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June 10, 2009...The U. S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is seeking project proposals as part of recently announced DOE funding to accelerate commercialization of solar energy technologies. NREL also announced partnerships with 13 U.S. small solar businesses, which have the capability to enter the market by 2012. The goal of the PV Incubator program is to shorten the timeline for companies to transition prototype and pre-commercial PV technologies into pilot and full-scale manufacturing. The NREL says that the anticipated program funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is $9 million, and the subcontracts will be up to $3 million each.
Several of the 13 partnerships are companies that are developing compound semi-based technologies.
International Solar Electric Technology, Inc. of Chatsworth, California will develop low cost, monolithically integrated, printed CuInGaSe2 (CIGS) modules on flexible stainless steel substrates. $456,006.
TiSol, LLC of Pasadena, California, will develop a viable technology for thin film deposition using a flame synthesis methodology for dye sensitized solar cells. $499,100.
Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. of Littleton, Colorado, will develop zinc magnesium oxide (ZnMgO) window layers to enable high performance mid-bandgap CuInGaSe2 on polyimide modules. This work is also reportedly an important step towards the realization of CuInGaSe2 (CIGS)–based tandem cells. $315,037.
EPIR Technologies, Inc. of Bolingbrook, Colorado, will develop a high efficiency single-crystal Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) solar cell for solar concentrating systems. $500,000.
MicroLink Devices of Niles, Colorado, will develop high efficiency, low-cost, multijunction solar cells based on epitaxial liftoff and wafer bonding. $500,000.
Vanguard Solar, Inc. of Sudbury, Massachusetts, will develop a high efficiency, novel nanostructured II/VI semiconductor-based thin-film photovoltaic cell that they hope to produce inexpensively. $500,000.
Luna Innovations Incorporated of Danville, Massachusetts, will investigate new acceptor molecules for high efficiency organic photovoltaic cells. $499,994. NREL News Release
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Semprius Raises $6.4 Million in Series B Round of Financing
CompoundSemi News StaffJune 10, 2009...Semprius, Inc., of Durham, North Carolina USA, a semiconductor company with an unique printing transfer technology, reports that it has closed a $6.4 million Series B round of venture funding. Existing investors ARCH Venture Partners, Applied Ventures, Illinois Ventures, and Intersouth Partners were joined by InQTel and GVC Investment Fund.
The initial focus of Semprius’ technology is on the production of low cost, high performance solar concentrator modules for utility scale power generation. According to the company, its printing transfer technology allows the placement of nearly any high performance semiconductor onto any target substrate. The company boasts that the unique design and the and low cost assembly technology of its solar concentrator modules enables energy production at wholesale rates. The company notes that the funding will be used to complete development and begin field deployment of solar modules for selected customers.
“We’re delighted to have attracted new investors to help us grow the company, and to get such strong support from our existing investors,” said Joe Carr, President and CEO of Semprius, Inc. “Our current focus on photovoltaic products for solar modules represents an enormous market opportunity and we are well positioned to take advantage of this growing need.”
Semprius News Release Cree Demonstrates Record Efficiency GaN HEMTs
CompoundSemi News StaffJune 8, 2009...Cree of Durham, North Carolina USA, publicly demonstrated its new commercial high-power RF transistors at the 2009 IEEE/MTT-S International Microwave Symposium being held in Boston this week. Among the new high-power RF transistors demonstrated was a record 50 percent efficiency Doherty transistor amplifier. According to Cree, the demonstration amplifiers combine Cree's latest 120W and 240W GaN HEMT transistors linearized with Texas Instruments' GC5325, a single-chip wideband digital pre-distortion transmit processor, to enable improved power efficiency for wireless base station applications.
The record efficiency, 2.11 to 2.17 GHz 480 Watt peak power Doherty amplifier, reportedly has greater than 80 Watts average power under a W-CDMA (6.5dB Peak/Average) corrected to better than -50dBc ACLR covering well over the 2.11 to 2.17 GHz UMTS band. This Doherty amplifier employs the company's new CGH21240F pre-matched 42 percent efficient 240W GaN HEMT transistor.
The 240 Watt class A/B amplifier, using the CGH21240F transistor, having 40 Watts average power under a W-CDMA (6.5dB Peak/Average) corrected to better than -50dBc ACLR covering the 1.8 to 2.3 GHz operating bandwidth.
Cree also demonstrated at a 35 percent efficient, 870MHz 120 Watt class A/B amplifier, using the new CGH09120F transistor. It has 20 Watts average power under a two carrier W-CDMA (7.5dB Peak/Average) signal corrected to better than -50dBc ACLR covering 25% instantaneous bandwidth.
Cree also demonstrated the 180W class CGH40180PP. Company News Release
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Teledyne Wins $18.8M DARPA Contract to Develop Terahertz Technology
CompoundSemi News StaffJune 8, 2009...Teledyne Technologies Incorporated reports that its subsidiary Teledyne Scientific & Imaging, LLC (TS&I), was a awarded a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency's (DARPA) Microsystems Technology Office to develop terahertz electronics devices and integrated circuits. Under the contract which runs through 2014, TS&I hopes to develop and demonstrate transistor technology, circuit design, and circuit packaging to demonstrate receiver and transmitter blocks operating at frequencies greater than 1.0 THz. The 24-month, initial Phase 1 of the contract is valued at $8.3 million. The company notes that if all contract Phases proceed, the total contract value would be $18.8 million for work performed through 2014.
TS&I will reportedly leverage its high performance Indium Phosphide heterojuction bipolar transistor (HBT) technology. TS&I says it will scale transistors to dimensions of less than 100nm to extended into THz frequencies. Also, TS&I says that it will develope a silicon-micromachining process for forming batch manufactured waveguide blocks for circuit integration. The company reports that it has put together teams from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, University of California at Santa Barbara, University of California at San Diego and Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems to develop the technologies under the program that will benefit a large class of RF and mixed signal Defense Department applications. Teledyne News Release TriQuint Awarded Phase 3 DARPA R&D Contract
CompoundSemi News StaffJune 3, 2009...TriQuint Semiconductor of Hillsboro, Oregon USA
announced that the Army Research Laboratory has awarded it leadership of Phase III of a multi-year gallium nitride (GaN) research and development contract. TriQuint says that the contract, which gets its funding form the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), was awarded based on the fact that TriQuint surpassed Phase II goals in an overall program to develop new high power, wideband GaN amplifiers for a range of defense applications. TriQuint is teamed with BAE Systems, IQE-RF Corporation, and Lockheed Martin for Phase 3 of the project.
Beginning in 2005, TriQuint executed Phase II of the gallium nitride program (valued at $15.8 million). Since that time, the company points out that it has achieved milestones in the project including improved power density, efficiency and device ruggedness. The next phase of the program (valued at $16.5 million) seeks to improve device reliability for 48V operation, increase operational lifetime, and extend performance to cover the high end of contracted frequency ranges. Phase 3 is expected to be completed in two years.
"In Phase II, we developed a high performance, reliable gallium nitride process with excellent reproducibility and high yield," said Cathy Lee, TriQuint’s Phase III program manager. "Since the program began we have achieved key milestones including 48V operation and superb high frequency performance." TriQuint News Release Skyworks Acquires Axiom Microdevices
CompoundSemi News StaffJune 3, 2009...Skyworks Solutions, Inc. of Woburn, Massachusetts USA, announced its acquisition of Axiom Microdevices, a volume supplier of CMOS-based power amplifiers for mobile phones.
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Skyworks expects the transaction to be earnings per share neutral in fiscal year 2009 and accretive thereafter.
David J. Aldrich, president and chief executive officer of Skyworks commented, “With the addition of Axiom’s patent and product design portfolio, we can further our industry leadership position. At the same time, this acquisition supports our existing product road maps in adjacent linear products markets, such as low power smart grid networks and wireless meter reading, where we maintain a first-mover advantage. " Skyworks News Release Oclaro and Newport to Exchange Assets
CompoundSemi News StaffJune 3, 2009...Oclaro Inc, the company resulting from the merging of Bookham and Avanex based in San Jose, California USA,
reports that it has signed a definitive agreement with Newport Corporation. Under the terms of the agreement, Newport will acquire the New Focus business of Oclaro's Advanced Photonics Solutions division in exchange for the Newport Spectra Physics high power laser diodes business. Oclaro will also receive $3 million in cash proceeds, which is expected to fund the substantial portion of related transition and integration costs. As part of the deal, Newport's Tucson fab will consolidate into Oclaro's Caswell and Zurich fabs. Oclaro projects that this will increase wafer volumes by about 30% and improve the gross margin for its telecom products.
Upon closing, Oclaro says the transaction will enable it to expand its high power laser diode portfolio with a deeper expertise in systems and packaging. According to Oclaro, says its expanded portfolio has the potential to yield gross margins of 40% or better.
"Oclaro is executing on its strategy to become a predominant force in the fiber optics industry," said Alain Couder, president and CEO, Oclaro, Inc. "The high power laser diodes business is ideally aligned with Oclaro's business model, corporate growth strategy and core competencies."
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