Nine of the Top Ten GaAs Manufacturers Reported Based in North America
CompoundSemi News StaffAugust 8, 2007...Strategy Analytics reported that the gallium arsenide market grew 10 percent
year-on-year in 2006. According to Strategy Analytics (SA), the three leading
companies in the sector, RFMD, Skyworks and TriQuint own a combined 55 percent
of the GaAs market in 2006, up from 47 percent in 2005. SA said that North American
companies made up nine of the top ten GaAs manufacturer spots worldwide. Of
the top three in GaAs, TriQuint grew the fastest with 37 percent growth over
2005. SA indicated that Mitsubishi of Japan was the only GaAs supplier among
the top ten not based in North America.
The report stated that the top GaAs suppliers of Europe in rank order were:
Filtronic, UMS and OMMIC. Stephen Entwistle, VP Strategic Technologies Practice
at SA, noted, “Filtronic was the largest European GaAs device supplier
in 2006 but missed out on a top ten place.” He added, “UMS
was close behind, and Filtronic’s time as the number one European GaAs
device supplier may be short-lived.” SA
News Release August 8, 2007...Compound semiconductor and solid state lighting innovator, Cree Inc. of Durham,
North Carolina USA, reported its financial results for fiscal 2007. The yearly
revenue for fiscal 2007 decreased 7 percent compared to the revenue for fiscal
2006 dropping from $423 million for fiscal 2006 to $394.1 million for fiscal
2007. The GAAP net income for fiscal 2007, $57.3 million was also down compared
to $76.7 million during fiscal 2006.
During the fiscal year the company completed the acquisition of Cotco, a supplier
of high brightness packaged LEDs based in China. The company made available
XLamp LEDs with a minimum luminous flux of 100 lumens at 350 mA. Additionally,
both the city of Raleigh, North Carolina USA, and Toronto Canada became the
first and second cities to join the company’s “LED City” program.
“Fiscal 2007 was a challenging but successful year for Cree as we
made great strides in our transformation from an LED chip and SiC materials
technology company into a components company positioned to lead the LED lighting
revolution,” stated Chuck Swoboda, Cree chairman and CEO. “…We
believe the combination of growing XLamp® LED sales, our new high-brightness,
packaged LED product line and a more stable LED chip business has put Cree in
a strong position for growth in fiscal 2008.” Company
Financial Results for Fiscal 2007 Emcore’s Multi-Junction Solar Concentrator Cells Reach 39 Percent Conversion Efficiency
CompoundSemi News StaffAugust 6, 2007...Emcore of Albuquerque, New Mexico USA, reported that it has obtained a record
39 percent conversion efficiency under 1000x concentrated illumination on its
multi-junction solar cells. While this is not the highest conversion efficiency
ever attained for solar concentrator cells (Boeing-Spectrolab attained 40.7
percent conversion efficiency for solar concentrator cells ; Coverage),
the company says that it is the highest for solar concentrator cells in high
volume production for terrestrial (on earth not in satellites) concentrator
photovoltaic (CPV) applications. The conversion efficiency of 39 percent was
reportedly measured on 1-cm2 production solar cells at 1000x illumination. Emcore
indicated that its continuing innovation will enable the introduction of concentrator
solar cell products with conversion efficiencies of greater than 40% under the
high illumination operating conditions required for next generation, cost competitive
CPV systems.
Commenting on this advancement, David Danzilio, Vice President and General
Manager of EMCORE’s Photovoltaics Division stated “We believe
this technical and operational advancement represents a significant value creation
for our customers. Solar cells with 1000x conversion efficiency of 39% will
enable CPV system developers to deploy competitive solar power installations
with the lowest cost per kw-hr. We are committed to continuing our investment
in CPV solar cell technology and production capacity to support our customers
ever increasing requirements for performance, cost, and capacity.”
Company
News Release Fairchild Launches New Facility Aimed at Automotive Applications for Global Power Resource Center
CompoundSemi News StaffAugust 6, 2007...Fairchild Semiconductor of San Jose, California USA, has launched a new facility
for its Global Power Resource Center. The company said that the new facility
in Ann Arbor, Michigan USA, near the heart of the USA’s automotive industry,
is a response to the automotive industry’s need for power applications.
According to the company, applications such as power management, body control,
motor control, ignition, engine management, and electric and hybrid vehicle
systems require the company’s comprehensive portfolio of products.
"The growth of automotive power electronics and the higher growth
rates for body electronics and emerging systems are driving the need for innovative
functional power products as well as expertise in system-level understanding
to optimize designs. Our new Michigan Global Power Resource Center provides
customers with technical experts who can help them select or develop the right
solutions for their designs," said Paul Leonard, vice president of
Automotive Products. Company
News Release AXT Profits With Gallium Shortages
CompoundSemi News StaffAugust 6, 2007...AXT, a maker of compound semiconductor substrates located in Fremont, California
USA, reported its financial results for the second quarter which ended June
30, 2007. According to AXT, the revenue for the quarter was $13.6 million, compared
with $12.5 million in the first quarter of 2007, and $10.4 million in the second
quarter of 2006. The revenue from gallium arsenide substrates for the quarter
was $9.3 million, compared to $8.8 million of the previous quarter and $8.1
million during the same quarter a year ago. 6-inch diameter wafer sales were
down slightly to $2.8 million for the second quarter. They were $3.3 million
for the first quarter and $2.8 million for the second quarter of 2006. The company
cited the delay in BIFET qualifications of certain customers with the decrease
in 6-inch diameter wafer sales. However, the AXT said that the majority of the
BIFET qualifications were completed by the end of the second quarter. AXT reported
that sales of raw materials, (primarily pure gallium) were $3.3 million in the
second quarter of 2007 compared with $2.6 million in the first quarter of 2007,
and $1.4 million in the second quarter of 2006.
"This has been a very interesting and gratifying quarter for AXT,"
said Phil Yin, chief executive officer. "Shortages in gallium raw material
and increasing interest in emerging applications such as photovoltaics are illuminating
the unique competitive positioning that AXT is likely to benefit from over the
next several years.” Company
Q2 2007 Financial Results Norway Plans to Ban Gallium Arsenide
CompoundSemi News StaffAugust 1, 2007...The time for public consultation on PoHS is running out.
In June, Norway told the World Trade Organization of its intentions to ban 18 substances. The ban
would go beyond the prohibitions EU’s RoHS directives for electrical and
electronic companies. Norway has proposed banning the use of what it lists as
hazardous substances in all consumer goods with a few exceptions. Gallium arsenide,
is on the list of banned substances. Arsenic is the substance of concern in
that compound. Instead of the list of six banned substances in the RoHS directive,
Norway has proposed banning 18 substances in all consumer products (not just
in electronics). Some of the substances barred in the RoHS directive allowed
certain exceptions in consumer goods. However, Norway’s proposed new rules
would allow very few exceptions. The proposal is scheduled to be adopted on
15 December, and enforcement is set to begin on January 1, 2008. The regulation
would not be confined to electrical and electronic equipment. Public consultation
about the measure will end September 1, 2007. At that point a report will be
written that will provide recommendations to legislature of Norway.
PoHS would also cover any use of lead except in medical devices. A PoHS guidance
package (a PoHS guidebook) about the legislation can be purchased from RoHS-International.
It costs NZ$140, which is about $110 in U.S. dollars. The PoHS guide was published
to help companies identify where these banned substances may be used in products.
The PoHS guide has sections for plastics, electronics, construction, textile
industries, and manufacturers of end consumer products. RoHS
News Release Bell Labs MBE Pioneer Alfred Y. Cho Awarded USA's Highest Technology HonorAugust 1, 2007...August 1, 2007...On Tuesday, the USA's President Bush awarded the 2005 National Medal of Technology to Alfred Y. Cho for his contributions to the invention and development of MBE technology. An announcement of the award was originally made by Alcatel-Lucent which now owns Bell Labs. (Ref: company
news release, which contains details about the award and Dr. Cho's achievements. In the White House awards ceremony, President Bush underscored that Dr. Cho helped develop MBE technology into a production tool for advanced electronic and photonic devices. Applications for the tool help produce components of cellular phones, CD players, and high-speed communications. The National Medal of Science and Technology is the highest honor the president of the United States can give to any citizen for work in their science and technical fields.
ACCO Raises $10 Million in Round A Funding
Compound Semi News StaffAugust 1, 2007...ACCO, a fabless French startup specializing in analog and RF semiconductor
design, reported that it has closed round A funding with $10 million of investment.
In the funding round, Pond Venture Partners and Partech International join Siparex
Ventures, a seed-level investor since October 2005. ACCO recently demonstrated
what the company says is a very innovative approach that will make CMOS technology
a reality in the power amplifier market for handheld devices. The company also
says its innovation in power amplifier design enables the manufacturing of more
reliable and highly integrated mobile devices at a lower cost. Acco was founded
by Denis Masliah. ACCO decided earlier this year to raise VC funds to support
its new business model strategy based upon what the company’s important
advance in power amplifier design.
Richard Irving, Managing Partner at Pond Venture Partners, commented, “The
wireless handset market is always looking for innovative solutions to satisfy
continuously growing consumer expectations in terms of cost and battery life.
We are convinced ACCO will play a significant role in meeting these needs.”
“CMOS power amplifiers represent a huge convergence opportunity”
stated Jean-Marc Patouillaud, Managing Partner at Partech International. “We
are convinced ACCO’s technology will act as a key driver of that convergence.”
ACCO
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