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Editorial: Cree's Progress Lifts the Spirits
... With so much distasteful negativism emitting out of the USA these last few weeks before the Presidential elections, and with every industry on mental "hold" and the USA government in virtual limbo or freefall until the results are in after the November 2nd critical vote, tuning in to a...
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Intrinsic Acquires Swedish SiC RF Component MakerOctober 14, 2004...Wide bandgap materials supplier, Intrinsic Semiconductor of Dulles, Virginia
USA has acquired Advanced Micro Device Solutions AB of Kista, Sweden. AMDS is
a privately funded company currently sampling SiC-based RF power and sensor
components. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, but the new Swedish
arm will be renamed Intrinsic Semiconductor AB and will be a wholly owned European
subsidiary of the American-based entity. The move pushes Intrinsic up the SiC
supply chain making it a more versatile and more vertically integrated company.
Dr. Cengiz Balkas, President and CEO of Intrinsic stated, "The strategic
acquisition of AMDS allows Intrinsic to have an organic presence in Europe;
a key market for the future growth of our business. AMDS allows Intrinsic to
immediately offer a portfolio of discrete SiC device products. This acquisition
is a vital step for Intrinsic in order to leverage our existing core SiC materials
technology into expanding device markets." Intrinsic currently claims
a distinct IP position that includes their recently announced GaN epitaxial
services.
Commenting on the acquisition from AMDS' side, Bengt-Olof Larsson, Chairman
of the company said, "Our team is very pleased to be joining INTRINSIC
and look forward to continuing our efforts in developing the industry’s
highest-performing SiC devices." The firm's Technical Director, Dr.
Chris Harris, added, “We are excited to have access to internal SiC
substrates, epitaxy, which together with our comprehensive applications engineering
effort will enable technically disruptive RF, power and sensor components. Intrinsic
also provides the ideal platform to advance our device activities in the US
market.” Company
news release
October 14, 2004...Opto Tech, a fast-rising player on the Asian scene for blue spectrum LEDs,
due to their relationship to both Nichia and Highlink, have explained to DigiTimes'
reporters Irene Chen and Esther Lam that the prime reason for Opto Tech's recent
success has more to do with their OLED yield improvement than it does their
relationship with Nichia. In Irene's and Ester's Oct.
13 report, Opto Tech noted again that their alliance with Nichia only allows them to sell in South Korea, Taiwan and China and that
those "Nichia branded" LEDs won't start shipping until next month. Then there's an additional lag as customers validate the new lines, which often
takes upward of three months. In the meantime, Opto Tech's OLEDs have improved
an impressive 60% and are selling well. Not covered in the report, but according to our sources, is that the deal between Opto Tech and Nichia is rather restrictive in that it only allows Opto Tech to sell blue LEDs. No white ones (as previously reported in these pages). And Nichia controls 100% of what Opto Tech can and cannot sell... and to whom they can and cannot sell. Also in regard to blue spectrum news in relation to Opto Tech's pending acquisition of Highlink, our sources tell us that's almost
a done deal. Those two points regarding Opto Tech are details the Taiwanse press evidently hasn't yet picked
up on. Reference the DigiTimes report however, for their usual excellent revenue projection graphs for Opto Tech. Cree Steps Up to Larger Area Displays with XThins for LCD BacklightsOctober 14, 2004...Cree Inc. of Durham, North Carolina USA has unveiled two new, higher brightness
additions to the XThin product family, the XT-24Ô and XT-27Ô.
The new XThins are being viewed as putting Cree's brightness levels for LCD
backlights on a more even footing with Lumileds which is supplying Sony. Cree's
new LEDs boast a respective minimum radiant flux of 24mW and 27mW, respectively,
at a dominant wavelength of 460nm. This wavelength, says Cree, was selected
because of its ability to maximize the conversion efficiency of most commercially
available LED phosphors, which convert blue light to white light. Cree's target
applications for the new XThins are white light applications such as
LCD backlighting for both mobile appliances and... more importantly perhaps,
given the push into car navigation systems, larger LCD displays. Details are
in the company
news release, and LIGHTimes
second page members can access more. Content continues for LIGHTimes SecondPage members... Infineon Discounts Sale Price of Fiberoptic Unit to FinisarOctober 14, 2004...On Oct. 11th, Finisar Corporation of Sunnyvale, California USA and Infineon
Technologies AG of Munich, Germany made public that they have agreed to modify
the terms of a previously announced agreement under which Finisar is to acquire
Infineon's fiberoptics business unit in Berlin, Germany. The terms were modified
due to the operating results for this business unit during the past six months,
resulting in discounting the original deal. Under the terms of the modified
agreement, Finisar will issue approximately 110 million shares of Finisar common
stock to Infineon compared to approximately 135 million shares that would have
been issued under the original agreement. When the transaction is completed,
Infineon will own a 33% equity interest in Finisar. In addition, Infineon has
agreed to provide financial assistance with respect to the costs of restructuring
the operations of the unit.
The acquisition will involve the transfer of 1,200 Infineon employees plus
the fiberoptic development, manufacturing, and certain marketing activities
to Finisar. Included in the unit is a broad range of fiberoptic datacom and
telecom modules supporting the common MSA standards, BIDI components that allow
bi-directional transmission on a single fiber for fiber-to-the-home applications
(FTTH), and plastic optical fiber (POF) components that are used in automotive
applications, specifically, for entertainment and safety systems. As part of
the transfer, Thomas Seifert, CEO of Infineon's Memory Products Group, is slated
to join the Finisar Board of Directors. Company
news release
Osram's IR Emitter Uses Thin Film TechnologyOctober 14, 2004...Osram Opto Semiconductors' Malaysian plant has publicized that the company
is extending its use of thin film technology beyond the established LED lines
and into the company's infrared components due to the exceptional efficiency
they've found from thin films. Their first gen 850nm IR emitter diodes are achieving
an overall output of 50 mW for a forward current of 100 mA. Thin-film chips
emit virtually all their internally generated light through the top of the chip
When only a thin light-generating layer is so close to the surface, almost no
light is able to escape through the side, which results in the radiated output
increasing in direct proportion to the size of the chip. Osram's prototype enlarged
IR chip produces an output in dc operation in excess of 400 mW at 1 A. In radial
components the light can also be tightly focused through a lens, leading to
extremely high radiant intensities and they report that, for small angles (about
3°), they can achieve values up to 700 mW/sr. Content continues for LIGHTimes SecondPage members... Aixtron Platforms Headed for OLED and AVD DevelopmentOctober 14, 2004...Aixtron AG of Aachen, Germany recently announced sales of equipment to RWTH
Aachen for OLED development, in conjunction with Philips, and sale of a development
reactor containing the key components of Aixtron's Atomic Vapor Deposition (AVD)
technology to the Ruhr-University of Bochum, Germany. The RWTH application includes
a collaboration agreement aimed at the joint development of novel large-area
white OLEDs. The project is not only targeting the development of OLEDs for
lighting applications, but will also focus on establishing new manufacturing
processes using Aixtron's Organic Vapor Phase Deposition (OVPD) technology.
RWTH Aachen, which is a leading institution in the area of semiconductor technology,
will have the new system installed at the manufacturing plant of Philips Lighting
in Aachen. The co-operation project is largely funded by the European Interreg
III program, the state of North Rhine-Westfalia (NRW) and the German Ministry
of Education and Research (BMBF). Especially interesting is the envisioned applications
by the team which range from cars with lucent body parts to large diffuse light
sources mimicking natural daylight e. g. on room walls. Company
news release
The AVD technology sold to Ruhr-University will be used for the research on
new precursors for and physical properties of high-k dielectrics and advanced
electrode thin films. It is an AIX 200FE system and will be installed in the
cleanroom facilities of the Institute for Inorganic Chemistry II under the direction
of Professor Dr. Roland A. Fischer and Jr. Prof. Dr. Anjana Devi. The activities
of his group are directed at the development of new metal-organic precursors
and their properties in different chemical vapor deposition methods. This sale
includes a cooperative agreement in which both parties will develop metal-organic
precursors for high-k and electrode materials and the use of these precursors
for an AVD thin film deposition process. Target applications include CMOS transistors,
DRAMs and integrated capacitors. More details are included in the company
news release.
JVC Lens Puts Blue Laser Race in Fresh FocusOctober 14, 2004...Victor Company of Japan (JVC) has entered the blue laser lane by creating a
new, very small optical lens for BRD-based players and recorders. The new optical
lens focuses the blue laser beam on a disc's surface during the reading and
writing of data. According to a recent report
over Nikkei Net, JVC's technology enables the manufacture of higher precision
lenses that in turn lead to smaller lenses for bending the laser beams. JVC's
prototype has a diameter of 2.1mm which is said to be half the size and almost
one tenth the volume of conventional lenses. In addition, because JVC's technology
allows the lens to operate at a distance of approximately 0.8mm from the Blu-ray
Disc format's surface, which represents a doubling the current capability, there's
a reduction of risk of the lens coming in contact with the spinning disc when
jarred. According to JVC, their technology can be produced inexpensively and
is expected to help expedite the commercialization of portable BRD players.
JVC plans to have the lenses ready for market next year. Noted in the report
is that the cutting of costs for both the lens and the blue laser diode is considered
key to lowering the prices of BRD-compatible equipment. 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...
Cree's Progress Lifts the SpiritsOctober 14, 2004...With so much distasteful negativism emitting out of the USA these last few
weeks before the Presidential elections, and with every industry on mental "hold"
and the USA government in virtual limbo or freefall until the results
are in after the November 2nd critical vote, tuning in to a Cree quarterly earnings
call for an hour at the end of a long Thursday was like a breath of fresh air.
Hearing Chuck Swoboda talk about how well things are going and sharing his time
and market savvy so generously just makes a person feel good. For those who
want to read an entire editorial comparing Cree to nothing short of Intel and
recapping Chuck's update to analysts and investors (and journalists) click over
to our sister online publication devoted to the Solid State Lighting industry,
www.LIGHTimes.com. New England Industry Fans Honor Kopin FounderOctober 14, 2004...The founder, President, and CEO of Kopin Corporation of Taunton, Massachusetts
USA, Dr. John C.C. Fan, has
been awarded a 2004 New England Business and Technology Association (NEBATA)
award as one of 10 leaders "making significant contributions to the development
and deployment of technology in New England's business community," but
in his customary style, John Fan turned around and accepted the award in the
name of all Kopin's employees. "On behalf of all of Kopin's employees,
who ultimately are the ones responsible for our success, I am honored to receive
the New England Business and Technology Association Award and proud that Kopin
continues to maintain its place as a business pioneer in New England,"
said Dr. Fan upon receiving the award, which was announced October 6th at the
Omni Parker House in Boston.
John went on to note that "Kopin's innovative nanosemiconductor technologies
have been at the forefront of the wireless and portable electronics industries
for many years, and are becoming a more integral change agent in the way people
communicate and share experiences through technology." More than 100
nominations were submitted for the annual NEBATA awards. Dr. Fan has overseen
the development and introduction by Kopin of nanosemiconductor-based components
in three categories: heterojunction bipolar transistors for wireless handset
and WLAN applications; the CyberDisplay family of transmissive active
matrix liquid crystal microdisplays for portable consumer, industrial and military
electronics applications; and the CyberLite family of light emitting
diodes featuring the company's proprietary NanoPocket technology.
John Fan co-founded Kopin in 1984 following 12 years at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology's Lincoln Laboratory. As the leader of Lincoln Lab's Electronic
Materials Group, he spearheaded semiconductor research in areas including thin-film
optical coatings, photovoltaic cells, heteroepitaxy, wafer engineering, silicon
and gallium arsenide electronic and photonic devices. Tom Hopcroft, President
of the New England Business and Technology Association noted when presenting
the award that, "The 2004 winners of the New England Business and Technology
Awards operate at the intersection of business and technology. They contribute
winning ideas and best practices to utilizing technology as an enabler of business
success, and are high-impact forces of change in the way business is conducted.
Dr. Fan's accomplishments speak for themselves, and we are proud to recognize
him as one of the leaders in the New England business community." John
Fan has been a strong supporter of our efforts here at CompoundSemi Online
and was one of our more colorful speakers at Blue
2004 in Taiwan. So from all of us who have followed his career for years...
Congratulations, John! Why Veeco's Slowdown in MOCVD Orders Are On Target with June Industry PredictionsOctober 13, 2004...Veeco's pre-quarterly earnings news
release verified what attendees at our Blue
2004 event in Taiwan in June were saying, loudly and clearly, that
the astonishing ramp in GaN machine orders during the previous 2004 quarters
for blue spectrum devices would taper off dramatically with the predicted consolidation
and natural time it takes to get the huge platforms running at capacity. What
was surprising was the comment in the release
by Veeco's Chairman and CEO, Ed Braun (who personally attended and presented at Blue 2004) who was quoted in the release as saying, "We
are disappointed not only by our third quarter performance but by our lack of
visibility of this slowdown." When analysts called our editorial offices for my reaction to this "news," my answer was... "I'm not surprised, nor should you be." Asia is loaded with MOCVD reactors, and has been for some time. The amazing thing is that both Veeco and their main competitor, Aixtron, had been able to sustain their astonishing pace of sales as long as they did. 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... |
