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Editorial: Vision in Vancouver April 27th
... You'll already be in Vancouver anyway, attending CS Mantech April 24-27, so make plans now to intensify your visit to Canada by attending our CompoundSemi Vision 2006 forum for industry executives on Thursday, April 27th, from 1-6p, followed by an evening reception event. If you look closely at the...
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April 3, 2006...Group4 Labs, the makers of gallium nitride on diamond wafer, have extended
the technology to a two inch diamond wafer. Previously the company announced
a 10mm by 10mm version. (Ref: Coverage)
The new 2 inch wafer product is the second in the company’s Xero wafer
family. The company says that the new product shares the same packaging technology
to molecularly attach the gallium nitride epi wafer of the same diameter to
the 2 inch synthetic diamond substrate. According to the company, which is headquartered in Menlo Park, California USA, the 2-inch
wafer is ideal for use in the conventional epitaxial growth of GaN and its aluminum-
and indium-based alloys. The company’s technology boasts 3 to 30 times
the thermal conductivity of conventional semiconductors. This geometrically
increases the power density 10 to 100 times depending on device configuration.
Company
News Release Toyoda Gosei and Philips Lumileds Enter Cross-Licensing Agreement
LIGHTimes StaffApril 3, 2006...Toyoda Gosei of Tokyo, Japan, and Philips Lumileds Lighting (Lumileds) of San
Jose, California USA, have entered into an agreement to use each others patents
for specific compound semiconductor LEDs. In cross licensing agreement, Lumileds
will allow Toyoda Gosei to use its valuable patents for high-brightness red
LEDs and high-power blue LEDs. Likewise, Toyoda Gosei will allow Lumileds use
of its valuable blue LED-related patents. Content continues for LIGHTimes SecondPage members... RFMD to Ramp GaAs HBT and pHEMT Production
CompoundSemi News StaffMarch 30, 2006...RFMD a maker and developer of radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), headquartered
in Greensboro, North Carolina USA, announced an $80 million wafer facility (fab)
expansion. RFMD expects the expansion to increase its wafer manufacturing
capacity by about 40%. The company hopes to continue the growth in their gallium
arsenide (GaAs) hetero junction bipolar transistor and GaAs pseudomorphic high
electron mobility transistor (pHEMT) process technology for transmit modules.
Within the hundreds of millions of handsets expected to be shipped this year
in the market, RFMD hopes a growing number will feature their power amplifier
(PA) and transmit modules, which integrate their GaAs pHEMT transmit switch
technology with their GaAs HBT power amplifier technology. The company points
out that with the expected increase in 3G handset sales, it can expect
increased sales of their GaAs transmit and PA modules because multiples are
required of each in 3G handset designs. Furthermore, WLAN equipped handsets
also require both GaAs HBT and GaAs pHEMT technologies. Bob Bruggeworth, president
and CEO of RFMD, said, "RFMD is making this strategic investment to
capitalize on the rapid increase in worldwide demand for GaAs technology. We
are the leader in cellular transmit modules, driven by shipments to our two
largest customers, and we expect our leadership to grow this year as we add
customers for these products." Company
News Release Veeco Joins UCSB for Solid State Lighting Development
LIGHTimes StaffMarch 30, 2006...Veeco Instruments Inc., a leading supplier of MOCVD equipment based in Woodbury,
New York USA, has reportedly been selected to join the Solid State Lighting
and Display Center (SSLDC) at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).
Veeco explained that the goal of the center, headed by Dr. Shuji Nakamura, Dr.
Steve DenBaars, Dr. James Speck, and Dr. Umesh Mishra, is to develop develop
novel materials and device technology for high efficiency solid state lighting.
Veeco said it will collaborate with UCSB faculty and student researchers, as
well as other member companies, to address the challenges affecting the solid-state
lighting industry. Content continues for LIGHTimes SecondPage members... JDSU to Sell Products From Applied InnovationMarch 29, 2006...Applied innovation announced that effective immediately, JDSU will represent
the quality monitoring and network management company, Applied Innovation in
Latin and Central America and the Carribbean. Applied Innovation indicated that
as part of the recently signed agreement, JDSU will offer Applied Innovation
solutions to complement the portfolio of products from their recently acquired
company Acterna. Applied Innovation reportedly offers solutions for wireless,
wireline, government, and international markets. The agreement allows JDSU to
represent Applied Innovation in 24 countries from their three main offices in
Brazil, Mexico, and Miami. The countries covered by the contract include:Argentina,
Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El
Salvador, Equador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay,
Peru, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Surinam, Trinidad & Tobago, Uruguay
and Venezuela. Company
News Release
In other JDSU News, Businessweek outlined JDSU’s progress over
the last several years in approaching profitability. The article
points out that in the past year alone JDSU has paid over $500 million in cash
and stock for four acquisitions. Furthermore, the article indicated that the
recent acquisitions provide entry into new markets such as network-testing equipment,
remote switching devices, and specialty pigments used on drug labels to verify
authenticity. The company hopes to gain a significant market share with their
newly unvailed triple play testing and monitoring equipment for networks that
provide video, phone calling, and high-speed Internet together. Overall the
article indicated that the company remains hopeful, projecting break even status
on an operating basis by the end of this month. BiFi Optilas to Distribute Osram Opto Laser Diode Products in EuropeMarch 29, 2006...BFi Optilas and Osram Opto Semiconductors have signed a distribution deal in which BFi Optilas will distribute
Osram Opto products throughout Euroupe. According to industry media outlet,
LaboratoryTalk,
the distributed products will include: the Sirilas high power laser diode package,
single emitters of 0.5 to 2Watts, and pulsed laser diode packages. BFi Optilas
reportedly has offices in Benelux, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden,
and UK. Both companies reportedly expect to greatly increase
their market penetration thanks to the new collaboration. DVD Format Race Heats Up
CompoundSemi News StaffMarch 29, 2006...Both Panasonic and
Matsushita
announced plans to roll out their Blu-ray Disc players in September. Panasonic
will sell their high definition, Blu-ray player for $1,500. They reportedly expect
up to 5 million of new format DVD players (not all theirs) to be sold industry-wide in the first year.
Matsushita stated that it would launch its Blu-ray player (also with a $1500 price
tag) in the United States in September .The format race will likely lead to consumer
confusion, and at least one major studio will be using copy protection to intentionally downgrade
the quality of the picture, Businessweek
indicated. Blu-ray appears in the lead in the format race due to the recent news
and the Toshiba announcement last week that it would likely have to delay the
release of its HD-DVD player. AmberWave Systems Agrees to Research Partnership With PurdueMarch 29, 2006...AmberWave Systems, a maker of strained silicon and advanced semiconductor materials
located in Salem, New Hamshire USA, will be partnering with Purdue University
of West Lafayette, Indiana to jointly develop technology for integrating silicon
with III-V materials. The principal investigator working in this collaboration
is Dr. Peide (Peter) Ye of Purdue's School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
According to the company, Dr. Ye is an expert in III-V MOSFET technology and
atomic layer deposition (ALD) and was previously a researcher at Bell Laboratories
of Lucent Technologies and Agere Systems. The company stated that Dr. Ye's background
in solving the challenges of new materials development was the compelling reason
for AmberWave's selection of Purdue as a partner in the research. Company
News Release Cree Adds SunPower CEO to Board
LIGHTimes StaffMarch 28, 2006...Cree has added Thomas H. Werner, CEO of SunPower of Sunnyvale, California to
its board of directors. SunPower is a
manufacturer of high-efficiency solar cells and solar panels. According to Cree,
he also serves as a member of the board of directors for Sun Power.
Mr. Werner joined SunPower Corporation as its chief executive officer and board
member in June of 2003. Prior to SunPower, he served as chief executive officer
of Silicon Light Machines, Inc., an optical solutions subsidiary of Cypress
Semiconductor Corporation. Content continues for LIGHTimes SecondPage members... National Semiconductor Introduces LED Drivers for Handset DisplaysMarch 27, 2006...Power management specialist, National Semiconductor Corporation, has introduced
three inductor-less white LED drivers for display backlighting of mobile phones,
PDAs, MP3 players, and portable gaming devices. The company said that the LM27951,
LM27952, and LM27964 use no external inductors and therefore help reduce the
size of LED lighting solutions. Additionally the drivers use the company’s
switched capacitor technology to help extend battery life in portable devices. Content continues for LIGHTimes SecondPage members... 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...
Vision in Vancouver April 27thMarch 28, 2006...You'll already be in Vancouver anyway, attending CS
Mantech April 24-27, so make plans now to intensify your visit to Canada
by attending our CompoundSemi
Vision 2006 forum for industry executives on Thursday, April 27th, from
1-6p, followed by an evening reception event. If you look closely at the agendas of the two co-located events [direct
link to Mantech's
agenda - direct link to CS
Vision agenda] you'll see that we've planned it so that Mantech's closing
sessions on Thursday morning segue perfectly into CS Vision's Thursday afternoon
topics, with wide bandgap (WBG) materials and device strategy taking center
stage.
I heartily recommend that the marketing people staffing the exhibits at Mantech
be sure to extend their stay in Vancouver in order to collaborate with the industry
executives attending CS
Vision, the consummate "insiders meet". Marketing and sales people
are sure to benefit tremendously by intensifying their vision of where
the CS and SSL industries are truly headed... which is what Vision in Vancouver
is all about. And I also heartily recommend that the executives planning on
attending CS Vision make their plans to get to Vancouver earlier in the week
so that they can visit the Mantech exhibits as well as attend some of the technical
sessions. Mantech organizers have planned a repeat and expansion of last year’s
successful and popular Exhibitors’ Forum which will take place on
Tuesday April 25th from 1:30p to 3:20p (immediately following the Exhibits
Luncheon), where exhibitors get to present their latest technologies and
offerings in an especially informal and relaxed environment. TriQuint's Marty
Brophy has put together an excellent lineup of exhibitors for Mantech. Take
a look at the list of which companies will be exhibiting!
Speaking of TriQuint... (for a little "who's typically involved in this thing" framing history) TriQuint has always been one a prime supporter of our
annual executive forum meets, known to many as the original CS Outlook
events. At CS Outlook for
2005 Tom Cordner, who heads TriQuint Texas, served as co-chair (along with
Bernd Schulte, COO of Aixtron) and at CS
Outlook for 2004, TriQuint's CEO, Ralph Quincy chaired the event with David
Reamer, who was then with Veeco.
Speaking of Veeco... they'll be again helping sponsor this very special
half-day executive forum as our initial Diamond sponsor. Thanks
Veeco! We really appreciate your continued
support. There are still slots open for sponsorship
of CS Vision, including the modest "Gold" level, which is a great way to show support for the co-location move that we've made for this event. Industry supporters can take a quick look at
our CS
Vision Promotion page and then sign-up online. For additional details on any aspect of the event, contact our president, Tom Griffiths. Tom can be reached in Austin at +1 512-257-9888
or by emailing him at 2006info@CompoundSemiVision.com. The team has put together
an especially strong, intensive agenda
for CS Vision.
CS Vision in Vancouver will kick off the way we've started past CS Outlook
forums... with a supply and demand market update, which will be provided by
Asif Anwar of Strategy Analytics. Then getting right into it, Robert Walker
president and CEO of eLite Optoelectronics will present his current assessment
of the LED industry impact on the compounds. Hailing originally as the head
of Emcore's marketing and GM of their Pacific Rim operation before joining Vincera
Ventures, as well as heading up Strategies Unlimited's Asian LED market studies,
Bob Walker is unsurpassed in his leadership position in the advanced LED field
and Solid State Lighting (SSL) industry and especially his knowledge of Asia.
Bob Walker is again co-chair of our annual Solid State Lighting Suppliers Forum
(SSLS 2006) in Taiwan in
May. By the way, Bob's doing a great job at the helm of eLite now, a young company
that has strong roots with both Emcore and AXT.
Speaking of AXT & Emcore (and Cree)... as those of you who read
the updates of my model CS
stock portfolio know, AXT is representative of the publicly traded companies
that, like TriQuint, is finally enjoying a resurgence in their stock price.
Whereas the overall gain in the portfolio is 60%, AXT's
stock has gone risen from $1.08 to $3.50/share and TriQuint's
stock has risen from a low of $2.88 to their current $5 range. Speaking
at CS Vision for AXT will be co-founder of the company, Morris Young. Stars
of the model CS stock portfolio continue to be Emcore and Cree. Emcore's
stock has risen from a low of $2.70 to what the $10 range, which coincidentally
is what it was assessed at back in the mid 1990s when it went for its IPO. Cree's
stock has put in the best showing of all, moving from a low of $20.68 to
today's $33 range. Those four companies worth have moved beyond the 60% gain
range, which, by any Wall Street standards is considered amazing and tremendous
news! Emcore's Ivan Eliashevich, who directs the EMD efforts and oversees Emcore's
role in GELcore with GE, will provide CS Vision attendees with the why's of
Emcore's success and vision, while Cree's Primit Parikh will provide insight
on Cree's strategy regarding GaN-based electronics.
Speaking of GaN, and the WBGs in general... two other speaker/leaders
at CS Vision are keenly focused on the future of these amazing wide bandgap
materials and devices. The two are: Kyma co-founder Drew Hanser, who serves
that amazing gallium nitride (GaN) native substrate company as CTO and VP of
Business Development, and John Blevins of the USA's Air Force Research Laboratory
(AFRL), Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Sensor Materials Branch. I'm
firmly convinced that the remarkable pickup in the CS industry, and continued
strength of the SSL industry, can be directly traced to the growing popularity
of the wide bangap semiconductors, and GaN in particular. Come to CS Vision
as see if you don't agree. If you were at our CS Outlook for 2005, you'll remember
that Kyma's CEO Keith Evans (who was then still with Crystal IS) presided over
a memorable WBG workshop. Keith got his start in this field at AFRL, and has
been one of the major shakers/movers of Mantech. See how this all weaves together?
See how it all weaves together? Join us in Vancouver the last week in
April and make it all work for you by taking an active part in CS Mantech and
CS Vision. You can't believe where you might be headed next by meeting with
and mixing with your fellow shakers and movers.
Register
now for CS Vision and make your hotel
reservations for the Hotel Vancouver for Wednesday and Thursday nights to
extend your stay at Mantech to also attend Vision in Vancouver.
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... |
