Strategy Analytics Says Market Growth of GaAs Device Market to Likely Stop in 2012
CompoundSemi News StaffFebruary 13, 2012...Strategy Analytics (SA) says that preliminary results indicate that GaAs Device revenue increased 5-6 percent during 2011 over 2010 levels. The company says that the 2011 levels were above even the previous high of $5 billion in total revenue in 2010. According to SA, the growth rate during 2010 of the GaAs device market proved to be unsustainable.
SA says that despite achieving another record revenue level, some signs seem to indicate that 2012 will be a challenging year. SA points out that slowing growth in smartphone penetration, an unsettled global economy with some regions facing significant uncertainty, and the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan will likely stop GaAs device growth in 2012.
“Tremendous growth in the smartphone segment of the handset market in 2010, and the early part of 2011, had propelled the overall GaAs market to record levels of revenue which are now slowing,” noted Eric Higham, Director of the Strategy Analytics GaAs and Compound Semiconductor Technologies Service. “However, increasing GaAs content in handsets and the sheer volume of the handset market should still power GaAs growth.”
Asif Anwar, Director, Strategy Analytics Strategic Technologies Practice, added, “There were revenue declines in the second half of 2011 at GaAs substrate manufacturers."
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Rubicon Gets $20 Million Contract to Supply Sapphire Wafers
CompoundSemi News StaffFebruary 13, 2012...Rubicon Technology, Inc. a provider of sapphire substrates and products announced that it has entered into a new contract with its unnamed largest customer for large-diameter sapphire wafers. The $20 million contract reportedly represents a baseline level of shipments that will be made from June through December 2012. Rubicon's previous contract with the company expired at the end of December.
“We are pleased that we will continue as a key supplier to our valued six-inch wafer customer in 2012,” said Raja Parvez, President and Chief Executive Officer of Rubicon. “...However, with LED chip capacity presently not fully utilized, the inflection point in demand for large-diameter sapphire wafers for LEDs is still some months in the future.”
Rubicon granted adjustments to fourth-quarter 2011 price and volume requirements under the expiring six-inch contract. Consequently, Rubicon’s revenue for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2011, was between $19 and $20 million, slightly below its previous guidance of $20 to $23 million. TowerJazz to be Nujira's Foundry Partner for New Envelope Tracking IC
CompoundSemi News StaffFebruary 13, 2012...Nujira Ltd of Cambridge, U.K. announced that it has selected TowerJazz of Migdal Haemek, Israel as its foundry partner for its recently announced Envelope Tracking (ET) integrated circuit (IC) for mobile handsets. The NCT-L1100 is Nujira’s first chip in its Coolteq.L product family of Highly Accurate Tracking ET modulators designed to significantly increase RF power amplifier (PA) efficiencies in mobile handsets. Nujira also notes that the new chip marks the its shift to a fabless business model to address the high volume, global smartphone and mobile device market.
Nujira’s NCT-L1100 will be available in small footprint Wafer-level Chip Scale Package (WLCSP). Nujira provides platform chipset vendors with evaluation boards and engineering support for integration into reference designs for smartphones and data devices.
“Our new IC for mobile handsets is hugely significant for the business and strategically, so it was absolutely critical that we selected the right foundry partner,” commented Tim Haynes, CEO, Nujira. “TowerJazz’s processes offered us the ideal combination of power management and high performance analog technology to meet the challenging requirements of ET ICs. The TowerJazz process is a superb platform on which to base future integration of Envelope Tracking, RF PA and switch technologies to provide the industry with fully monolithic front end solutions.”
The NCT-L1100 is sampling now to lead partners with general availability in Q4 2012.
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February 9, 2012...Minsheng Financial Leasing Co., Ltd. (MSFL), China’s main non-banking financial institution, and Aixtron SE of Germany announced a strategic alliance for joint marketing of leasing options for Aixtron's MOCVD systems in China. The new agreement defines the strategic cooperation between the two parties to promote the distribution of Aixtron´s MOCVD equipment to customers across China with the aid of MSFL’s financial services. Mr. Feng Wang, (CPO, President of Finance Leases SBU MSFL) and Wolfgang Breme (CFO Aixtron) signed the Memorandum of Understanding at a ceremony held at MSFL’s headquarters in Beijing.
“This exciting strategic cooperation will enable LED manufacturers to draw upon the most appropriate financing opportunities for the acquisition of key-enabling MOCVD equipment,” commented Ms. Rong Wang, CFO of MSFL. “Due to temporary restrictions in China in the availability of financing, this news is expected to be received very positively.” Content continues for LIGHTimes SecondPage members... Miasole Achieves Efficiency Milestone Achieves Efficiency for Panel Production
CompoundSemi News StaffFebruary 6, 2012...MiaSolé, a maker of copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin-film photovoltaic solar panels, reports that the company achieved a 17.3 percent efficiency with its CIGS panels. The company says that it's 14 percent efficient manufacturing process is now in production at its facility in Silicon Valley, California. MiaSolé points out that the it represent an increase of more than 30 percent in efficiency from this time last year.
“The progress in efficiency gains we’ve repeatedly demonstrated are further proof that we’re aggressively moving toward a cost structure that is competitive with top-tier global solar manufacturers,” said John Carrington, CEO of MiaSolé.
To date, MiaSolé has shipped over 55MW of CIGS panels used for a wide range of global projects in North America, Europe and Asia. The panels are used in segments from utility scale fields to rooftops, and unique applications like electric vehicle recharging stations.
“Our ability to deliver 14 percent in production with the capability to achieve efficiency up to 17 percent further emphasizes the progress we are continuously making against our roadmap,” said Carrington. “Our ultimate goal is to continue scaling innovation and deliver the lowest levelized cost of electricity to our customers.” TriQuint Foundry Supports Sarda Technologies’ Entry into Global Smartphone & Mobile PC Market
CompoundSemi News StaffFebruary 6, 2012...TriQint Semiconductor based in Hillsoboro, Oregon USA, announced that its Foundry Services division is supporting start-up Sarda Technologies to bring a new line of high-efficiency DC-DC converter switches to market. Sarda, a ‘clean-tech’ company based in Durham, North Carolina (USA), plans to offer cost-saving solutions for increasing efficiency and reducing component size in smartphones, mobile PCs and similar applications. The company points out that higher efficiency, reduced size and cost-effectiveness of compound semiconductor-based technologies can be a definitive marketplace advantage.
Jeff Shepard, Darnell Group President said, “TriQuint’s ability to deliver proven, high-volume foundry services and direct experience manufacturing products for smartphones and mobile PC’s can enable Sarda’s market plans and growth.”
“TriQuint's foundry business enables Sarda to quickly and cost-effectively develop a power semiconductor product line,” said Bob Conner, Sarda’s CEO and Co-Founder. “Sarda employs TriQuint’s proven high-volume manufacturing processes to bring the performance advantages of compound semiconductors to cost-sensitive power electronics applications.” NTU Singapore Orders Aixtron Black Magic System for CNT Project
CompoundSemi News StaffFebruary 6, 2012...Aixtron SE of Aachen, Germany, reports that Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, has procured an Aixtron 2-inch Black Magic PECVD system. Aixtron says that NTU researchers will use the system for the preparation of carbon nanotubes (CNT) and graphene for high frequency electronic devices. The local Aixtron service team with support from the Nanoelectronics Laboratory, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, NTU installed and commissioned the turnkey system.
Prof. Beng Kang Tay, principle investigator of the project commented, “Our new project involves the research and development of new types of materials for high frequency electronics. In particular, we plan to develop new interconnect and similar technologies for these devices using structures based on CNT, graphene and other carbon materials. These unique functional materials have great promise for the manufacture of RF electronic devices for advanced communications and networks."
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