CIGS Solar Startup, Solyndra Raises $79 Million
CompouondSemi News StaffApril 6, 2007...Solyndra, a Santa Clara, California startup, which will specialize in copper indium gallium selenium (CIGS) solar cells has raised $79 million in funding. CIGS manufacturing
is expensive and startups in the field have to have vast infusions of capital
to pay for the required manufacturing facilities. Investors in the new solar
company include CMEA Ventures and Redpoint Ventures, CNET reported in an article.
(Note: that article made several factual errors about the efficiency and
manufacturing cost of CIGS photovoltaics.) According to another article, this in a VC publication, Solyndra's technology will be led by VP of Engineering Benny Buller, formerly a GM at Applied Materials.
CIGS technology is more efficient than conventional solar cells, but it also
costs more to produce. Each company has its own recipe for CIGS photovoltaics.
The main difference from company to company seems to be in manufacturing techniques
and the type of surface upon which the CIGS material is deposited. There is
no word yet on how Solyndra plans to manufacture the photovoltaics, or what
material they will be manufactured on. However, the startup has a long list
of job openings on its web site. Several other companies in the sector have
recently received significant funding. Nanosolar recently announced raising
$100 million. Austin-based Heliovolt also raised funds to set up its own facility. Georgia Tech Researchers Produce Nanoscale Generator
CompoundSemi News StaffApril 6, 2007...Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia USA have developed a nanonscale generator that uses
zinc oxide nanowires on a gallium arsenide, sapphire, or flexible polymer to
generate a direct current by harnessing mechanical energy from environmental
sources such as ultrasonic waves, mechanical vibration or blood flow. The nanogenerator
utilizes small electrical charges created when the zinc oxide nanowires flex.
The nanogenerator could provide power for nanoscale devices without batteries
or other external power sources. Commenting on the R&D breakthrough, Zhong Lin Wang, Regents’ Professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Tech said, "This is a major step toward a portable, adaptable and cost-effective technology for powering nanoscale devices. There has been a lot of interest in making nanodevices, but we have tended not to think about how to power them. Our nanogenerator allows us to harvest or recycle energy from many sources to power these devices." An explanation about the nanogenerator will be reported in the April 6 issue
of the journal Science. The Georgia Tech research was sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency (DARPA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Emory-Georgia
Tech Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence. Georgia
Tech News Release April 6, 2007...The Institute of Solid State Physics at the Technical University of Berlin
has ordered a Thomas Swan epitaxial growth system from Aixtron. The system, which
will be set up in the 3x3-inch configuration, will be used to develop GaN/ (Al,
Ga, In ) nitride alloy based materials for optoelectronic devices such as lasers
and LEDs. The materials will have high aluminum concentration and will go
into lasers and ultra-violet LEDs. The new reactor will add to the University's
other Aixtron systems, the AIX 200RF and the AIX 200/4 in the cleanrooms of
the Eugene-Paul-Wigner Building.
The new system was chosen in part because of the Institute of Solid State Physics’
experiences with the other Aixtron systems. Professor Michael Kneissl, head
of the Experimental Nanophysics and Photonics group, commented, “…The
Thomas Swan 3x2 inch FT is clearly superior to other vertical systems in terms
of process stability and precursor efficiency. It has demonstrated the process
flexibility, uniformity in thickness, doping, and composition required for next-generation
optoelectronic devices. It also supports a number of different in-situ control
techniques. Alongside our existing systems it will be a useful platform for
us to develop high-Al III-nitride laser diodes and high-brightness UV LEDs."
Aixtron
News Release Strategy Analytics' GaAs Industry Forecast Due Out TodayApril 4, 2007...The new 54 page GaAs
Industry Forecast: 2006-2011 from Strategy Analytics of the UK is due
out today. In it, author Asif Anwar reports that "Cellular handsets
will continue to be the primary growth engine for the GaAs industry with Wi-Fi
forecast to become the second largest market for GaAs. Overall, the market for
GaAs devices will exceed $5 billion in 2011 and the corresponding market for
GaAs substrates will be worth $480 million. VGF will be the underlying technology
for bulk substrates while epitaxial substrates will remain evenly split
between MOCVD and MBE technologies." Hitachi Cable Says 4-Inch GaN Substrates Possible With New Growth MethodApril 2, 2007...While attending the Japan Society of Applied Physics at Aoyama Gakuin University,
Hitachi Cable Ltd. announced that it has created a highly reproduceable 3-inch
gallium nitride substrate prototype, according to a Nikkei Electronics
article. The company claims that it is the first company to release photos and
data for 3-inch GaN substrates. The industry primarily utilizes 2-inch GaN substrates.
During a presentation the company reportedly was asked the question, “How
far can it grow in size?” A company spokesperson told Nikkei Electronics,
“We believe 4-inch products can be produced with no difficulty if
the production equipments are arranged accordingly."
The compound semi industry has devoted much effort to reducing manufacturing costs of components
requiring GaN substrates. Increasing the substrate diameter is one method of
decreasing the cost per component by allowing more components to be placed on
a single substrate. Hitachi reported that it was able to produce a larger diameter
substrate by using a new technique it developed which adds a thin “sacrifice
layer” onto the base substrate upon which the GaN is grown using HVPE.
The sacrifice layer has a microscopic void in between the thick film GaN
and the base substrate. This allows for easier detachment of the thick film
GaN, the article
stated. The article also carries considerable technical details. Hitachi is calling their procedure, "the void-assisted separation method." Next Gen DVD Player Prices Reach $500 Benchmark Sooner than Expected.April 3, 2007...Samsung Electronics lowered the price for its Blu-ray Disc (BD) player BP-1000
by about 48% to US$469.99 in late March of 2007, a Digitimes article
stated. Toshiba immediately responded by reducing the US retail price for its
entry-level HD DVD player HD-A2 to US$399. The retail price for Blu-ray or HD
DVD players was lowered to the benchmark of $499 two quarters sooner than expected,
the article
said. While the format war is by no means over, the lower prices will bring much more early adopters of next generation DVD technology. Vishay Completes Acquisition of Power Control Systems Business of International Rectifier
CompoundSemi News StaffApril 2, 2007...Vishay has completed its acquisition of the Power Control Systems business
from International Rectifier for $290 millon in cash. During the December quarter
of fiscal 2006, revenues for the acquired product lines totaled about $81 million
(roughly $320 million per year expected). Vishay predicts that after the first
12 months of operation it could increase its net profits from breaking even
to about $40 million by March 2008. Vishay expects the newly acquired business
to increase net profits to $50 million per year by March 2010.
According to Vishay, the aquired product lines, a complement to its own product
portfolio, consist of high-voltage and high-power range products including:
planar high-voltage MOSFETs, Schottky diodes, diode rectifiers, fast-recovery
diodes, high-power diodes and thyristors, power modules (a combination of power
diodes, thyristors, MOSFETs, and IGBTs), and automotive modules and assemblies.
The acquisition includes a wafer fab in Torino, Italy, as well as facilities
in Swansea, UK; Mumbai, India; and Xian, China. Currently, Vishay has no plans
for extensive restructuring. Vishay reported that it had entered into several
Transition Service Agreements with International Rectifier for IT, logistics,
and other functions as well as for the supply of wafers for up to three years.
Vishay said it expects a smooth transition of the newly acquired business into
Vishay's existing organization. Vishay
News Release Finisar to Acquire Azna LLC and Kodeos Communications Inc.
CompoundSemi News StaffApril 2, 2007...Optical component maker and tester, Finisar of Sunnyvale, California USA, reported
that it has entered into agreements to acquire Azna LLC of Wilmington, Massachusetts,
and Kodeos Communications Inc. based in South Plainfield, New Jersey. Finisar
says that both acquisitions broaden its product lines, especially those for
telecom applications. The acquisition will also add advanced modulation and
electronic signal processing to economically extend the reach and tunability
of transceivers.
Finisar reports that it will purchase the “equity interests in Azna
for $19.7 million in initial consideration comprised of $2.7 million in cash
and two convertible promissory notes in the principal amount of $15.6 million
and $1.4 million that will be payable, at Finisar's option, in cash or in shares
of Finisar common stock.” Finisar indicated it will purchase equity
interests in Kodeos for initial payment of $7 million, an additional payment
of up to $2.5 million to certain equity interest holders, and $1 milliono to
current Kodeos employees.
Jerry Rawls, Finisar's chairman of the board, president, and CEO said that
the acquisition of Kodeos would address the 10Gb/s 300-pin transponder market
for telecom applications. Rawls added that with the acquisition of Azna, Finisar
“…will be able to create a competitive advantage in terms of
the cost, reach, and performance of our products for both telecom and datacom
applications." Finisar
News Release Anadigics Introduces PA to Slash Handset Power Consumption
CompoundSemi News StaffMarch 29, 2007...Anadigics has introduced its ZeroIC CDMA power amplifier designed to cut average
current consumption by up to 50 percent over what it says was its previously
industry leading HELP technology. Furthermore the company asserts that the PA
slashes current usage by up to 85 percent compared to conventional two-stage
amplifiers. At low power levels, the PA boasts zero power consumption with its
new feature. The company points out that because the majority of handsets transmit
at low power levels in a fully populated network, the ZeroIC power amplifier
could translate into significant power consumption savings for the vast majority
of handsets. Anadigics says that the unique power saving features of ZeroIC
PAs are made possible by Anadigics' unique InGaP-Plus technology and differentiated
design IP. In addition the compact devices have internal voltage regulators
to further reduce space. Company
News Release Bookham Unveils Record Power 980nm Pump Laser Module
CompoundSemi News StaffMarch 29, 2007...Bookham unveiled its new 750mW 980nm pump laser module at OFC/NOFEC 2007 in
San Jose, California USA this week. The company considers the laser to be the
most powerful telecom 980nm pump laser. The company indicated that it offers
a “kink-free” power output of 750 mW. The company says that the
pump modules output power will reduce the number of pumps required and therefore
enable cost reductions. Bookham indicated that similar pump laser technology
is being applications for next-generation submarines, which require high power
and very high reliability. The new pump module takes advantage of Bookham’s
generation eight laser chip (G08), which is qualified for use in both terrestrial
and submarine applications. Bookham boasts that the industry-leading performance
and reliability of the G08 laser chip makes it ideally suited for high-performance
uncooled applications. Company
News Release IQE Wins $2.4 Million in Contracts; Announces 2006 Results
CompoundSemi News StaffMarch 29, 2007...IQE, a maker of advanced wafer products was awarded two one-year development contracts
worth a total of $2.4 million. These contracts add to the other research and development
projects to be delivered in 2007, the company said. With the two new contracts,
the awards to date for delivery in 2007 total almost USD $5 million. The company
also released its yearly earnings statement posting a 55.2 percent increase in
revenue in 2006 over its 2005 results. The company indicated that much of the growth is attributed to two acquisitions during the year, Singapore based MBE Technology Pte and Emcore's electronic materials division.
One of the new contracts focuses on the
development of strontium titanium oxide on silicon epi-wafers (STO/Si) using IQE’s
molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) systems. IQE will further develop a method for using
MBE to deposit STO/Si with high quality and superior composition for future high
volume production.
The other contract is to develop advanced material structures for increased
processing speed for future ICs. Dr Drew Nelson, IQE Chief Executive, commented,
“We plan to aggressively pursue the metal-oxide on Silicon market
where we offer unique and superior solutions for these advanced state of the
art materials systems. Our entry into this market is important as it further
diversifies the Group’s product portfolio and underscores our position
as the global leader in advanced semiconductor wafer production and R&D.”
Company
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