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August 19, 2009...At the 2009 IEEE/MTT-S International Microwave Symposium
an amplifier using a Cree GaN HEMT transistor for the third consecutive year won the best power amplifier competition. David Yu-Ting Wu, representing the University of Waterloo, received the award for best performance amplifier designed and demonstrated as judged on efficiency, power and frequency of operation.
Wu’s Inverse Class-F amplifier was reportedly designed using Cree’s proprietary non-linear GaN HEMT model. Cree says that the accuracy of the model in precisely predicting the required impedance conditions for high-efficiency operation was instrumental in achieving first-pass design success. The winning 3.27 GHz amplifier produced 7.1 watts of RF output power at a power added efficiency (PAE) of 71%.
The second- and third-place student teams also used the CGH40010 in Inverse Class-F circuit architectures. They were, respectively, Paul Saad, Hossein Mashad Nemati and Mattias Thorsell from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, and Junghwan Moon and Jungjoon Kim from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Korea.
“This is a hat trick, of sorts, for Cree,” said Jim Milligan, Cree director of RF and Microwave products. “It’s exciting for us to see the next generation of engineers creating innovative designs based on our industry-leading technology. Cree congratulates the students for their efforts and wishes them continued success.”
Company News Release
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Jazz Semiconductor's Optimized SiGe Targets Replacement of GaAs Components
CompoundSemi News StaffAugust 19, 2009...Jazz Semiconductor announced that it is hoping to replace GaAs components millimeter wave and front-ends of cellular phones with its enhanced SiGe BiCMOS process, IP, and design enablement offerings. The company contends that SiGe provides significant integration and cost advantage over GaAs. Also the company says that it enables products in the emerging markets of automotive collision avoidance, phased-array radar, and HDTV wireless distribution as well as established markets such as optical network and cellular phone front-end components. The company's process technology includes a SiGe transistor that offers demonstrated performance of up to 200GHz as well as noise and power performance that is competitive with GaAs while offering as much as 40% lower die cost.
Jazz is working with the majority of the top 10 IC providers in several of these market segments on SiGe solutions. Among these, Jazz worked with Agilent to provide a SiGe design kit in ADS (Advanced Design System), a leading design platform for GaAs-based products, that the company says speeds time-to-market for customers targeting applications up to and beyond 60 to 77GHz.
"We continue to see migration of GaAs products into SiGe as an exciting growth opportunity for our technology. This transition is largely complete in optical front-end components but just beginning in cellular phone front-ends and millimeter-wave applications," said Dr. Marco Racanelli, Senior Vice President and GM of RF/HPA and Aerospace and Defense Business Groups. Jazz Semiconductor News Release
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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Osram Announces a 50 mW Direct Emitting Green Laser
CompoundSemi News StaffAugust 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 Our news features are reported
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