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October 12, 2009...Dow Chemical Company unveiled copper indium gallium diselenide-based solar panels in the form of solar shingles. The shingles, called the Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingle, integrates standard asphalt shingles with low cost CIGS thin-film solar cells. The solar shingle systems are expected to be available in limited quantities by mid-2010 and projected to be more widely available in 2011. Dow Solar Solutions (DSS) is among the first to showcase a working prototype of building integrated photovoltaics, a class of solar cells that designers have said could be integrated with various building materials. DSS expects an enthusiastic response from roofing contractors since it says that no specialized skills or knowledge of solar array installations are required.
Jane Palmieri, Managing Director of Dow Solar Solutions, noted, "Consumers reap the benefits of our innovation. This is about providing roof protection and electricity generation all from one product, with lower costs, improved aesthetics, easier installation and long-lasting performance."
In 2007, the Company received $20 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop "building integrated" solar arrays for the residential and commercial markets. Dow Chemical News Release.
In other somewhat unrelated Dow news, Dow Corning, a company jointly owned by Dow Chemical and Corning, is expanding its SIC manufacturing capacity with an Aixtron planetary reactor, AIX 2800G4 WW for 10x100 mm and future 6x150 mm SiC wafers. The reactor is planned to be commissioned in the second quarter 2010. Aixtron News Release Skyworks Powers LG's Next Generation of Multimedia HandsetsOctober 12, 2009...Skyworks Solutions of Woburn, Massachusetts USA, reports that its front-end solutions are at the heart of LG's GM200, GR500 and KP500 multimedia handsets. The handsets come with enhanced touchscreen, audio, camera and messaging functionality.
“Skyworks is pleased to support LG with our family of high-quality 3G and 4G front-end solutions, particularly as they launch their suite of next generation, feature-rich mobile handsets,” said Liam K. Griffin, senior vice president, sales and marketing for Skyworks. “As a valued business partner, we look forward to further enhancing our relationship with LG as they increasingly expand their global mobile communications presence.”
Skyworks News Release Cree Adds New Jobs, Manufacturing Capacity
LIGHTimes News StaffOctober 9, 2009...Cree Inc., an LED lighting manufacturer based in Durham, North Carolina USA
reports that it is expanding its North Carolina manufacturing capacity and is adding North Carolina-based jobs (many of them green), as the market for energy-efficient LED lighting continues to expand.
Cree indicated that it expects to add 275 North Carolina jobs during 2009 to fill the needs of the expansion of LED manufacturing capacity and other required staffing at its Durham, N.C., facility. Cree anticipates creating an additional 300 jobs by the end of 2012.
Cree also reportedly began manufacturing and assembling LED lighting products with Flextronics in Mecklenburg County, N.C. Initially the products made in this facility are the Energy Star-qualified LR6 recessed LED downlight and award-winning LR24 LED troffer replacement.
Cree’s line of LED lights, including recessed downlights and troffer replacements, began North Carolina production in August 2009.
“We are seeing tremendous growth for LED lighting,” said Cree CEO Chuck Swoboda. “Energy-efficient lighting has its roots right here in North Carolina, and Cree is proud to be bringing more green jobs to our state.” Cree News Release WIN Semiconductor to Provide GaAs Foundry Processing Services to Anadigics
CompoundSemi News StaffOctober 7, 2009...Anadigics, a supplier for the communications markets, and WIN Semiconductors Corp., which is among the largest pure-play Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) foundries, announced a strategic agreement for the design and manufacture of GaAs microwave monolithic integrated circuits (MMIC).
WIN agreed to provide Anadigics with GaAs foundry processing services to meet customer demand for its high-performance, RF integrated circuits (ICs).
GaAs ICs are used in wireless handsets and data devices that allow people to connect and communicate virtually everywhere.
Anadigics indicated that the agreement is an integral part of it hybrid manufacturing strategy, which is to provide for a mix of internal and external manufacturing capability to ensure customer demand can always be met.
Anadigics also says that the foundry agreement complements the its continuing production of products at its 6-inch GaAs manufacturing facility in New Jersey.
“We’re pleased to announce this strategic relationship at a time when WIN Semiconductors celebrates ten years of delivering world-class GaAs foundry services. Anadigics has pioneered the acceptance of GaAs technology within the global markets through collaboration with our customers, who are leaders in their industry sectors and demand innovative, high quality products,” said Mario Rivas, chief executive officer at Anadigics. “With this new relationship, not only will we be able to meet the increasing customer demand, our design teams will be able to leverage a range of additional technologies in order to produce the industry’s highest performance, highest quality RF products for our customers.” Anadigics News Release Aixtron Founder Gets European SEMI Award
CompoundSemi News StaffOctober 7, 2009...Dr. Holger Juergensen, one of Aixtron's founders was awarded the European Semi Award for 2009 for his personal contribution to the Semiconductor industry. The award was presented to Dr. Juergensen at the Executive Summit on October 6, 2009 on the occasion of the SEMICON Europe conference in Dresden.
According to Aixtron, Dr. Holger Juergensen’s engineering vision and business drive were key factors in the early development of MOCVD technology into the highly innovative commercial deposition equipment the industry thrives on today.
He and the founding Aixtron team developed small R&D systems in the early 80s' and envisioned how the would evolve into mass production scale equipment. Aixtron notes its equipment played a significant role in the development technology needed to produce opto-electronic devices such as LEDs, lasers and micro-electronic devices including microwave transistors and circuits based on compound semiconductor materials.
SEMI says that Juergensen has also laid the essential technical foundations for further diversification into adjacent technologies, such as OLED and carbon nanotube material structures. Semi says that because of his efforts there is now a clear roadmap for the impending convergence of Compound and Silicon Technologies.
Dr. Juergensen, a member of Aixtron's supervisory board, commented, “I am greatly honored to receive the award; however I also feel that it reflects all the hard work that the entire Aixtron team has put in over the last 25 years for us to become the leading supplier of epitaxial deposition equipment today, of which I am equally proud." Aixtron News Release Veeco TurboDisc MOCVD System Qualified for Production of CPV Solar Cells at Azur
CompoundSemi News StaffOctober 7, 2009...Veeco Instruments, an MOCVD equipment maker based in Plainview, New York USA, reports that its TurboDisc Arsenic Phosphide (As/P) metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) System has been qualified for production at AZUR SPACE Solar Power GmbH of Heilbronn, Germany. The system is reportedly the first of several Veeco MOCVD systems to be installed at Azur, and will be used to make concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) solar cells for terrestrial applications.
Veeco says its As/P MOCVD Systems feature its proprietary in-situ metrology, RealTemp® 200, allows realtime temperature control and enables superior material quality. The systems also offer fast gas switching for strict control of interface abruptness, and vacuum loadlock automation for highest productivity.
Klaus-Dieter Rasch, Ph.D., Azur’s CEO, commented, “We selected Veeco’s MOCVD systems for their ability to provide reliable large volume production of high efficiency triple junction solar cells with the lowest cost of ownership.”
Veeco News Release IQE to Acquire NanoGaN to Speed Commercialization of Blue/Green Lasers and LEDs
CompoundSemi News StaffOctober 5, 2009...IQE a supplier of advanced wafer products, will reportedly acquire NanoGan Ltd., a producer of gallium nitride substrates based in the UK. NanoGaN has reportedly developed gallium nitride (GaN) materials and devices including its Nanocolumn Technology for producing quality gallium nitride substrates, which are critical for manufacturing blue and green lasers and high brightness LEDs. NanoGaN brings with it some seven filed patents, and additional innovations.
As part of the deal, Professor Wang, the CEO of NanoGaN and inventor of the Nanocolumn technology will become Chief Scientific Advisor to IQE.
IQE says it will assist in completing the development of commercial products, and will thereafter begin the transfer of the technology to its high volume production facilities. IQE expects to begin generating sales in 2010, followed by rapid sales growth as the technology is commercialized.
IQE says the acquisition will enhance its efforts in applications such as advanced laser projection, high definition optical storage (including Blue Ray products), high resolution laser printing, and solid state lighting. NanoGaN’s core technology will also be used to supply GaN products for high power RF applications.
IQE will pay up to £3.6m in cash or shares based on the achievement of commercialization milestones. The issue of new share and cash will settle the initial consideration of £0.4m.
Commenting, Dr Drew Nelson, IQE Chief Executive Officer said,
“This acquisition provides a perfect complement to our existing wireless and opto, and emerging solar businesses and widens our product portfolio." IQE News Release SemiSouth Labs SiC Transistor Used in Audio Amplifier for Consumers
CompoundSemi News StaffOctober 5, 2009...SemiSouth Laboratories reports that its silicon carbide (SiC) junction gate field effect transistor (JFET) has been adopted by a Consumer Electronics company for use in a new power amplifier.
The new J2 Power Amplifier, designed by legendary audio innovator Nelson Pass for First Watt, a high-quality amplifier specialist. It features SemiSouth’s SJEP120R100, a normally-off, 1200 V, 100 m-Ohm SiC Vertical JFET. Nelson Pass is founder of First Watt and also Pass Laboratories.
SiC transistors have previously been used in solar inverters and server and telecom power supplies among other applications. However, SemiSouth believes this is the first SiC transistor to enter production in the audio amplifier market. It reportedly offers several benefits over comparable transistors, including higher system efficiencies, higher switching frequencies, and lower conduction losses.
Nelson Pass remarked, “These new JFETs have a very low distortion characteristic that makes them superb for use in linear amplifiers. In apples-to-apples comparisons with MOSFET-type power transistors, they can achieve 10 to 20 dB improvements in distortion performance. When a better transistor like this comes along, it can mean getting the same distortion performance with a lot less feedback, or lower distortion with the same amount of feedback. The J2 does amplifier does both, and that helps make it a better sounding amplifier than the best of its predecessors.”
SemiSouth News Release Optrans Orders Aixtron Tools for Production of InP-based Photodiodes
CompoundSemi News StaffOctober 5, 2009...Aixtron AG of Aachen, Germany, reports that Optrans Corporation of Japan has ordered its Crius reactor for the production of indium phosphide (InP)-based photodiodes, LEDs, and other optoelectronics.
Aixtron says that the the Close-Coupled Showerhead (CCS) MOCVD tool is to be delivered in a multi 4 inch wafer configuration. Optrans will simultaneously receive an AIXTRON Argus multi-channel pyrometer that allows real-time surface temperature measurement and analysis. The unique design allows the customer to monitor the thermometric distribution across the whole of the MOCVD growth surface in the CCS system.
Optrans based in Kawasaki, Japan, has acquired part of the InP microchip division of the Japanese company NTT-AT, which is a long-term customer of Aixtron. The acquisition of the microchip division included research, prototypes, patents, laboratory staff and customers of NTT-AT.
Dr. Gako Araki, Vice President of Optrans, commented, "We have considerable experience with the AIXTRON CCS 19x2 inch wafer InP system that has given us excellent across-wafer and run-to-run uniformity at NTT-AT. Its ability to use all kind of precursors enables even growth at low temperature, which is beneficial for the device. It was therefore a straightforward decision to once again choose an AIXTRON CCS MOCVD tool to support our production target of 12,500 wafers per year by 2010. The newly ordered system should be perfect for the development and production of our new-generation InP photodiode and LED product ranges while offering the best Cost of Ownership."
Aixtron News Release
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