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June 27, 2007...Stion Corporation (formerly NStructures), a photovoltaic startup of Menlo Park,
California USA, reported that the company has raised $15 million in Series B
financing. The financing round was led by LightSpeed Venture Partners. General
Catalyst Partners also participated in the funding round in addition to the
three existing investors, Khosla Ventures, Braemar Energy Ventures, and Moser
Baer Photovoltaic.
Like others in the photovoltaic field, Stion is hoping to increase efficiency
and minimize cost-of-ownership. The company said that it was not going to use
CIGS or Cadmium Telluride technology. It is generally suspected that the company
will utilize quantum dot technology. While this technology has shown some promise,
it has not gone outside of the laboratory in terms of how practically and inexpensively
it can be manufactured. Chet Farris, Stion’s president and CEO stated,
“Our technology is primed for the next phase of development and the
proceeds from this round will take us to early commercialization phase.”
Company
News Release SatCon Receives Large PowerGate Inverter Orders from Google and FuelCell Energy
CompoundSemi News StaffJune 27, 2007...SatCon Technology Corporation of Boston, Massachusetts USA reported that Google ordered its
PowerGate commercial grade inverters for Google's coporate headquarters
in Mountain View, California. The inverters convert the energy from the 1.6MW
photovoltaic system into alternating current to power the Google facility. Solar
power, like many other alternate energy power systems puts out direct current.
This must be converted to alternating current to be compatible with the power
grid.
The photovoltaic system at Google’s headquarters is touted as the largest
commercial photovoltaic system in the United States. Sharp produced the 9,212
208-watt photovoltaic modules, and El Solutions of San Rafael, California, installed
them at Google’s headquarters. The overall photovoltaic system including
the SatCon inverters is estimated to eliminate nearly 3,637,627 lbs of harmful
greenhouse gases annually. SatCon noted that over the next 30 years, this would
be equivalent to over 128 million car driving miles. SatCon
News Release.
In other news, the company received $2.8 million in PowerGate inverter orders.
The orders come from FuelCell Energy Inc. (FCEL), a dominant developer, and
manufacturer, and supplier of high efficiency, ultra-clean fuel cell power plants.
SatCon indicated that it plans to deliver the inverters to FCEL over the next
four to nine months. SatCon
News Release Anadigics PA Shipping for Samsung SmartphoneJune 27, 2007...Anadigics reports that it is shipping production volumes of its AWT6223 UMTS/EDGE
penta-band power amplifier (PA) module to Samsung for its SGH-I520 smartphone
designed for the European market. The SGH-I520 offers many multimedia functions
including: a 2.0 megapixel camera, a wide 2.3" QVGA screen allowing for
the view of an entire internet page, Bluetooth capabilities, and a 50 MB internal
memory along with a microSD memory card slot for up to 2 GB. The SGH-I520 handset
can connect to the Internet using technology allowing the user to download content
at rates up to 1.8Mb/sec over WCDMA, HSPA, or EDGE networks. The AWT6223 also
has a fully functional quad-band GSM/EDGE PA, with excellent efficiency in the
GSM850/900 bands and DCS/PCS bands in both GSMK and 8PSK modes.
The AWT6223 penta-band PA module that incorporates Anadigics' second-generation
High-Efficiency-at-Low-Power (HELP2) technology is ideal for powering the latest
handsets with multimedia functionality. Anadigics says that with the HELP2 technology
the AWT6223 UMTS/EDGE penta-band PA can reduce UMTS average power consumption
by up to 50 percent. This translates to significantly longer battery life for
handset users. Anadigics
News Release RFMD Advances in Rankings for 2006
CompoundSemi News StaffJune 27, 2007...RF Micro Devices Inc., of Greensboro, North Carolina USA, reported that Gartner
Dataquest has identified RFMD as the world’s sixth largest global wireless
communications semiconductor vendor. This year RFMD advanced one position over
the previous ranking in which the company was ranked seventh. From 2005 to 2006
RFMD’s revenues grew some 44 percent, a figure Gartner attributes largely
to RFMD’s Polaris Total Radio RF solutions and PA module businesses. According
to Gartner, in 2006, RFMD like other wireless semiconductor companies worldwide
benefited from an industry-wide 75 percent increase in total wireless application
revenues. Gartner indicated this industry-wide revenue increase was in part
due to the growth of 3G handset demand. Gartner pointed out that 3G handsets
require more semiconductor components than other handsets.
Bob Bruggeworth, president and CEO of RFMD stated, "RFMD is the leading
supplier of cellular front ends across all tiers of handsets - from the high-end
EDGE and 3G segments to the entry level and replacement segments of the handset
market. As the cellular RF leader, we are uniquely positioned to increase our
RF semiconductor content in mobile devices as 3G multimode handsets proliferate,
new subscribers are added and new replacement phones are purchased.”
Bruggeworth added, "Beyond handsets, the same core competencies that
have supported our success in cellular are driving our opportunities in wireless
LAN (WLAN), infrastructure, GPS and other complementary markets.” RFMD
News Release Filtronic CS Business for Sale After Primary Customer Lost
CompoundSemi News StaffJune 25, 2007...RF Micro Devices has chosen to switch to in-house production of its gallium
arsenide PHEMTs in September. That leaves Filtronic, the company that currently
produces its GaAs PHEMTs in its 6-inch fab facility, without its main customer.
Filtronic, the only major GaAs fabricator in the UK released a statement saying
that the company would downsize its fab operations, cutting some 115 jobs. This
comes roughly two years after RFMD sought GaAs PHEMTs from the fabricator in
2005. At that point Filtronic ramped production. Filtronic had grand plans for
expansion its fab operations, but it was not able to get the customer base required.
The statement from Filtronic said, “Our predominant customer has
now advised us that its requirement for switches from Filtronic will cease in
September because of their decision to in-source all production. This will result
in a substantial reduction in the level of activity for our business.”
The company added that, “The board is considering a full range
of possibilities for the ongoing operation, including sale.” Filtronic
News Release EntreMetrix Pursues Joint Manufacturing Alliance in China for Nitride Devices
CompoundSemi News StaffJune 25, 2007...EntreMetrix Inc. of Irvine, California USA, said in a recent statement that
it is pursuing a joint manufacturing alliance in China for advanced nitride
devices. The company’s plan for the joint venture requires a China-based
alliance partner to invest in building an epitaxial wafer production operation
that serves the semiconductor device manufacturers of China. According to the
company’s plan, the foundry will produce gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor
technology.
Discussing the alliances under consideration EntreMetrix CEO Scott W. Absher
stated that “concern for more balanced trade between the US and China
has encouraged an investment interest by China in joint ventures with US-based
companies to develop technologies to be manufactured in China. The development
of a joint manufacturing venture to produce Gallium Nitride (GaN) semiconductor
technology under advanced nitride devices makes a great deal of sense at this
time. Clearly the manufacturing influence in China and the quest to pursue next-generation
technologies using Gallium Nitride technology offer enormous opportunity.”
EntreMetrix reported that it utilize portfolio investment
scenarios to increase the Company’s net asset value and capital. According
to the plan, the company will distribute the equity of each portfolio company
to EntreMetrix shareholders of record at the time of a public market entry.
The evaluation process has begun and is expected to produce an alliance partner
by Q4 of 2007. Company
News Release Micron Technology Engineers Develop Method for Forming Oxide Layer on Silicon
CompoundSemi News StaffJune 25, 2007...Researchers in Boise, Idaho at a company called Micron Technology Inc. have
received a patent for developing a method for forming an oxide layer on a silicon
wafer. The patent describes that first, an epitaxial silicon layer is grown before
the gate diaelectric layer is formed. So defects in the bulk silicon are covered
and therefore isolated from the oxide growth step.
The patent further describes a method where a pad oxide layer is used beneath
the silicon nitride islands used for masking during the field oxidation process.
Then, an in-situ grown epitaxial layer is formed on active areas. The patent states,
"In order to maintain the integrity of the selective epitaxial growth step,
the wafers are maintained in a controlled, oxygen-free environment until the
epitaxial growth step is accomplished.” The inventors were issued U.S.
Patent No. 7,232,728 on June 19. US
FED News Release Fujitsu Produces Extremely Reliable GaN HEMT
CompoundSemi News StaffJune 25, 2007...Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. reported a very high reliability, high power gallium
nitride (GaN) high electron mobility transistor (HEMT). According to the company,
the new technology allows the transistors to continue operation at 200 degrees
Celsius for an estimated one million hours. This is equivalent to over 100 years
under pinch-off condition with a drain voltage of 50 volts. The company boasts
that according to its estimates, its GaN HEMTs have the longest lifecycle in
the world.
Fujitsu plans on using GaN HEMTs using this new technology for the high-speed
wireless communications market including applications such as: satellite communication
(VSATs), cellular base stations, WiMAX base stations, and other high-speed wireless
communications infrastructure. The company presented details of the new technology
at the 2007 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS). Fujitsu indicated
that such a highly reliable and robust device would be ideal for high power,
high voltage wireless communication systems. Company
News Release Scientists Demonstrate Room-Temperature Continuous Nanolaser
CompoundSemi News StaffJune 20, 2007...Scientists at Yokohama National University in Japan have successfully built
and demonstrated a nanoscale room temperature laser that produces stable, continuous
streams of near infrared light. The researchers are presenting their nanolaser
in the latest issue of Optics
Express, an open access journal from the Optical Society of America.
The overall device measures several microns (millionths of a meter) in width.
The portion of the device that actually produces laser light is very much nanoscale
in all directions, according to Optics Express. The laser is made from gallium
indium arsenide phosphate (GaInAsP). The design employed a design for a photonic
crystal laser that was first developed and demonstrated at the California Institute
of Technology in 1999.
In this design, researchers drill a repeating a pattern of holes (also known
as a photonic crystal) through the material. Then they introduce one irregularity
in the pattern. The pattern of holes and the irregularity together prevent light
waves of most colors (frequencies) from existing in the structure, with the
exception of a small band of frequencies that can exist in the region near the
defect. The researchers are the first to make such a laser which can operate
continuously at room temperature. Optics
Express News Release Northrop Grumman Engineer Receives Outstanding Young Engineer Award
CompoundSemi News StaffJune 20, 2007...A Northrop Grumman engineer, Vesna Radisic, has received the Outstanding Young
Engineer Award of the IEEE Microwave Theory and Technique Society. Vesna Radisic,
an electrical engineer at Northrop Grumman Corporation's Space Technology sector,
received the award at the International Microwave Symposium on June 6, 2007
in Honolulu, Hawaii. Radisic was recognized for her leadership in microwave
applications of defected ground structures, active antennas, and millimeter
wave electronics in addition to her contributions to the IEEE MTT Society (MTT-S).
She is reportedly the sixth individual to receive the award.
Rasidic joined Northrop Grumman in 2002. She was reportedly the first to design
heterojunction bipolar transistor HBT and high-electron mobility transistor
(HEMT)-based fundamental oscillators working above 300 GHz. According to Northrop
Grumman (NG), the oscillators she designed can significantly enhance the performance
of sensors and communication system. Additionally, she developed a 346 GHz HEMT
oscillator MMIC, which NG indicated is the highest frequency fundamental oscillator
demonstrated using a 3-terminal device. NG stated that Radisic’s work
with the millimeter wave band increases the possibility of using point-to-point
and point-to-multipoint communications applications more efficiently due to
higher frequencies and a higher density of users, with the potential to eventually
replace or supplement fiber optics. Northrop
Grumman News Release Oplink to Acquire Remaining Shares of OCP
CompoundSemi News StaffJune 20, 2007...Oplink Communications Inc. of Fremont, California USA, will acquire the remaining
41.9 percent of Optical Communication Products’ (OCP’s) outstanding
common stock for $1.65 per share in cash. Oplink’s agreement to acquire
the remainder of OCP comes after Oplink completed the purchase of 58.1 percent
of OPC on June 6, 2007 from the Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.
According to the terms of the agreement OCP will become a privately held company
and a wholly owned subsidiary of Oplink, a maker of photonic components for
optical networking and subsystems, , after the merger is completed. Oplink indicated
that its strengths along with OCP’s together will create a company that
is can compete more aggressively in the market for telecommunications and data
communications equipment. Hobart Birmingham, Chairman of the Special Committee
of the OCP Board of Directors stated, "This transaction provides significant
value for our shareholders, representing a 20% premium over the closing price
on the last day of trading prior to the announcement of Oplink's agreement with
Furukawa." Oplink
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