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March 8, 2006...Kyma Technologies continues its efforts
to help spearhead the utilization of native GaN starting material in a wide
variety of applications. The Raleigh, North Carolina USA-based company's efforts
recently received additional backing by the DoD's Missile Defense Agency (MDA)
in the form of multiple SBIR/STTR program support to continue and expand Kyma's
leading edge work in growing low defect density native GaN crystals. Kyma was
selected for two new Phase I SBIR projects under MDA's direction, which closely
follow Kyma’s win of a new Phase II STTR effort in October (company
news release)which was also under the MDA SBIR/STTR program. Each of these focus on continued development
of native GaN materials and devices and are driven by the potential of native
GaN to enable critical advances in next generation military radar systems. Not
only are native GaN crystals deemed critical to advancing military radar, but
they are being seriously considered for a growing number of commercial applications,
including power switching electronics, high power radio-frequency electronics,
solid state lighting, optical storage (blue lasers), bioagent and chemical sensing,
and ultraviolet light detection. According to Strategies Unlimited's estimates,
the total market for all types of gallium nitride devices will reach $7.2 billion
by 2009 (ref:
news), from which Kyma estimates that, considering the diverse application
areas, that the market may reach $30B by 2015.
According to Drew Hanser, company co-founder and CTO of Kyma, “These
two Phase I SBIR wins and our recently awarded Phase II STTR are all associated
with our continuing push to improve the size, quality, and availability of semi-insulating
GaN for high-power high-frequency (HPHF) microelectronics applications. Drew
pointed out that the DoD is currently developing GaN FETs for next gen X-band
radar and other HPHF military apps and that Kyma believes that their native
GaN has all the physical properties necessary to enable the high performance and reliability levels required for such applications. "In parallel
with our materials improvement efforts, our collaboration partners are helping
us pursue device level validation of the benefits of native GaN and have already
shown excellent preliminary results across a broad range of device types, including
APDs, FETs, laser diodes, LEDs, and Schottky diodes.” Kyma's collaboration
partners include the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Auburn University,
Duke University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Naval Research Laboratory
(NRL), North Carolina State University, Penn State University Electro-Optics
Center, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. More details are in the company
news release and a perspective on Kyma will be the topic of an upcoming
McDonald Report.
Intrinsic Debuts Zero Micropipe SiC and 100mm SiC Wafers
CompoundSemi News StaffMarch 7, 2006...Intrinsic Semiconductor of Dulles, Virginia USA, a privately held wide bandgap
material and device manufacturer, began shipments of silicon carbide (SiC) wafers
they claim are completely free of micropipes. The company also commenced shipments
of 100mm (4 inch) diameter SiC wafers. The company says that their new products
will help broaden the acceptance of silicon carbide for use in next generation
RF and power devices. The company contends that SiC inherently has superior
characteristics to other semiconductor materials for high-power, high-frequency,
and high-temperature applications. According to Intrinsic, microscopic defects called “micropipes”
permeate conventionally grown SiC material. The company contends that this has
slowed yield improvement and price reductions in the industry. However, Intrinsic
claims that their new ZMP (Zero Micropipe) material will lead to higher yields
and lower manufacturing costs. Intrinsic also pointed out that the addition
of their 100mm wafers potentially doubles the number of devices per wafer over
75 mm wafers. Company
News Release Hazmat Incident at JDSU's San Jose Facility
CompoundSemi News StaffMarch 6, 2006...The San Jose, California USA fire department’s hazardous materials team
will be looking into an incident that occured Friday at the San Jose JDS Uniphase facility that manufactures pump laser, in which an undetermined
hazardous substance (most likely a gas) was released, according to San Jose
Fire Captain Michael Shaw. The hazmat incident at the opto-electronic manufacturer caused one employee to go unconscious
and fourteen other employees and four fire fighters to suffer from irritated eyes,
noses, and throats, the Bay
City News Wire reported.
More than 12 gases are piped into the room in which the most seriously injured
employee was discovered, Shaw indicated. Thirteen of the employees were taken to a
local hospital, and have since been released. Two others were treated at the
scene. Firefighters entered the building in fully encapsulated suits. Two of
the fire fighters were treated and released from a local hospital, and two other
fire fighters were taken to hospitals as a precautionary measure because of
abnormal vital signs, according to Shaw. The hazardous substance, its source,
and how it was released have not yet been determined, Shaw said in the report. JDSU is reportedly still set to debut many new components, modules, and subsystems at OFC/NFOEC, in Anaheim, California beginning tomorrow. Company
News Release RF Micro Lands Major Local Government Incentives to Expand Manufacturing in North CarolinaMarch 6, 2006...RF Micro of Greensboro, North Carolina USA, a maker of RF components for communications
applications, has landed up to $6.5 million in incentives for expansion of its
Guilford County manufacturing facility, according to Yahoo
Finance
and the Triangle Business Journal. The state government of North
Carolina has offered up to $4.9 million in state incentives for the expansion which
is expected to create about 300 jobs and infuse $80 million into the Triad economy.
The company reported that Guilford County has pledged $830,000 over three years,
and the city of Greensboro has agreed to similar incentives of up to $590,000.
The company expects the majority of the new jobs will be highly skilled manufacturing
positions that will pay an average annual salary of $52,290 plus benefits, substantially
higher than the Guilford County average of $34,268. RF Micro plans to begin construction
on the facility in June and expects to expand their operations beginning in fall
2006. The project is reportedly the fifth expansion in the company’s 15 years of operations
in Greensboro. Bookham to Acquire VCSEL Maker, Avalon Photonics
CompoundSemi News StaffMarch 6, 2006...Optical component, module, and subsystem provider, Bookham Inc., of San Jose,
California USA has signed an agreement to acquire Avalon Photonics of Zurich, Switzerland, a supplier
of patent-protected single and multi-mode vertical cavity surface emitting laser
(VCSEL) chips, arrays, and sub assemblies for sensing, datacom and measurement. Avalon specializes in 850nm VCSELs.
Under the terms of the deal, Bookham will exchange approximately 765,000 shares of their
common stock valued at approximately $5.5 million on signing. Bookham
will also potentially pay an additional 348,000 share earn-out based upon Avalon
achieving certain revenue and production performance criteria over a two-year
period. The transaction, which is expected to close in March subject to customary
closing conditions; it should not have a material effect on Bookham’s
results for the quarter ending March 31, 2006. Company
News Release.
In additional Bookham news, the company will debut its new integrated tunable
laser assembly at OFC/NFOEC (stand no. 3013) beginning tomorrow in Anaheim,
California USA. According to the company, the iTLA, utilizing the fully telcordia
GR-468 qualified wideband tunable laser, based on a monolithic platform, brings
tenability to long haul and regional metro applications in a design with no
moving parts. Company
News Release LG, Sony, and Samsung Debut New Format DVD Products
CompoundSemi News StaffMarch 6, 2006...LG Electronics of Seoul, Korea will release a hybrid player allowing both HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs,
Bob Perry, VP of LG’s US sales said in a memo obtained by Gizmodo.
The company introduced a Blu-ray drive at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES)
in January. Perry said in the memo that because of “uncertainty in this
early stage of the market for prerecorded high-definition optical disks, “
the device will not ship as planned this spring. Several other companies plan
release of Blu-ray DVD products this spring. Among the early products, the first
Blue-ray disc movies from Japanese company, Sony and an early Blu-ray DVD player from Korean company, Samsung,
are set to launch May 23, Yahoo
News indicated. Emcore Debuts GPON Triplexer Product Line for FTTP ApplicationsMarch 6, 2006...Compound semiconductor component and subsystems maker, Emcore Corporation of
Somerset New Jersey USA, introduced its GPON triplexer product line designed
for FTTP applications. According to the company, the product line conforms to
the G.984 ITU FSAN requirements. The company introduced the 9937D for single
family units, the 9937M for multi-family units, and the 9937B for business and
ONU applications. Emcore reports that their GPON line provide data rates
of 2.488Gbps downstream, and 1.244Gbps upstream --the maximum speeds defined
by the ITU-T G.984 standards and FSAN recommendations. Company
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