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Editorial: Never Underestimate Fashion Statements
... Just when you may think you've figured out where the next most promising applications for advanced semiconductor components are headed, life throws you yet another unexpected curve. The only thing you can bank on is that the human appetite continues to consume end systems that use components that are...
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August 27, 2003...Agere Systems of Allentown, Pennsylvania USA has acquired Massana Ltd. of Ireland,
a privately held developer of Gigabit Ethernet-over-copper physical layer device
(PHY) technologies. With this acquisition, Agere expects to be able to quickly
deliver Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) chips to address the transition of enterprise
networks from Fast Ethernet to Gigabit Ethernet speeds. Agere acquired Massana
in a stock transaction for approximately 9.1 million shares of Agere Class A
common stock, valued at about $26.2 million, based on the closing price of $2.88
for the Agere Class A common stock on August 22, 2003. "We believe that the
transition to GbE represents a major opportunity for Agere," said Sohail
Khan, executive VP of Agere's Infrastructure Systems Group. "Our customers
need GbE-over-copper technology to cost-effectively deliver faster speeds to
the desktop, to the server, and in the wiring closet. The acquisition of Massana,
which is one of the few companies in the world with a working GbE PHY, will
allow us to address the emerging GbE market quickly, with the right feature
set, at the right price points." Market research firm IDC estimates that
the Ethernet IC total available market in 2005 will be $2.5 billion. The GbE
silicon segment of the Ethernet IC market is expected to have a compound annual
growth rate of 37% from 2002 to 2005 (and one can only hope the compound semi portion grows that much as well). Via the acquisition, Agere plans to deliver
a next-generation 0.13 micron single PHY product in early 2004 and an octal
in mid-2004. Approximately 45 Massana employees will join Agere. Company
news release. TriQuint Collaborates with Amkor on Advanced Flip Chip Mobile Phone ModulesAugust 27, 2003...TriQuint Semiconductor of Hillsboro, Oregon USA has announced an advanced packaging
collaboration with longtime silicon outsource experts in flip chip technology,
Amkor Technology, Inc. The initiative aims to commercialize a low-cost compound
semi-based flip chip assembly process for GaAs semiconductors based on TriQuint's
proprietary CuFlip bumping technology. By utilizing TriQuint's CuFlip
copper 'bumps,' (as in both chip scale packaging and ball grid array packaging
technologies) electrical connections once made by wire bonds are now possible
by directly linking contact points on a semiconductor die to the module ceramic
or laminate substrate. TriQuint has already introduced the CuFlip process
in the company's ultra-small 6x6mm TQM 7M4009 GSM power amplifier module (PAM),
which resulted in an estimated 40% size reduction and improved RF performance
when compared to its predecessor version. "Amkor has been an excellent partner
in the development of our CuFlip assembly process. Their extensive expertise
in flip-chip assembly and process development has helped us meet our performance
and scheduled requirements," said Ron Ruebusch, TriQuint VP of the company's
Oregon Operations. Ruebusch emphasized that CuFlip-based assembly is
another important milestone in TriQuint's long-term strategy of integrating
the RF front-end for mobile phones utilizing the company's broad technology
portfolio of power amplifiers, pHEMT switches, integrated passives and SAW filter
components. The CuFlip process is compatible with standard laminate substrate
materials, the packaged component assembly require substantially less processing
compared to products intended for wire-bond assembly, and the repeatability
of a CuFlip-based module is increased compared to an equivalent wire-bond
module due to better control of the interconnect process resulting in improved
RF performance. Company
news release. RF Micro Qualifies 6" GaAs HBT Fab and Reaches PA Module MilestoneAugust 27, 2003...RF Micro Devices of Greensboro, North Carolina USA has made two important announcements
of late. The company has completed its first major customer qualification of
its six-inch wafer manufacturing capabilities, and it has also reached an important
production milestone by shipping its 250 millionth power amplifier module.
On the first account, in line with RFMD's conversion from four inch to six inch
wafer manufacturing capacity of its GaAs-based heterojunction bipolar transistor
(HBT) fab in Greensboro, Curt Barratt, division VP of wafer fab operations said,
"As the demand for modules increases and as module products become more highly
integrated, we expect that the percentage of our products' bill of materials
(BOM) represented by our GaAs HBT process technology will continue to grow.
By reducing the costs of our GaAs HBT process technology, we expect to favorably
impact gross profit margins across multiple, high-running GaAs HBT-based products."
Company news release.
In a separate announcement, the 250 millionth RFMD power amp went out the door
in May. According to Eric Creviston, VP of wireless products, "This success
is due in part to our proven design and manufacturing expertise, as well as
the strength of our PowerStar products" (patent pending). The PAs are
for the GSM air interface standard, which RFMD says account for approximately
two-thirds of the world's cellphones. More details on the latest, next gen
PowerStar modules are included in that company
news release. KMI's Newport Conference Supplies Food for Thought about Fiber SectorAugust 27, 2003...PennWell Publishing's KMI Research will host its 26th Annual Newport (as in
Newport, Rhode Island USA) Conference September 29 through October 1, 2003.
That conference has been running one year longer than the GaAs IC Symposium,
which will celebrate its 25th straight year running, in November. These quarter-century
events are a reminder how long the compound semi industry has been hard at work.
In setting the agenda, KMI (now a sister market research firm to Strategies
Unlimited) looks at some key questions the fiberoptic sector needs to face during
these "challenging" times. What's the status of fiber-to-the-home?
What do the recent FCC decisions mean? What can be concluded from the regional
Bell company RFP in the summer of 2003? What's happening in metro applications?
What technologies are being taken up? How fast is that segment growing? How
much does it offset the collapse in long-distance? What's the status of fiber-to-the-business?
How many business buildings have a fiber connection to telecom networks? What
is the outlook for connecting more? What non-telecom applications might offer
growth opportunities? What are good strategies for components suppliers after
the collapse in telecom? What components are the system manufacturers looking
for to help them better serve the communications markets? As KMI points
out in their conference promos, "all of these questions are part of this
year's mission to help companies in the optical networking industry allocate
resources to more successfully pursue market segments after the collapse of
the long-distance or backbone markets." For the first time, KMI's Newport
Conference will include a components track prepared by Strategies
Unlimited. More information and the agenda can be found in KMI's company news release. Microsemi Introduces High Efficiency Regulators for Portable LED and LCD Display
AppsAugust 27, 2003...Microsemi Corporation of Irvine, California USA has introduced a two IC chip
regulator designed to generate both boost drive for LEDs and adjustable bias
voltages for LCD displays, boasting a greater than 90% efficiency, making the
component ideal for a variety of portable applications. The two new ICs are
in a single compact package targeted to drive a series string of white or color
LEDs, while simultaneously providing an adjustable bias voltage for the LCD
displays they light. The LX1744 PFM boost controller provides an adjustable
LED drive and one adjustable +/- bias supply output. The LX1745 controller
includes the LED drive and two adjustable bias supplies. The new regulators
save space and system cost in handheld applications that include PDAs, smart-phones,
digital cameras and pagers. The two boost controllers are optimized for portable
power management. They include a logic-controlled shutdown current of less than
1microamp, with a choice of input voltage ranging from 1.6V to 6.0V. Start-up
is guaranteed at 1.6V, with sustained operation from as little as 1.1V. LED
drive currents are easily programmed using one external current sense resistor
in series with the LEDs. The LX1744 is available in a choice of 14-pin TSSOP
or 16-pin MLPQ plastic packages, priced at $1.49 and $1.51 respectively in 10K
quantities. The LX1745, in a 20-pin TSSOP plastic package, is priced at $1.94
in 10k quantities. Company
news release. Don Scifres Serving on the Santur Board of DirectorsAugust 27, 2003...We've been remiss in covering the progress of a Silicon Valley based laser
developer, Santur Corporation.
It's an especially interesting company because it has a number of SDL people
behind it, which now includes Don Scifres, the original founder of SDL. We first
covered
this Fremont, California USA-based company in March, and with all the management
changes at JDS Uniphase, we began scouting about for Don Scifres, who retired
earlier this year from JDS Uniphase following a roller-coaster stock ride after
JDSU's landmark acquisition of SDL, a company heavily into the MOCVD-based manufacture
of leading edge compound semi lasers. With the consolidation of JDSU to the
San Jose facility (see headline news and editorial, Aug.
22 issue), headquarters for the old SDL, the tie-ins become newsworthy.
Don joined the board of directors of Santur in April. Santur was founded by
Bardia Pezeshki who serves as VP of Engineering, and the CEO is Richard Craig,
and the VP of Business Development is Gurinder Parhar, all of whom worked with
Don Scifres at SDL. Santur makes an innovative DFB array which is very similar
in size and complexity to the single element DFB chips prevalent in the industry,
but contains a number of lasers that allow the output spectrum to be changed
by selecting different elements of the array. Santur's technology allows large
numbers of DFBs to be fabricated simultaneously, with high yield and identical
spectral shape, but at different and precisely determined wavelengths. Quasi-continuous
tuning that can access any wavelength channel in the range can be obtained by
selecting the most appropriate DFB element in the array, and then fine tuned
using thermal or electro-optical means. Back, now, to Don Scifres. Don is an
"outside" director on the Santur board. Company
news release. Prior to his retirement at JDSU, Don was the Co-Chairman and
Chief Strategy Officer of JDS Uniphase and before that he was the President,
CEO and Chairman of SDL, which he founded in 1984. According to the release,
Don Scifres is also chairman of SDL Ventures, an investment company. Our news features are reported
by the CompoundSemi News staff writers.
For submissions or content suggestions, you can contact us using
editor -at - compoundsemi.com
For more information and to reserve promotion space contact
Info7 -at - compoundsemi.com
or call +1 (512) 257-9888 |
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The
McDonald Report
Commentary & Perspective...
Never Underestimate Fashion StatementsAugust 27, 2003...Just when you may think you've figured out where the next most promising applications
for advanced semiconductor components are headed, life throws you yet another
unexpected curve. The only thing you can bank on is that the human appetite
continues to consume end systems that use components that are smaller...
faster... with increased functionality, i.e. the mantra of the compounds.
Three items in the news of late illustrate these assumptions. Although obviously
innovative, to me all three fall in the old "go figure" file and underscore
the constant ingenuity of the consumer draw.
Hitachi has announced a new cellphone that allows the owner to view
3 hours television between battery recharge. Coverage was on Nikkei
and appeared in the Nihon Keizai Shimbun Friday of last week. According to the
report, Hitachi's new software reduces power consumption of the system chips
that control the reception and playback of video by changing the processing
speed of the system chip in accordance with fluctuations in data volume, cutting
power consumption during playback by three-fourths, thus tripling battery life.
The mind boggles at the idea of someone watching 3 hours of television on a
tiny little screen at one sitting. It might work for sports fanatics who just
want to casually keep up with the progress of their favorite game, but the prime
reaction was... will the new handset come with a magnifying glass?
Couple that with a Motorola interview on a projected rise in cellphone sales.
The interview was conducted by Ben Klayman and Yukari Iwatani of Reuters
who interviewed Mot spokesperson Tom Lynch, head of the Chicago area cellphone
unit, who had polled customers and came up with the prediction of a 10-15% rise
in unit volume sales. Lynch cited what he calls "the Nike phenomenon," (meaning
the sports shoe company) "during which consumers have multiple cell phones
for different occasions just like they have multiple sneakers." In the
upcoming holiday season, he said demand will be driven around the world by the
latest hot features, color screens and integrated digital cameras. The cellphone
industry has other opportunities on the horizon, Lynch said. The roll-out of
advanced, high-speed wireless networks 'will create a whole bunch of stuff we
can't even think about right now.' " but would surely incorporate Bluetooth
technology "which allows devices to communicate with each other without
a physical wire connection." Designer phones. That's nothing new, but the
part I liked best was the reference to the creation of "a whole bunch of
stuff we can't even think about right now." That, in itself, is
something to think about.
The final item comes from Kopin's silicon side. Kopin has long been
one of the more innovative and outspoken of the compound semi publicly held
companies, and Kopin's founder and CEO, John Fan, always seems to pull yet another
chuckle out of his endless bag of application tricks and new names for our field's
components. This time it's downright outrageous... and will probably bring in
tons of revenue from those who can afford to spend $500 on the latest rage in
sunglasses. A fashionable systems integrator of Kopin's clever silicon-based
CyberDisplay, Ingineo, has developed a product called Eyetop, (www.eyetop.net)
which takes what we've come to identify with the military's HUDS (heads up displays)
and attach them to those basking in the son.... or secret service agents...
or spies, or anyone in shades for that matter. It seems Eyetop wearers can view
the little Kopin CyberDisplay screen with one eye "while effortlessly maintaining
visual contact with the world around them." The company
news release underscores that CyberDisplay gives them the same vivid color
and unsurpassed image quality of a full-sized PC monitor - whether at night
or in bright sunlight." There's more...
"Eyetop plugs and plays with any device that has a video output,
such as a portable video player, digital camera, digital camcorder, portable
TV, laptop, desktop or PDA. Eyetop wearers, for example, can work on confidential
documents in public places by darkening their laptop screens and turning on
their Eyetop. They can shoot digital photographs without obstructing their view
with the camera body. Or they can watch DVDs on the go with unprecedented image
quality" says the release. "Eyetop is fun, but it isn't a toy; it's
wearable information and portable entertainment," said Atika El Sayed, general
manager of Ingineo. "It's a state-of-the-art multimedia experience fashioned
with the highest quality materials and haute couture style." Looking
at the product promos and envisioning people wearing these... at least those
who can afford $500 a pop for a pair of sunglasses (which is about the price
for high end prescription lenses), one envisions something akin to Star Trek's
Cyborg aliens. And we thought cellphones were a distraction for drivers
of vehicles? Wait until those drivers are distracted by looking out the side
of their eyes at a movie or taking clandestine pictures, while keeping both
hands on the wheel (or one on their concealed weapon).
Is this all fodder for fiction, or will it be fact? Who knows. Who
cares. New applications are what keep the compound semi industry in business,
whether they come from advanced military demands, or advanced commercial trends.
Smaller, faster, more clever devices for smaller, faster, more clever uses.
This is "the whole bunch of stuff we can't even think about right now..."
because we have to get back to work and make the components actually reliable...
for the smallest possible cost to the targeted systems integrators.
If you have questions about the
solid state lighting and compound semiconductor industries or have news
or views to share, I'm Jo Ann McDonald, Editor of LIGHTimes and CompoundSemi News.
Feel free to contact me directly, anytime. 
My direct tel at the ranch is
+1-325-463-5345
From time to time Jo Ann may comment on companies in which she holds a
modest investment - be sure to read
her disclosure at some point in time... |
