Intersil Signs MOU with Tower Semiconductor for Co-Development and Manufacturing of Power Management Platform
CompoundSemi News StaffAugust 17, 2009...Intersil has reportedly signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Tower Semiconductor to co-develop a next-generation power management platform.
Intersil will utilize the platform to manufacture power ICs in Tower’s 200mm fab in Migdal Ha’emek, Israel. Intersil notes that the MOU is reportedly the largest potential engagement in Tower’s history.
Intersil says that the agreement will combine Tower's bipolar-CMOS-DMOS (BCD) power process with Intersil's power management design and process capabilities. Intersil revealed that the agreement specifically addresses the requirements of multiple Intersil product families including digital power, PWM controllers and PMICs for a broad set of end user markets such as consumer, computing, communications, industrial and automotive.
”We are very pleased to extend our long-standing partnership to jointly develop a robust and innovative power management platform to address the next-generation needs of power products,” said Sagar Pushpala, Senior Vice President Worldwide Operations and Technology, at Intersil. “Tower provides best-in-class BCD process technology which enables Intersil to offer highly-differentiated power management and non-volatile memory solutions.” Intersil News Release
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August 17, 2009...Osram Opto Semiconductors has reported the creation of a direct emitting green indium gallium nitride laser. According to the company, the laser has an optical output of 50MW in pulsed mode operation and emits light in "true green" with a wavelength of 515 nm.
In July, Sumitomo Electric of Japan was apparently the first to announce a pure green laser diode. (Ref: Coverage). Unlike the Osram laser diode, it emits light at 531 nm. Osram points out that "true green" is between 515nm and 535nm.
Osram points out that unlike previous green lasers that relied on frequency doubling, direct emitting green lasers are more compact, offer greater temperature stability, are easier to control, and have higher modulation capability of several hundred mHz.
Osram notes that the advance sets an important new milestone in mobile laser projection applications.
Dr. Christian Fricke, Chief Technology Officer at OSRAM Opto Semiconductors, said, “With this demonstrator we have shown that green lasers can be manufactured from indium-gallium-nitride. We are therefore on course to produce compact, cost-effective, high-quality green laser light sources.“
German Ministry for Education and Research is reportedly sponsoring the MOLAS research project (until March 2011, FKZ 13N9373) which involves technologies for ultra-compact and mobile laser projection systems. As part of this project, OSRAM is developing efficient laser light sources based on the InGaN material system (indium-gallium-nitride) for mobile projection systems. With the first direct emitting green laser the company has achieved an important early objective. Osram Opto Semiconductors News Release Saint-Gobain Buys Shell's Stake in CIS Solar Company, Avancis
CompoundSemi News StaffAugust 12, 2009...As part of its development strategy for solar energy, Saint-Gobain is acquiring Shell's share of Avancis, a joint venture between the two companies.
Avancis has reportedly developed thin-film copper, indium selenide (CIS) technology to manufacture photovoltaic modules. With an annual capacity of 20 megawatts, the company's first plant is already operating in Torgau, Germany. Saint-Gobain points out that Avancis' technology necessitates expertise in glass coating and in glass thermal treatment, two processes belonging to the core portfolio of Saint-Gobain, a worldwide leader in flat glass for the building and automotive industries.
Saint-Gobain Solar, a new entity combining all of Saint-Gobain's solar businesses will offer range of solar products and sevices. Saint-Gobain Solar will make and sell of components for PV modules (special glass, performance plastics, etc.) and high-performance mirrors for solar thermal plant operators. It will also have Avancis produce thin-film PV modules using CIS
Saint-Gobain Solar will also design and market of PV solutions for residential homes, offices, industrial installations and farm buildings. Saint-Gobain News Release Energy Frontier Research Centers Investigate Solid State Lighting & Solar Energy
CompoundSemi News StaffAugust 12, 2009...U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the delivery of $377 million in funding for 46 new multi-million-dollar Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) located at universities, national laboratories, nonprofit organizations and private firms across the nation. Some $277 million of the total comes from the Recovery Act. The remaining $100 million comes from DOE's FY2009 budget. The 46 EFRCs are to be funded at $2 to $5 million per year each for a planned initial five-year period. In total, the DOE has committed to $777 million for the EFRCs over five years. The EFRCs were reportedly selected from a pool of applications received in response to a solicitation issued by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science in 2008 and announced on April 27, 2009. Selection of the EFRCs was based on a merit review process of outside panels composed of scientific experts. Projects at Sandia National Laboratory, the University of Southern California, and the University of California, Santa Barbara, will receive funding for research into the fundamental science of solid state lighting.
The University of Arizona, University of California Santa Barbara, Columbia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Massachusetts, the University of Michigan, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Notherwestern University, University of Southern California, and University of Texas will each receive millions over the next five years from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to study the science behind various photovoltaic technologies. Synopsis of 46 EFRC Projects Strategy Analytics: GaAs and InP to Underpin High Growth Fiber Optic Networks Market
CompoundSemi News StaffAugust 10, 2009...Strategy Analytics (SA) predicts that gallium arsenide (GaAs) and indium phosphide (InP) technologies will help drive the growth of fiber optic analog ICs. These ICs include: TIAs (transimpedance amplifiers), laser drivers and post/limiting amplifiers.
According to SA, Legacy networks with speeds of less than 2.5Gbps currently dominate the market in terms of volume, but they will represent the slowest growth over the forecast period. SA points out that that 3G and 4G standards, HDTV, and video-on-demand all demand higher bandwidth.
SA predicts that continued demand for bandwidth will help raise 10Gbps networks to become the de facto standard showing a 20% CAGR (compound annual growth rate) from 2011-2013. The trend toward higher speed networks will be augmented with strong growth of 40Gbps networks.
“The fiber optic market is set to weather the storm better than most communications markets because the capital expense of laying fiber is already in place, while demand for more and faster bandwidth seems insatiable,” observed Asif Anwar at Strategy Analytics. “We expect GaAs- and InP-based laser drivers and TIAs to be key enabling technologies for the rollout of higher speed 10Gbps, 40Gbps and 100Gbps networks.” Company News Release DARPA Extends COSMOS Contract
CompoundSemi News StaffAugust 10, 2009...IQE reports that it will be taking part in a US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) contract led by Raytheon Integrated Defense System to develop Compound Semiconductor Materials on Silicon (COSMOS). IQE's Pennsylvania-based manufacturing facility will help develop the epitaxial growth process. Phase I of the program began in September 2007 to develop and demonstrate a viable process to integrate compound semiconductor materials with silicon for dramatically improved linearity, dynamic range, and bandwidth of radio frequency (RF) devices.
After phase I was completed, Phase II was awarded to focus on improving the yield and density of the heterogeneous epitaxial growth of InP HBTs in conjunction with conventional silicon based CMOS processes. The program hopes to integrate high-performance compound semiconductors with low-cost commercial complementary metal oxide semiconductor silicon (CMOS) wafers for superior cost-benefit performance compared with either technology individually.
Other partners in the COSMOS project are Raytheon Systems Limited in Glenrothes, Scotland; Teledyne Scientific Imaging Company in Thousand Oaks, Calif.; Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass.; Paradigm Research LLC in Windham, N.H.; Soitec in Grenoble, France; and Silicon Valley Technology Center in San Jose, Calif.
"Selective placement of semiconductor compounds on silicon is an important achievement because it proves that optimal circuit performance can be produced through a heterogeneous, high-yield, monolithic integration process," said Dr. Tom Kazior, program manager at Raytheon IDS. IQE News Release
LED-based TV Backlighting Demand Fuels Big System Order Jump at Aixtron
CompoundSemi News StaffAugust 10, 2009...Aixtron revealed that its system order intake for the quarter shot up 85 percent from EUR 31.2m to EUR 57.9m. The company cited increased demand for LED-based TV backlighting as the driver
Aixtron reported a significant profit for the quarter, and its quarterly revenues have increased 23 percent sequentially to EUR 56.7m during the second quarter of 2009 compared to the previous quarter. However, its total revenues are 20 percent lower than the same period the previous year.
Aixtron contends that the improved Q2 performance confirms the its previous prediction that Q1/2009 would be the low point in orders of this current LED investment cycle.
Paul Hyland, President & Chief Executive Officer at AIXTRON, comments: “I am happy to be able to announce, that as we predicted in May, Q1 did mark the bottom of the five quarter run of declining order intake following the industry’s 2008 inventory de-stocking activities and consequent low utilization rates.
AIXTRON Management predicts total annual revenues in range of EUR 230-250m and an EBIT margin of 12-13% from the previous guidance on revenues of EUR 200-220 and EBIT 10-11%.
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