Skyworks Secures Orders From OEMs and Ramps Production of RFICs for Cellular Base StationsJune 12, 2006...Skyworks Solutions of Woburn, Massachusetts, a radio frequency integrated circuit
(RFIC) company, reported that after receiving several design wins, with four
major original equipment manufacturers, the company will begin ramping production
of several integrated products. The company says it has expanded its cellular
infrastructure portfolio over the past two years to include products for the
cellular base station market.
According to the company, it is currently in volume production of the following
products: The SKY73020 reportedly offers a high performance dual mixer that
supports two-channel diversity and combines an IF amplifier, switches and local
oscillator (LO) drivers into a single device, accomplishing what was previously
performed by nine discrete components. The SKY65028, an ultra-wideband linear
amplifier with superior output power and efficiency is fabricated using Skyworks'
high-reliability aluminum gallium arsenide (AlGaAs) heterojunction bipolar transistor
(HBT) technology. The SKY65004: an ultra-wideband PA with enhanced output power,
linearity and efficiency is manufactured using Skyworks' AlGaAs HBT technology
applications. Thus far, Skyworks has secured several key design wins in the
medical, broadband, automotive, and industrial markets. Company
News Release June 12, 2006...UK-based Filtronic reportedly plans to use the financial boost from the sale
of its Wireless Infrastructure business to USA-based Powerwave, to expand the
capacity of its GaAs plant in south London. If the agreement, signed by the
board of directors is approved by Powerwave shareholders and regulatory conditions
are met, Powerwave will purchase the business for $150 million in cash and 20.7
million newly issued shares of Powerwave common stock. The sale includes transmit/receive
filters, integrated remote radio heads, and power amplifier products, all for
use in commercial wireless infrastructure base station equipment. The proposed
acquisition does not include Filtronic’s point to point radio backhaul
equipment or its other divisions of Compound Semiconductors and Defence Electronics.
Filtronic’s Infrastructure business reportedly earned $332.1 million for
the fiscal year ending November 30, 2006. (Filtronic
News Release) Powerwave hopes the vertical integration resulting from the
acquired business will lead to economies of scale. Powerwave
News Release Avago CoolPam Technology Incorporated in HSDPA/W-CDMA Reference Design
June 12, 2006...Avago Technolgies, one of the largest privately held semiconductor companies in
the world, reported that its CoolPam power amplifier modules have been incorporated
in a reference design from a leading W-CDMA chipset supplier. The CoolPam technology,
which utilizes InGaP (indium gallium phosphide) HBT (heterojunction bipolar transistor)
MMIC, is said to reduce power consumption and increases battery lifetime in handsets.
According to the company, handsets based on the design will ship this fall. Avago
says that buying chipsets based on the reference design reduces the time to market
for companies to deliver 3G mobile phones, data cards, PDAs, and other mobile
devices. The reference design reportedly supports HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet
Access) and W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) UMTS (Universal Mobile
Telecommunications System)/GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication)/GPRS (General
Packet Radio Service)/EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution) networks. Company
News Release TriQuint Wins Lockheed Martin Platinum Supplier Award CompoundSemi News StaffJune 12, 2006...United States defense contractor, Lockheed Martin, has honored TriQuint Semiconductor
with the platinum supplier award. The award was given to TriQunt as part of
Lockheed’s Preferred Supplier Status Facility Award program. Lockheed
senior management and executives presented the award to TriQuint president and
CEO, Ralph Quinsey. TriQuint reports receiving the award for distinguishing
itself in meeting some of the “most rigorous and stringent performance
criteria in the industry” with their gallium arsenide (GaAs) high-power
amplifiers, gain block amplifiers and other high performance devices developed
for past Lockheed Martin Corporation contracts. TriQuint Semiconductor reportedly
designs and manufactures a range of high- and low-frequency products across
all typical high- and low-power microelectronic ratings using gallium arsenide,
surface acoustic wave (SAW), and bulk acoustic wave (BAW) technologies for many
different communications applications including military, network infrastructure,
sat-com, wireless (cellular) base stations and fiber optic networks. TriQuint
News Release Heliovolt Wins Another Award for its Thin Film Photvoltaics CompoundSemi News StaffJune 7, 2006...Heliovolt has won Frost and Sullivan’s award for thin film photovoltaics
and has also added to their technical advisory panel. Frost and Sullivan reportedly
honored the company with the 2006 Innovation of the Year Award in the field
of thin film photovoltaics. Heliovolt also added, Dr. Vish Krishnan to its technical
advisory panel. Dr. Krishnan, a specialist in technology innovation and commercialization
at the University of California, San Diego, will join Dr. Krishnan joins Colorado
State University's Dr. James Sites, Princeton University's Dr. Kyle Vanderlick,
and Nobel Prize winning physicist Dr. Arno Penzias on HelioVolt's technical
advisory panel.
The company was honored for developing its high speed, low cost manufacturing
process called FASST for high efficiency copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS)
films. The FASST process can reportedly produce the CIGS films at least 10 x
as fast as its competitors. According to Heliovolt, their solar technology can
be applied directly onto conventional construction materials including steel,
architectural glass, and roofing materials. "In addition to Frost &
Sullivan's recent recognition of our FASST(TM) process and a new facility designed
to meet our product development and manufacturing needs, we've also assembled
an extraordinary group of distinguished technical experts committed to guiding
HelioVolt's product development," said HelioVolt CEO and solar energy
pioneer, Dr. B.J. Stanbery. Company
News Release. The company received the "Company of the Year" award
from the Texas Renewable Energy Association in November 2005. (Ref: Coverage) RFMD Assembles 100 Millionth Module and Plans Capacity Increase CompoundSemi News StaffJune 7, 2006...RFMD has reported assembling its 100 millionth module in its Beijing, China
assembly facility. The company cites continued strong sales of its cellular
power amplifiers for the accomplishment. Additionally the company announced
that it will increase the assembly capacity of the Beijing facility by 100 percent
due to strong demand for its mobile products. RFMD also plans to expand its
gallium arsenide production capacity by 40 percent at its Greensboro, North
Carolina USA, facility. Bob Bruggeworth, president and CEO of RFMD, made the
announcement while touring the Company's Beijing facility. Bruggeworth stated,
"Our power amplifiers are found in approximately one half of the world's
phones, and our customers include all of the world's major handset manufacturers.
We are particularly focused on supporting the growing presence of handset manufacturers
in Asia, and we are committed to increasing our manufacturing capabilities in
Asia as the region continues to evolve as the handset industry's manufacturing
center." Company
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