Avanex Divests in French Optoelectronic Fabs
CompoundSemi News StaffMarch 2, 2007...Avanex Corporation of Fremont, California USA, a photonic solutions developer,
reported that it entered into a definitive agreement to sell a 90 percent interest
in its French subsidiary, Avanex France S.A. The divestiture includes selling
its indium phosphide (InP) and gallium arsenide (GaAs) semiconductor fabs to Global
Research Company, which is owned by Alexandre Krivine, and to the current management
of Avanex France S.A, Didier Sauvage. Avanex Corporation also announced that it
entered into a definitive agreement with an accredited institutional investor
for a private placement of approximately 10.8 million shares of common stock for
estimated aggregate proceeds of $20.0 million.
Avanex said that in addition to the III-V fabs, the divested business includes
the laser, terrestrial pump, submarine pump, and Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) product
lines. Avanex indicated that its core development group will remain in France
to focus on transmission products. The transaction is expected to close in the
second quarter of calendar 2007. Once the sale is completed, according to the
agreement, Avanex will pay the purchasers approximately $17.3 million for anticipated
working capital including accrued liabilities for past restructuring activities.
Avanex will retain the remaining 10 percent interest in the divested business
and will enter into several commercial and transitional services agreements.
Upon closing of the transaction, Avanex France S.A. will be renamed. Mr. Krivine
will be named CEO and Mr. Sauvage will be named the company's first vice president.
"The divestiture of our fabs and certain product lines simplifies
our operating structure, significantly reduces our fixed costs and accelerates
our path to profitability," said Jo Major, chairman, president and
CEO. "We expect to realize approximately $12.0 million to $16.0 million
in annual financial improvements beginning in our fourth quarter of fiscal 2007."
Mr. Major added, "The series of commercial agreements are designed
to ensure our customers reliable access to the technology, continuity of supply,
and provide transition support." Avanex
News Release
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March 1, 2007...A report, which will appear in the March issue of Nature
Photonics, explains how researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
have created a special material that reflects virtually no light. The research
could lead to brighter LEDs, more efficient solar cells, and a new class of
“smart” light sources that adjust to the environment. The material
the researchers created is an order of magnitude less reflective than what was
previously the least reflective material. In fact the researchers say that it
has almost the same refractive index as air. The refractive index is a fundamental
optical property of a material. It governs the amount of light a material reflects,
as well as other optical properties such as diffraction, refraction, and the
speed of light inside the material. The material they created has refractive
index of 1.05. As a comparison, window glass reportedly has a refractive index
of 1.45. Content continues for LIGHTimes SecondPage members... KDDI and Fujitsu Jointly Develop Amplifier of Next Generation Mobile WiMAX
CompoundSemi News StaffMarch 2, 2007...KDDI Corporation, Fujitsu Limited, and Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. of Japan announced
that they have jointly developed a high-efficiency amplifier for mobile WiMAX
(IEEE 802.16e-2005), a next-generation wireless broadband communications protocol,
according to Japan’s Corporate News Network. The joint development efforts
of Fujitsu and KDDI started in May 2006. KDDI reportedly had been exploring
ways to make base stations smaller and more energy efficient to ultimately reduce
costs required for a mobile WiMAX system infrastructure and operation. Amplifier
performance dictates much of the performance of base station equipment. Fujitsu
notes that high efficiency amplifiers can reduce size, weight, noise, and maintenance
requirements while improving efficiency.
In particular, amplifiers dictate the performance of base station equipment.
High-efficiency amplifiers can enable various benefits for base station equipment
such as downsizing, lighter weight, greater power efficiency, less noise, and
moving closer to becoming maintenance-free. Fujitsu says that the improved efficiency
of the amplifiers will also make it possible to lower cost of support equipment
for base stations base stations such as equipment for power sources and air
conditioning.
Fujitsu said it was able to construct a prototype transmitter amplifier using
a gallium-nitride (GaN) HEMT device that was developed by and later enhanced
by Fujitsu Laboratories. Fujitsu was able to enhanced the prototype performance
by optimizing the design of the amplifier circuits for higher efficiency and
making improvements to its digital pre-distortion technology which has already
been used successfully in 3G systems. The company succeeded in developing a
prototype transmitter amplifier that achieves power efficiency of roughly 30
percent with 25 watt power output at 2.5 gigahertz (2.5GHz) operational frequency
band. Fujitsu contends that the device’s efficiency is double the level
of conventional amplifiers, and the development of the amplifier prototype paves
the way for practical use of GaN HEMT-based high-efficiency amplifiers. Fujitsu
News Release JDSU to Acquire VCSEL Product Maker, Picolight
CompoundSemi News StaffFebruary 28, 2007...JDSU, a broadband and optical solution provider headquartered in Milpitas,
California USA, announced a definitive agreement to acquire Picolight Inc.,
a maker of optical pluggable transceivers. JDSU said it expects the transaction
to close in the fourth quarter ending June 30, 2007, subject to receipt of regulatory
approvals. Under the terms of the agreement, JDSU will pay about $115 million
in JDSU stock and up to an additional $10 million cash subject to the achievement
of certain revenue targets during calendar year 2007. JDSU says that the addition
of Picolight’s pluggable optics technology will strengthen its ability
to address the fast-growing market for optical interconnect applications in
the datacenter, enterprise, storage area, and metro networking markets. Picolight
also brings its expertise in vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSEL)
used in high-speed and short-to-medium optical interconnects. JDSU says it will
gain Picolight’s reliable and high performance 850 nm and 1310 nm VCSEL-based
transceiver products. JDSU points out that with the added ability to manufacturer
Picolights VCSEL products, it will be able to address a wider range of markets.
"By adding Picolight's vertically integrated VCSEL-based transceivers,
JDSU will offer our enterprise customers an even broader product portfolio and
an exceptionally strong roadmap to address the steep demand for reliable data
management and delivery. This will put JDSU in an excellent position to serve
existing and near-term requirements for 8 and 10 Gigabit network data management,"
said Mike Ricci, senior vice president of JDSU's optical communications group.
"By adding to our vertically integrated photonics platform, we also
will provide our customers a clear pathway and solid foundation to scale to
100 Gigabits in the future."
Steve Hane, Picolight president and chief executive officer said, "We
believe we have an opportunity to alter the datacom optics landscape by creating
a best-in-class product portfolio for datacenters and enterprise networks worldwide."
JDSU
News Release Emcore Seeks to Expand Patent Litigation Against Optium
CompoundSemi News StaffFebruary 28, 2007...Emcore announced that it is seeking to expand its patent litigation against
optoelectronic component maker, Optium. Both JDSU and Emcore filed a patent
lawsuit against Optium on Septermer 11, 2006 in the U.S. District Court for
the Western District of Pennsylvania. The original complaint alleges that Optium’s
Prisma II 1550nm transmitters violate two patents that Emcore licenses from
JDSU, U.S. patent No. 6,282,003
(the ‘003 patent) and 6,490,071
(the ‘071 patent). (Ref: Coverage).
Emcore has added an addition patent that the company licenses from JDSU, U.S.
patent No. 6,519,374
("the '374 patent") and an additional product line to this litigation.
Instead of alleging that Optium’s Prisma II 1550nm transmitters infringe
the patents, Emcore would like to specify that the company’s 1550nm externally
modulated transmitters and its 1550 nm QAM transmitters infringe the patents.
The three patents relate to the transmission of video, voice, and data for the
CATV (cable TV) market.
"Emcore continues to put considerable resources into developing unique
technologies that are key to transmission of video, voice and data, and which
support Emcore's stature in the CATV market," said Dr. Hong Q. Hou,
President and COO of Emcore. "Similarly, we will deploy considerable
resources to ensure that our intellectual property is respected. We believe
that Optium has infringed on several of our licensed patents and we will aggressively
pursue any misuse of our intellectual property by Optium or any other companies
and individuals," he said. Emcore
News Release Mimix Introduces GaAs MMIC Buffer Amplifiers
CompoundSemi News StaffFebruary 27, 2007...Mimix Broadband Inc. of Houston, Texas USA, has introduced two gallium arsenide
(GaAs) monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) two stage buffer amplifiers.
The buffer amplifiers use GaAs pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor
(pHEMT) device model technology and have a 0.15 micron gate length. The XB1007-BD
and XB1008-BD cover 4 to 11 GHz and 10 to 21 GHz respectively. The devices deliver
+20 dBm P1dB compression point and +30 dBm OIP3. The XB1007-BD has a noise figure
of 4.5 dB and 23 dB small signal gain; the XB1008-BD has a noise figure of 5.5
dB and 18 dB small signal gain. According to the company, the buffer amplifiers
are ideal for wireless communications applications such as millimeter-wave point-to-point
radio, local multipoint distribution services (LMDS), SATCOM and VSAT applications.
Mimix says that packaged versions of the XB1007-BD and XB1008-BD in fully molded,
plastic 3x3 QFN packages will be available in the near future for surface mount
applications. Mimix says it performs 100% RF, DC and output power testing on
the XB1007-BD and XB1008-BD, as well as 100% visual inspection to MIL-STD-883
method 2010. The chips also have surface passivation to protect and provide
rugged parts with backside via holes and gold metallization to allow either
a conductive epoxy or eutectic solder die attach process. "These two
buffer amplifiers offer a combination of broadband operation, output power and
compact dimensions to provide a cost-effective solution for frequencies from
4 to 21 GHz," stated Paul Beasly, Product Manager of Mimix Broadband,
Inc. "The compact 1.2 square millimeter die with wideband return loss
operation is consistent with broadband use in a variety of frequency and functional
applications." Company
News Release Aonex and Kyma Collaborate on GaN
CompoundSemi News StaffFebruary 26, 2007...Aonex Technologies Inc., a majority-owned subsidiary of Arrowhead Research Corporation,
has entered into a collaborative agreement with Kyma Technologies Inc., to develop
and reduce the cost of gallium nitride (GaN)-based devices such as blue laser
diodes and blue LEDs. Aonex Technologies, Inc., of Pasadena, California USA,
is a developer of proprietary substrates that the company says reduce the production
cost of devices such as blue laser diodes, LEDs and high-efficiency solar cells. Kyma Technologies,
a spin out of North Carolina State Univeristy, develops GaN substrates for high performance nitride semiconductor applications. Kyma's native GaN substrates have the potential to significantly enhance the performance and
reliability of a variety of applications including: optoelectronic systems,
communications, electronic warfare, and radar.
Under the terms of the agreement, Aonex will provide Kyma with access to its
proprietary wafer technology, called "A-Sapph," which are substrates comprised of an ultra-thin layer of single crystal sapphire (< 500 nm) that is bonded to a polycrystalline aluminum nitride support substrate. Aonex said that Kyma will work to leverage
the superior properties of A-Sapph to produce large-area wafers suitable for
the manufacture of advanced GaN devices. Aonex explained that large-area wafers could
dramatically reduce the cost of GaN devices by enabling an increase in the number
of chips per wafer while substantially improving yields. Blue laser diodes
enable Blu-ray and HD-DVD players. The field has been completely dominated by
Nichia. Recent ramped up volume production of such devices with so few suppliers has been credited with leading to shortages and delays
of popular products such as the Sony PlayStation 3. On the blue LED front, blue spectrum LEDs serve as the back
lights of cell phones and can also be converted to white LEDs with the addition
of a light conversion technology such as a phosphor. Dr. Keith Evans, Kyma’s
president and CEO, commented, “We are delighted to work with the Aonex
team. The combined attributes of Aonex’s A-Sapph substrate technology
and Kyma’s proprietary high growth rate, low defect density GaN crystal
growth technology have great potential to reduce the costs of a broad range
of high performance nitride semiconductor devices.” Aonex
News Release Aixtron Gets Orders From China
CompoundSemi News StaffFebruary 23, 2007...Aixtron reported that it has been successful in China with over €7.5
million (or about USD$9.85 million) sales of its metal organic chemical vapor deposition
systems in Q1 of 2007. The company says its systems shipped to China will be
fully installed and booked in the second half of the year 2007. Aixtron points
out that such business from China confirms the underlining its claim to play
a major role in manufacturing compound semiconductor devices. The company says
that all system orders are repeat orders from its customers in China who have
a long-term relationship and satisfaction with the Planetary Reactor and CCS
technologies. The ordered portfolio contains tools for the production of blue,
green and red LEDs as well as novel, innovative GaN LEDs. The orders include
multiple orders for the large, production-proven GaN capacity systems Crius
and AIX 2800G4 HT.
The Crius CCSTM and the AIX 2800G4 HT Planetary Reactor offer the largest capacity
(30x2 and 42x2 inch, respectively) qualified for the mass production of GaN
LEDs. Dr. Bernd Schulte, Aixtron’s Executive Vice President, COO commented,
“Following the fast qualification of both our large capacity reactors
at various customer sites we have gained recognition of our new technologies
through these repeat orders. We are pleased about the customers’ confirmation
of our technical improvements such as increased throughput, compact footprint,
better maintenance, easier operation and handling, improved reliability and
reproducibility. We feel customers are rapidly gaining confidence to select
the production-proven Aixtron Crius and G4 systems for their LED capacity expansion.”
Company
News Release Aviza Ships Follow-On Order for PVD System; Announces Prices of Underwritten Public Offering
CompoundSemi News StaffFebruary 23, 2007...Aviza Technology, Inc. of Scotts Valley, California USA, announced a follow-on
shipment of its Sigma fxP physical vapor deposition (PVD) system to an unnamed
leading U.S.-based mobile communication device company. Aviza says the system
will be used for production scale manufacturing of bulk acoustic wave (BAW)
devices, primarily for use in the mobile communications market. In other Aviza
news, the company announced the pricing at $6.50 per share of its underwritten
public offering of 4,000,000 shares of its common stock.
According to Aviza, Sigma fxP is a single-wafer cluster tool designed for high-volume
PVD processing. It offers excellent process control with high throughput. It
features a highly flexible system supporting various process chamber configurations
and combinations to address a large variety of specific applications. The company
points out that standard designs of deposition process modules enable simple
technology upgrades and wafer size conversions. In addition to the deposition
of aluminum nitride for bulk acoustic wave (BAW) devices and thin film heads,
the system can also be used for titanium/titanium nitride (Ti/TiN) liners, aluminum
(Al) interconnects for sub-0.35 micron node devices including ionized PVD liners
for Tungsten (W)-Plug, very thick, flowed Al for power devices. According to
Aviza, the system achieves excellent film uniformity control the crystal structure
and texture, which is critical for BAW processing. “We believe the leading
manufacturers in this industry sector are beginning to see BAW filter development
as a key component in the RF MEMS market. Aviza continues to be at the forefront
in the development and commercialization of BAW applications, and we believe
we have a strong position in this market segment with our growing installed
base of BAW capital equipment, including our Sigma systems installed in Europe,
the U.S. and Asia,” Kevin Crofton, Vice President and General Manager,
PVD/CVD/Etch Business Unit of Aviza Technology, Inc. said. Company
News Release.
Aviza reports that it has granted Needham & Company, LLC, the sole underwriter
for the offering, an option to purchase up to 600,000 additional shares of common
stock to cover over-allotments, if any, at any time on or before April 8, 2007.
Aviza estimates the net proceeds to it from the offering will be approximately
$23.9 million, or approximately $27.6 million if Needham & Company, LLC
exercises its over-allotment option if full, after payment of the underwriting
discount and estimated expenses of this offering, and anticipates that the offering
will close on February 28, 2007. Aviza says it intends to use the net proceeds
from the offering for working capital, research and development and other general
corporate purposes, which may include repaying borrowings under its mortgage
and revolving lines of credit. Company
News Release Emcore Receives Second NASDAQ Delisting NoticeFebruary 23, 2007...Emcore Corporation of Somerset, New Jersey USA reported that it has received
a second delisting notice from NASDAQ due to delay in filing Form 10-Q. The
notice, which the company expected, was issued because of the company’s
failure to file its report with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2006 by the required
deadline. Emcore says it previously filed Form 12b-25 with the SEC. The Form
12b-25 indicated that the company would be unable to file Form 10-Q by the original
filing deadline of February 9, 2006 because of its on-going review of prior
stock option grants.
Emcore attended a hearing before the NASDAQ Listing Qualifications Panel on
February 15, 2007 to review both the Staff Determination letter the company
received on December 18, 2006 as a result of its inability to file its Form
10-K for the year ended September 30, 2006 by the required deadline and the
Staff Determination letter received by the Company on February 13, 2007 as a
result of the Company's inability to file its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended
December 30, 2006 by the required deadline.
Emcore said it expects the panel to respond in the next thirty days to its
request for continued listing, but it can make no assurances that the NASDAQ
Listing Qualifications Panel will grant the Company's request for continued
listing. Under Nasdaq Marketplace rules, the Emcore’s request for a hearing
automatically stays the delisting of the Company's common stock pending the
issuance of a written determination by the NASDAQ Listing Qualifications Panel.
Company
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