our past success and promising future.” Company News Release Bookham Launches UK Direct Sales for New Focus Product Portfolio
CompoundSemi News StaffDecember 15, 2008...Bookham, Inc., an optoelectronics component supplier of San Jose, California USA, reports launching its direct sales operations into the UK and Irish markets for its photonic tools and solutions division. The company says that the new sales channel, which was previously operated via distributors, will be managed by its local UK sales team. The company says that the move will ensure that UK customers receive optimum pricing, improved delivery times and local, UK-based support. The New Focus product portfolio includes tunable and fixed wavelength lasers, position sensitive detectors, actuators and optics and optomechanics for precision measurement. New Focus products and thin film filters have been available through distributors to UK and Irish customers since 2002. The company indicated that it will retain its network of distributors for New Focus throughout Europe.
“New Focus products are associated with quality and precision, and have long served the most demanding scientific applications,” said Ken Ibbs , Executive Vice President and General Manager, Photonics Tools & Solutions. “The UK has some of the finest, most advanced research facilities, and undertakes some truly groundbreaking research work. Our high-end products are ideally placed to meet the needs of this market and now we can ensure quality delivery and direct service to complement our technology.”
Company News Release Microsemi Silicon Carbide RF Power Devices Win Electronic Design Award
CompoundSemi News StaffDecember 15, 2008...Microsemi Corporation of Irvine, California USA, a maker of RFICs based on silicon carbide technology for high power VHF and UHF band pulsed radar applications have been recognized by the editors of Electronic Design magazine as a "best in 2008" design in their annual product awards issue.
"Congratulations to our Power Products Group," said James J. Peterson, Microsemi President and CEO. "These award-winning transistors demonstrate Microsemi's continuing leadership in providing innovative and cost effective solutions for the most demanding RF radar applications," he said.
The company says that its two new RF power transistors, designated 0150SC-1250M and 0405SC-1000M, are the first parts in a new seriesof silicon carbide RF power transistors. Microsemi announced that it will develop additional high power silicon carbide devices for applications ranging from HF through S-Band radar. Company News Release Avago's Fifth-Generation CoolPAM PAs Meet Asian Mobile Carriers’ New Talk Time Requirements
CompoundSemi News StaffDecember 15, 2008...Avago Technologies, a maker of analog interface components based in San Jose, California USA, reports that its latest power amplifiers comply with the new talk time requirements defined by major Asian carriers. The company boasts that its CoolPam power amplifiers for Japan CDMA and cell band CDMA markets increase talk time by 30% over conventional PAs. Avago’s ACPM-7822, which use by the active bypass PA technology in CoolPAM, supports Japan CDMA band, and ACPM-7824, which supports CDMA cell band, improve consecutive usage time for mobile handsets. Avago’s ACPM-7822 and -7824 are housed in a compact 4 x 4 mm package with one RF input port to simplify handset layout design.
Avago points out that because of better coverage (particularly in Japan and Korea), handsets tend to operate more often and at lower power output levels than the standard profile set by the CDG (CDMA Development Group).
The company also notes that, improved efficiency at these lower power levels will increase talk time. Accordingly, multiple Asian mobile markets have set new talk time profile requirements. Avago says its fifth generation of CoolPAM power amplifiers is uniquely designed to support high, mid and active-bypass power modes and addresses these requirements. CoolPAM’s innovative switchless design enables the power amplifier to consume very low quiescent current levels and operate in active bypass mode at up to 11 dBm.
According to Avago, the amplifiers are mainly targeted for the Japan and Asia Pacific CDMA handset markets, such as China, Korea and India. Company News Release Strategy Analytics Says III-V Concentrated Photovoltaics Will Represent 10% of Global Market in 2012
CompoundSemi News StaffDecember 10, 2008...Market research firm, Strategy Analytics of Boston, Massachusetts USA estimates that the global terrestrial photovoltaic market will be worth $20.2 billion in 2008, and will grow to $35.2 billion by 2012. SA predicts that the total terrestrial solar cell market will have a CAAGR (compound annual average growth rate) of 23 percent during the period. SA contends that the rapid growth will be mainly due to increasing worldwide demand for renewable energy.
The company presented its latest analysis on the terrestrial photovoltaic market and the expanding use of compound semiconductors in the emerging sector at the Green Power for Korea 2009 Conference on December 9.
"Crystalline silicon-based solar technology still has a dominating market share of around 89% in 2008. However, moving forward, its share will be eroded as a result of competing technologies based on thin film and compound semiconductors," reports Asif Anwar, Director of the GaAs service at Strategy Analytics, "Thin film solar cells cost less and do not consume large amounts of crystalline silicon. Traditional crystalline silicon solar cell manufacturers, such as Q-Cells and Sharp, are involving in this new area."
Mr. Anwar concluded, "III-V based concentrated photovoltaic technology offers advantages of high cell conversion and lower material usage. Strategy Analytics believes that these advantages will translate to CAAGR of 133% through 2012, accounting for 10% of the total market share."
Company News Release Molecular Imprint Deploys Next Phase of its Nanopatterning System
CompoundSemi News StaffDecember 10, 2008...Molecular Imprints, Inc., a leader in nanopatterning systems and solutions, announced the next phase of its ongoing S-FIL (Step and Flash Imprint Lithography) adoption and education campaign. The company's Step and Flash Imprint Lithography technology uses a mold (template) made of fused silica with a circuit pattern etched into it. Circuits are produced after the template is pressed onto a moldable material that is cured with UV light. The company says its S-FIL campaign paves the way for both the semiconductor and hard disk drive (HDD) industries to transition to its nanoimprint lithography system. Molecular Imprints will also expand its efforts in the light-emitting diode (LED) market.
The company boasts that it has received 10 orders in 2008 from the HDD industry for its S-FIL systems. So far, six of the orders have shipped. MII notes that Sematech accepted delivery of a new Imprio 300 system and completed installation and formal acceptance in a record 68 days.
“In 2008, Molecular Imprints’ S-FIL solution further solidified its position as the lithography technology of choice for patterned media production in the hard disk drive industry, while in the semiconductor industry S-FIL became a favored candidate for use in 32nm and below volume nonvolatile memory production,” said Mark Melliar-Smith, CEO of Molecular Imprints.
Melliar-Smith indicated that industry surveys from organizations such as Wright, Williams & Kelly found that the number of industry participants expecting to see imprint lithography in production between 2010 and 2012 has jumped over 50 percent. He revealed that more survey respondents reported that they expected to see imprint lithography in production between 2010 and 2012 than expected to see EUV lithography in production. Company News Release Our news features are reported
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