|
February 1, 2007...Intevac of Santa Clara, California USA, a supplier of magnetic media sputtering
equipment and low light imaging sensors, has completed the acquisition of the
assets and certain liabilities of DeltaNu, LLC of Laramie, Wyoming. DeltaNu
specializes in small footprint, handheld Raman Spectroscopy instruments.
Intevac Imaging Vice-President and General Manager Joe Pietras stated, "DeltaNu
has pioneered the development of miniaturized, high-performance Raman spectrometers.
Their unique platform provides a family of portable and easy-to-use instruments
for chemical identification in various laboratory and field applications, such
as medical diagnostics, scientific research, forensics and industrial materials
control.” He added, "We eagerly look forward to new product
opportunities that can be created by combining DeltaNu's miniature Raman spectrometer
designs with Intevac's capabilities in near-infrared sensors, which will enable
a new class of portable instruments with greatly enhanced chemical detection
capabilities." Intevac
News Release Anadigics Shipping Production Quantity WLAN 802.11n Power AmpsJanuary 31, 2007...Mainstay InGaP power amp pioneer, Anadigics of Warren, New Jersey USA is ramping
production shipment of their Wireless LAN (WLAN) power amplifiers (PAs) that
support the upcoming 802.11n multi-input, multi-output (MIMO) standard. The
company supplies several key industry players with single-band and dual-band
WLAN PAs, including the AWL6153, AWL9925, AWL9929 and AWL6951 for MIMO (802.11n)
applications. With recent announcements, MIMO applications are expected to ramp
quickly as access point and notebook manufacturers accelerate to production.
The benefits of MIMO technology include extended range beyond that of 802.11abg
and increased data rates which support simultaneous multimedia applications
such as high definition video and voice over internet protocol (VoIP). For Anadigics,
the benefits of MIMO are clear: multiple transmit chains equals multiple power
amplifiers in each MIMO device.
Underscoring the importance of this new 802 platform, Anadigics president and
CEO, Dr. Bami Bastani remarked, "We are extremely pleased by the success
of our highly integrated WLAN PAs for MIMO platforms. "The deployment of
802.11n MIMO technology expands the WLAN market with such drivers as wireless
broadband entertainment in the home. ANADIGICS' PAs and front-end ICs (FEICs)
stand out as critical enablers. We are proud to be working closely with the
leaders in the industry to develop the next generation of wireless connectivity
solutions." The new power amps are headed for applications into a broad
range of next generation home and office multimedia appliances, such as mobile
computing, CATV set-top boxes, HD televisions, and videogame console systems.
Company
news release
Laser Diode Maker Dilas Releases New High Power Near IR Conduction Cooled LDsJanuary 31, 2007...New to our company listings, but founded in 1994 in Mainz, Germany, a high power
semiconductor laser diode company named Dilas has introduced a line of near-infrared
(NIR) laser diodes emitting 60W continuous-wave (CW) power at 808 nm and 980
nm from a single 19 emitter bar. The new LDs are available in the industry-standard
(25 mm x 25 mm) conduction-cooled package, and are targeted as ideal pump sources
for solid-state lasers used for medical and industrial applications. Dilas'
808 nm and 980 nm diode lasers feature industry leading brightness, power, and
reliability. They've demonstrated an operating current of 60A and compliance
voltage of 1.7V. Beam divergence is <65 degrees by <10 degrees for 90%
enclosed power. As an added feature, Dilas will include an AR-coated aspherical
cylinder lens to collimate the fast-axis to <12 mrad, and for applications
requiring a collimated beam, our slow-axis lensing capability can further improve
bar brightness. For those unfamiliar with Dilas, the company has manufacturing
facilities in both Mainz, Germany and in Tucson, Arizona in the USA. Their website
is www.Dilas-Inc.com. Company
news release Picogiga In Pre-Production of "SopSiC" for GaN on Si DevicesJanuary 31, 2007...It's not a "popsicle" it's a "SopSiC" and that's what Picogiga
International, the Les Ulis, France-based division of Soitec, has named its
new "Smart Cut" engineered substrate for GaN-based power devices.
SopSiC stands for Silicon-on-polysilicon-carbide, and Picogiga bills the new
substrate material as a bridge between what they feel is a compound epiwafer
void between low-cost, low-power gallium nitride (GaN) on silicon and
high-cost, high-power SiC for GaN HEMT devices. According to Picogiga, SopSiC
is designed specifically to provide cost-efficient substrate solutions for advanced
high-power devices used in wireless (RF) communication systems such as radar,
satellite communications and base stations.
“SopSiC is an excellent example of how Smart Cut engineered substrates
can be used to solve challenges for III-V applications,” says Jean-Luc
Ledys, COO of Picogiga. “While GaN on both silicon and silicon carbide
is part of our existing epiwafer product line for high-power applications, SopSiC
gives our customers a significantly better performing solution than silicon—and
a considerably less expensive solution than SiC. In terms of dollar/watt, SopSiC
is an extremely attractive solution.”
The SopSiC structure is engineered using Picogiga's Smart Cut layer
transfer and bonding technology. It includes a bottom layer of polysilicon-carbide,
an insulating buried oxide layer, and a high resistivity (1-1-1) silicon top
layer, and the top layer serves as the seed layer for GaN epitaxial growth,
which is accomplished using either MBE or MOCVD epiwafer machines. The bottom
polysilicon-carbide layer is designed to evacuate the heat generated by high-power
HEMT devices. Samples for customers are now available in 3” and 4”
diameters. And because the fabrication process is not limited by the small diameters
of bulk SiC, the process is scalable to the larger wafer sizes standard for
silicon, and the company says a 6” version is currently in development.
Company
news release
Mimix Broadband Introduces MMIC SPDT Switch for BroadbandJanuary 30, 2007...Mimix Broadband, Inc of Houston, Texas USA, has introduced a gallium arsenide
(GaAs) monolithic microwave inegrated circuit (MMIC) single-pole double throw
(SPDT) switch. "This broadband switch is much smaller than comparable
FET MMICs offering similar performance," stated Amer Droubi, Product
Manager of Mimix Broadband, Inc. "Integrated backside via holes lowers
ground inductance, improving high frequency performance and simplifying assembly.
Low insertion loss, low power consumption and broadband performance make this
switch ideal for a variety of broadband applications."
The CSW0118-BD uses 0.5 micron gate length GaAs pseudomorphic high electron
mobility transistor (pHEMT) device model technology, covers the 0.5 to 18 GHz
frequency bands, and achieves 1.8 dB insertion loss and 35 dB isolation. The
device also has a P1dB of 20 dBm and 2 nsec rise/fall time. Mimix says the CSW0118-BD
is ideal for radar, communications, avionics and test/measurement applications.
The gold plated, backside reportedly makes the device compatible with either
eutectic or conductive epoxy die attach and either thermocompression or thermosonic
wire bonding. Company
News Release Shuji Nakamura and UCSB Researchers Produce Blue-Violet Non-Polar GaN Laser
Scott McMahanJanuary 30, 2007...Professor Shuji Nakamura, the material scientist and LED breakthrough artist
at the University of California Santa Barbara, has announced the development
of a non-polar gallium nitride blue-violet laser diode. Researchers from the
Solid State Lighting and Display center reported achieving lasing operation
in non-polar gallium nitride semiconductors and demonstrated the world’s
first non-polar blue-violet laser diodes. When electricity is run through the
non-polar orientation of GaN crystals, the electric field and magnetic field
have the same direction and orientation. From the beginning, researchers have
theorized that non-polar GaN could produce light or achieve lasing operation
with much less electro-magnetic resistance. While the researchers at UCSB have
made advances, they have not yet achieved the efficiencies that professor Nakamura
believes are possible. The goal is to create lasers diodes and LEDs with lower
operating power and longer lifetimes.
One of the major obstacles in the development is the high defect density of
the non-polar GaN. Nakamura and his researchers have improved the defect density
of both non-polar and semi-polar GaN quite significantly, but big improvements
in the defect density are required to reach efficiencies beyond what conventional
GaN devices fabricated on the C-plane can do. (Ref: Coverage).
The ability to achieve lasing is however a major step. The applications for
a non-polar GaN blue-violet laser include high density storage such as HD DVD
and Blu-ray DVD. Other applications for non-polar GaN include more efficient
blue LEDs. Professor Nakamura and two of his UCSB faculty colleagues, professors
Steven DenBaars and James Speck, directed the work of two graduate students,
Mathew Schmidt and Kwang Choong Kim, who fabricated the new nonpolar blue-violet
laser diodes.
Nakamura commented, "Our initial results of the first violet nonpolar
laser diodes with a low threshold current density demonstrate a high possibility
that current c-plane violet laser diodes used for HD-DVD and Blue Ray DVD could
soon be replaced with nonpolar violet laser diodes, which require lower operating
power and have longer lifetimes." The findings have now been submitted
for publication. Funding for the latest research was provided jointly by the
SSLDC and the Japan Science & Technology Agency's Exploratory Research for
Advanced Technology program. A public demonstration of the nonpolar blue-violet
laser is being planned for early February at UC Santa Barbara. UCSB
News Release Renesas Introduces New, Better Performing SiGe Power Transistor
CompoundSemi News StaffJanuary 29, 2007...Renesas Technology America Inc. has debuted its new high-performance silicon
germanium (SiGe) hetero-junction bipolar transistor. The company claims that
the device achieves the industries highest level of performance at 2.4 GHz and
5 GHz. According to Renesas, the device can eliminate the need for power amplifier
modules and monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) typically used
to drive the transmitting antennae. Renesas says the new devices can go into
tag readers/writers, digital cordless phones, and similar products. Renesas
points out that in the mature digital cordless phone market in North America,
there is a strong demand for lower-priced products with low transmission power
that support higher frequencies.
Also, more and more applications for communication products that use the 2.4/5GHz
bands specified by IEEE 802.11 are emerging. The company says that mobile phone
access, transmissions between audio-visual devices in the home, wireless LAN
capable mobile phones, and RF tags for physical distribution centers are some
of the other applications in which the technology could be used. In addition
to Internet access via mobile phones and transmissions between audio-visual
devices within the home, rapid growth is expected in applications such as wireless
LAN capabilities for mobile phones and RF tags for physical distribution systems.
Renesas says that the RQG2003 device improves addition efficiency by approximately
10 percent at 5.8GHz and by about 20 percent at 2.4GHz, consuming less power
to achieve the required output signal level in both bands. Company
News Release IBM and Intel Look to Compounds for High Performance Transistors
CompoundSemi News StaffJanuary 29, 2007...IBM and Intel independently announced advances in transistors, the on/off switches
which are the building blocks of microchips. Both IBM and Intel hope to extend
size and performance possibilities with the new transistors in order to continue
the progression predicted by Moore’s Law which states that every two years,
the number of transistors per integrated circuit with minimum cost will double.
Both companies announced advances in transistor performance using high-K metal
gate substitutes. IBM reported working with AMD, and its other development partners,
Sony and Toshiba. IBM says the development of the critical part of the transistor
occurred after the researchers found a way to it with a new (and undisclosed
material). This new material is undoubtedly a compound semiconductor. What is
not as clear is which compound semiconductor is used. IBM has placed the technology
into its state-of-the-art semiconductor manufacturing line in East Fishkill,
New York. IBM plans to apply the new ultra small and fast transistors to products
with chip circuits as small as 45 nanometers (billionths of a meter) starting
in 2008. IBM
News Release.
Intel appears to be further along in its high performance transistor development.
The company already has plans to put its new transistors inside the next generation
of Intel Core 2 Duo, Intel Core 2 Quad, and Xeon families of multi-core processors.
The company will use a new material with a property called high-k, for the transistor
gate dielectric, and a new combination of metal materials for the transistor
gate electrode. Intel also indicated that it has five early-version products
up and running. These are the first five out of fifteen 45 nm processor products
the company plans to produce. Intel says it is on track to begin 45nm production
of products with the transistors in the second half of this calendar year. The
new processor family will be called Penryn. Intel
News Release 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
|
