semiconductorTODAY Compounds&AdvancedSilicon • Vol.5 • Issue 9 • November/December 2010 contents 3 News Markets 6 LED TV panel demand to boom in

semiconductorTODAYC O M P O U N D S & A D V A N C E D S I L I C O NVol.5 • Issue 9 • November/December 2010 www.semiconductor-today.com

MO precursor suppliers expand •AZZURRO raises €14.5m Epistar’s record 162lm/W cool-white LED • SEI unveils 6” GaN

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LED demand stretches raw materials supply LED demand stretches raw materials supply

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contentsNewsMarkets 6 LED TV panel demand to boom in Jan/FebMicroelectronics 12RFIC makers’ Q3 results • TriQuint expanding Richardson to 6” GaAs Wide-bandgap electronics 24LAST POWER Euro project launches • SETI wins AlInN/GaN FET SBIR Materials and processing equipment 30MO suppliers expand • AZZURRO raises €14.5m • SEI unveils 6” GaN LEDs 52Epistar’s record 162lm/W cool-white LED • Verticle’s hexagonal chip Optical communications 67 News from SuperComputing 2010 • China’s ZJF buys FirecommsPhotovoltaics 80 Spectrolab mass produces 39.2% cell • MiaSolé hits 15.7% efficiency• Saint-Gobain and Hyundai form JV • Ascent raises $20.25m

Technology focus: Photovoltaics 100Free-standing GaN substrate improves nitride PV performance Efficiency boosted from 0.98% to 1.41% by switching from sapphire.

Technology focus: Compounds on silicon 102Developing layer transfer for mixing compounds with silicon On-currents of 1.4mA/mm in InAs transistors on insulator on Si.

Technology focus: Lasers 104Non-polar nitride boost to blue & true-green laser performance Soraa achieves record 23% wall-plug efficiency for 447nm blue laser.

Technology focus: LEDs 106Singapore researchers create amber light for nitride LEDs InGaN quantum dots in wells yield yellow emission.

Technology focus: LEDs 108Nitride wells tune in to green and white GaInN quantum wells create and convert light to longer wavelength.

Technology focus: LEDs 110Varying wells to combat LED efficiency droop Graded well thickness investigated to improve LED efficiency.

Technology focus: LEDs 112Polarized LED from RPI & Kyma promises more efficient displays Record polarization intensity ratio for 500nm LED top surface emission.

Market focus: Materials 114New demand puts tension into gallium/indium supply chain As orders have picked up from the 2008–2009 financial crisis, strainhas been put on compound semiconductor raw material supplies.

Suppliers’ Directory 120

Event Calendar 126

Advertisers’ Index 126

Vol. 5 • Issue 9 • November/December 2010

p24 Nitronex’s NPT1012 GaN HEMT,the second product based on its newpower transistor platform technology.

p50 Sumitomo Electric Industries hasdeveloped the first 6” GaN substratesfor white LEDs, seen here with thefirm’s existing 2-4” GaN wafers.

p99Microscope image of IBM’s CTZScell, which is to be co-developed withShowa Shell subsidiary Solar Frontier.

semiconductorTODAYC O M P O U N D S & A D V A N C E D S I L I C O N

Cover:At electronicain Munich, OsramOpto Semiconductorsadded to its OSLONSSL product family(which has a beamangle of 80°) bylaunching the

OSLON SSL 150 LED, which has a 150°beam angle, enabling lamps and lumi-naires to be simpler and more efficient,as well as suiting diffused lighting. p54

After a recent pause in growth of LED chip sales due to a supply/demandrebalancing in Europe for consumer display backlighting applications (seeCree’s Q3/2010 on page 56 of the last issue), Taiwanese LED chipmakerLextar expects a surge in demand for LED-backlit LCD TV panels inJanuary–February prior to TV vendors launching new models in March(see this issue, page 7). The overall boom in LED demand has driven announcements (reported

on pages 32–33 of this issue alone) of capacity expansions by manufacturersof metal-organic precursor materials, particularly trimethyl gallium (TMG).These include SAFC (at its Taiwan site), Dow (a new plant in Korea) andAkzoNobel (a second doubling in capacity this year). Meanwhile, the USA’sATMI has bought a stake in Korea’s Lake LED Materials. All this follows USMO manufacturer Albemarle announcing plans to build a TMG plant in Korea,as well as Chemtura expanding TMG and TMA production via a joint venturewith UP Chemical in Korea (see September issue, pages 26–27). According to Lextar, the short supply of LEDs is expected to ease in 2011.

However, the increase in production of LEDs will place greater demand onnot only MOCVD precursors but also on raw materials. In this issue’s feature article on pages 114–118 we hence focus on the

effect that growing demand is having on both the availability and supply ofraw materials including gallium and indium. Although the US governmentdoes not maintain stockpiles of either indium or gallium, in recent yearsboth Japan and Korea have established stockpiles of such rare metals.Meanwhile, China Securities Journal has reported moves by China’sCommerce Ministry to place stricter controls on rare-metal exports — a2–3% cut in quotas per year, according to some sources. There have beenrecent disruptions in supplies to Japan and the USA of rare earth materials(of which China has a near-monopoly), while there have been somereports that indium and gallium are among ten rare metals that China’sState Bureau of Material Reserve is considering stockpiling. LED makers in China have up to now been starting up and expanding by

ordering MOCVD reactors at an unprecedented rate (due in part togovernment subsidies). However, there have most recently been someconcerns about possible overcapacity of LED manufacturing. In particular,according to a report in Digitimes, due to fears of an oversupply of LED chipsused in LCD TV backlight units (BLUs), Neo-Neon Holdings is downsizingits LED epiwafer capacity expansion by reducing the installation ofadditional MOCVD systems from its originally planned 50 by the end of2011 to 30 (see page 58). The possible oversupply of LED chips used inBLUs is attributed to TFT-LCD panel makers expanding capacity for LEDchips among their subsidiaries in order to increase in-house supply.Digitimes reports that Taiwan-based LED makers Tekcore and FormosaEpitaxy (Forepi) have also delayed installing additional MOCVD reactors. While such push outs may seem alarming, this may be a good sign that

the industry is responding quickly to temporary pauses in growth, perhapsforestalling overcapacity as well as easing strains on materials supply. Mark Telford, Editor [email protected]

semiconductorTODAY Compounds&AdvancedSilicon • Vol. 5 • Issue 9 • November/December 2010 www.semiconductor-today.com

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editorialsemiconductorTODAYC O M P O U N D S & A D V A N C E D S I L I C O N

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Semiconductor Today covers theR&D and manufacturing ofcompound semiconductor andadvanced silicon materials and devices(e.g. GaAs, InP and SiGe wafers, chipsand modules for microelectronic andoptoelectronic devices such as RFICs,lasers and LEDs in wireless and opticalcommunications, etc).

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Responding to demandthrough the supply chain

AIXTRON Ag / KAIseRsTRAsse 98 / 52134 HeRzOgeNRATH / geRmANy / [email protected] / www.AIXTRON.cOm

AIXTRON started in 1983 and is today a leading provider of deposition equipment to the semiconductor industry. with our advanced solutions customers worldwide build components for electronic as well as opto-electronic applications. As pace maker in our line of industry we are keeping always one step ahead.

HigHer Productivity // with almost 30 years of experience AIXTRON stands for proven engineering power and dedicated cus tomer support: Our equipment serves a diverse range of customers to manufacture highest LeD volumes at lowest cost.

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news

The market for packaged LEDs isexperiencing tremendous growth,with an expected compound annualgrowth rate (CAGR) of 28.2%between 2009 and 2015, accordingto new reports on the status of theLED industry (‘SLI 2010’) and LED Manufacturing Technologies(‘LED ManTech 2010’) to be avail-able from market research firm Yole Développement and the European Photonics Industry Consortium (EPIC) of Paris, Francefrom 15 November. In a base scenario, revenue should reach$8.9bn in 2010 and grow to $25.7bnin 2015 and nearly $30bn in 2020.In terms of volume, LED die

surface is expected to increase at aCAGR of 41.6% from 6.3 billion mm2

to 51 billion mm2 in 2015. This willprompt substrate volumes to

growth from 12.7m TIE (two-inchequivalent) in 2009 to 84.4m TIE in2015, a CAGR of 37.1% (smallerthan the increase in die surface dueto significant manufacturing yieldimprovements). The equipmentmarket will also experience a dra-matic growth cycle, with demanddriving the installation of nearly1400 reactors in 2010–2012. “Anticipation of future demand

and generous subsidies in Chinawill trigger the installation ofanother 700–1000 reactors in thesame period, leading to a shortperiod of oversupply starting in late 2011,” reckons EPIC’s generalsecretary Tom Pearsall. “However,this oversupply will mostly affectthe low end of the market.” Growth in general lighting appli-

cations will be enabled by signifi-

cant technology and manufacturingefficiency improvements that willhelp to lower the cost per lumen ofpackaged LEDs by 10-fold between2010 and 2020. These factors will include: economies of scale;LED efficiency improvement, includ-ing at high power (droop effect);improved phosphors; improvedpackaging technologies; and signif-icant improvements in LED epitaxycost of ownership through yield andthroughput. However, additionalbreathroughs are needed — Haitz’sLaw (stating that every decade thecost per lumen falls 10-fold and theamount of light generated per LEDpackage increases 20-fold, for agiven wavelength) is not enough,comments the report. www.yole.fr www.epic-assoc.com

Packaged LED market to grow at 28.2% annually to 2015 Brief oversupply from late 2011 to affect mostly low end of market

According to ElectroniCast Consul-tants, consumption of packagedcomponent-level LEDs used in test/measurement and medical/sciencedevices will rise at an average annualgrowth rate of 35.8% from $21.82min 2009 to $185.73m in 2016,despite a drop in average prices insome categories partially offsettingcomparably strong unit growth. “With new performance records in

red LEDs, record efficacy for greenLEDs, fascinating accomplishmentswith DUV (deep ultraviolet) LEDs,huge consumer/professional inter-ests with blue and other color LEDphoto-dynamic therapy (PDT), aswell as explosive growth opportuni-ties for white LED (WLED) lightingin the operating theater (OT), thebio-photonics, test/measurementand related sectors are poised forrapid market demand during the

forecast period,” says StephenMontgomery, president of Interna-tional Business at ElectroniCast. The LED market is segmented into

the following sub-application categories: sensing/detection and

analytical/monitoring; photo-therapy/sanitation/cell regeneration/curing; instrumentation light sourceand imaging; and operating theater(OT)/surgical/dentistry lighting. www.electronicast.com

Market for LEDs used in test/measurement andmedical/science device to grow at 35.8% annually

0

50

100

150

200

Millions ($) 21.82 26.18 33.14 42.61 56.3 79.73 117.94 185.73

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Test/measurement and medical/science LED market ($m).

The increasing demand for energy-efficient systems is expected todrive the sales of LED-based lightingdevices, according to a new report‘Optoelectronics Market to 2020 —Push for Energy Efficiency toIncrease Demand for LED basedApplications’ from GBI Research.The display and lamp market isexpected to rise at a compoundannual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.41%over 2009–2020. Lighting accountsfor 20% of the world’s electricityconsumption and there is increasingdemand for energy-efficient andenvironmentally friendly technologies.These requirements are largely ful-filled by optoelectronic applicationssuch as LEDs, which consume only20% of the energy compared to atraditional incandescent bulb andcan last up to 25,000 hours. Also expected to boost optoelec-

tronics sales during 2010–2020 is theincreasing use of consumer devicesthat require solid-state lighting andimage sensors, such as smartphones,digital cameras, mp3s, iPods, andLCD TVs. The rapid adoption ofsmart phones with LED backlightingis expected to boost demand foroptoelectronic products, especiallyLEDs and image sensors. Smart-phone usage is set to increase dra-

matically, with the sales volumeforecasted to rise from 174 millionin 2009 to 500 million in 2014. Revenue for image-sensor devices

is predicted to grow 29% year-on-year (YoY) to an unprecedented$8.3bn in 2010, with demand fordigital cameras, camera phones, andmachine-vision systems recoveringwith the global economy. In 2010,CMOS-based devices had a 61%share of revenue and charge-coupleddevices (CCDs) the remaining 39%.CMOS image sensors dominatehigh-growth portable system appli-cations (such as camera phones,webcams in notebook computers,and other embedded cameras inhandheld products) and will drivegrowth in demand for image sensors.In particular, new specialized andhigh-speed CMOS imagers areincreasingly used in automotivesystems, medical equipment andwireless video security networks.CMOS imagers are also used inoptical mouse, toys and video games. The automotive industry will be a

key consumer of optoelectronicdevices during 2009–2020, with arevenue share of 8% in 2010. Theapplication of optoelectronic deviceshas started to gain momentum inthe automotive industry, which will

increasingly depend on the optoindustry for safety and conveniencesolutions. LEDs are extensivelyused for interior as well as exteriorlighting. Other opto devices such asimage sensors (used mainly inmobile phones and digital cameras)are also being used to provide addi-tional safety features such as lanedeparture warning and blind-spotassistance. Opto revenue from theautomotive sector is expected togrow at a CAGR of 11.22% from2009 to 2020. Government support in countries

like Japan and China is expected toboost sales of solar cells. Incentivesare given in the form of tax credits,relief or exemption. Japanese firmsin particular undertake large-scaleR&D programs in optoelectronics,which are supported extensively bythe Japanese government. Mean-while, China plans to generate10GW of energy from solar cells by2020. The Chinese governmentsubsidizes the costs of installingsolar energy systems on buildings.Solar technology, which was previ-ously limited to applications insatellites, is now being used in awide range of industrial and homeapplications, notes the report. www.gbiresearch.com

Demand for LED-backlit LCD TVpanels will increase significantly inJanuary–February 2011 as TV ven-dors are planning to launch newmodels in March, according toDavid Su, president of LED chip-maker Lextar Electronics Corp, asubsidiary of Taiwanese displaypanel maker AU Optronics (AUO). In a report in Digitimes, Su says

that, based on past experience,growth in demand will rise signifi-cantly when LED-backlit TV marketshare reaches 15–20%, and thisshould reach about 20% in 2010.Most new models will be LED-

backlit, Su notes. Market watchers

estimate that, due to falling demandin Q4/2010, average selling prices(ASPs) for LED-backlit products willdrop by 11–15%. He adds that LEDprice declines happen every quarterbased on market demand, anddemand in Q1/2011 is still unclear,so it is hard to estimate the drop. Due to expanding market demand

in 2011, LED backlighting designsfor LCD monitors and TVs will focuson reducing overall costs, and thetight LED and component supply isexpected to ease in 2011 due tocomponent suppliers’ efforts toexpand capacity as well as newbacklight unit (BLU) designs.

The main designs of LED TV BLUsin Q1/2010 were edge-type (on thetop and bottom of displays) andneeded about 144 LEDs for a 32”model, 192 LEDs for 37”, 208 LEDsfor 42”, 240 LEDs for 46”, and 288LEDs for 55” models. However, inQ1/2011 LED TV BLU designs willchange to edge-type on the sides,so LED usage will drop to 100, 120,144, 172 and 200, respectively.Also, some suppliers are developingsingle-side bottom edge-typedesigns, which can cut LED usageto 80 for 32”, 100 for 37” and 120for 42” models, Digitimes notes. www.digitimes.com

News: Markets


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LED-based lighting market to drive optoelectronics sales

LED TV panel demand to boom in January/February ...but shortage to ease in 2011 as LEDs per TV falls

News: Markets


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Yole Développement is forecastinga $350m market in 2015 for gallium nitride power devices[Power GaN: Market & TechnologyAnalysis — GaN Technologies forPower Electronics Applications:Industry and Market Status & Forecasts, 2010]. Presently theFrance-based market research firmsees a total accessible market (TAM)of $16.6bn for power IC, discreteand module components. Nitride semiconductors already

dominate the market in short-wavelength (green, blue, violet,ultraviolet) light-emitting devices,and has made inroads into the RFpower amplification market (~2GHz,e.g. mobile phone network). GaN devices for lower-frequency

power switching are maturing interms of transistor, diode and evenIC parts in the 0–600V range.Based on its assessment of thestate-of-the-art for GaN production,Yole believes that the most promising applications for nitridesemiconductors could be (see Figure)IT and consumer, automotive, better inverters for photovoltaic (PV)DC–AC conversion, uninterruptedpower supply (UPS), and motorcontrol. These applications takeadvantage of features such ashigher breakdown electric field,better electron mobility, and highermelting point, leading to higherbreakdown voltages, switching frequencies and overall system efficiency offered by GaN over sili-con-based devices. “About 67 % of the power elec-

tronics market is looking at 0–900Vvoltage range, mostly made ofcost-driven consumer and IT appli-cations,” says the report’s authorDr Philippe Roussel, project managerat Yole Développement.These markets will require high

volume and low cost. The use ofeither bulk GaN or GaN-on-siliconcarbide (SiC) substrates is seen asbeing too expensive for this. Partic-ularly attractive for this market are

GaN-on-silicon 6”-diameter wafersthat both lower costs (by using asilicon base) and create economiesof scale (with larger wafers). Yole isassuming that this will be the dominant option chosen for powerGaN devices. The substrate marketsupporting power GaN is expectedto reach $100m in 2015. There ishence expected to be erosion in theprice of GaN-on-Si substrates. GaN-on-Si high-electron-mobility

transistors (HEMT) could be 50%cheaper than the same sort ofdevice built using silicon carbide(SiC) technology. Yet today’s state-of-the-art remains twice and eventhree-times more expensive thanthe similar silicon device. However, there are system-level

arguments for choosing the moreexpensive component. For example,GaN devices operate better thansilicon at higher temperatures,allowing a reduction or even elimi-nation of cooling systems. Also,GaN has a higher switching speedat high power handling, allowing areduction in RF filtering costs withthe use of smaller capacitors andinductors. The smaller-sized housingdue to the smaller GaN componentswill also allow further cost reductions. This year saw the first product

announcements in the sector fromInternational Rectifier (IR) and Efficient Power Conversion Corp

(EPC). The devices cover breakdownvoltages ranging up to 200V (Vb).However, the roadmaps of IR andEPC are promising 600V and even900V in the short term. These ratingswould bring industrial and automo-tive applications onto the agenda. Other contenders due to enter the

arena include MicroGaN, Furukawa,GaN Systems, Panasonic, Sanken,and Toshiba. Since it takes time to qualify

devices, particular for target appli-cations that need to consider relia-bility and safety factors such asautomotive, Yole is forecasting an‘inflexion point’ for GaN marketramp-up occurring early in 2012,leading to a market size in excessof $50m in 2013 and ~$350m by2015. The kinds of devices in 2015are expected to be evenly splitbetween ICs, discretes and modules. Yole says that its report provides

a complete analysis of the GaNdevice and substrate industry in thepower electronics field, along withkey market metrics. ‘It providescompany involvement as well astechnology state-of-the-art. Inaddition, an extensive review of the possible substrates for GaN is provided, offering the most complete view of the power GaNindustry available to date.’ www.yole.fr Author: Mike Cooke

GaN power device market to reach $350m in 2015 Market to be evenly split between ICs, discretes and modules

Main market segments forGaN power devices

The mobile handset market is setfor a stellar performance in 2010after shipments reached 346.2 mil-lion in the third quarter, accordingto ABI Research. For the first three quarters of the

year, year-on-year growth has beenhovering around 20%. “This is aremarkable feat, irrespective of the rebound effect following thedeferred handset purchases duringthe economic recession,” says Jake Saunders, VP for forecasting.“Layer on ‘smartphone envy’ andyou have a recipe for high handsetvolumes,” he adds. This rebound is having some

interesting consequences, says ABI:(1) Component manufacturershave never had it so good. Nokia in particular reported a hardwarecrunch, especially with displays(e.g. AMOLED) and semiconductorcomponents for low-cost handsets,where Nokia’s leading market sharehas increased its exposure.

(2) Vendors that have strong port-folios in smartphones (RIM, Apple,HTC and Motorola) have seen theirgrowth in market share outperformthe market (likely to continue intoQ4/2010 and 2011).(3) Unless Nokia can resolve itscomponent resourcing challenges,it is likely to be supply-constrainedagain in Q4,which typicallyequates to30% of annualhandset sales.“Nokia’s mar-ket share couldwell comeunder furtherpressure,” addsKevin Burden,VP & practicedirector formobile devices. (4) Handsetvendors withgreater in-

house ability to source their owncomponents (e.g. Samsung and LG)will be able to take advantage ofthe market opportunity to expandvolumes. (5) Typically, a handset boomperiod is followed by market softening as customers wait for thenext ‘must have’ handset featureinnovation to make its way to market. However, there is still considerable room for innovation in the smartphone sector, not just‘feature innovation’ but also ‘cost-reduction innovation’, whichshould keep customers keen.While Samsung increased its

market share in Q3 (to 20.6%),other vendors contracted: Nokia to31.9%, LG to 8.2%, Sony-Ericssonto 3%, and Motorola to 2.6%,notes ABI. Meanwhile, smartphonevendors Apple and Research InMotion (RIM) grew their shares to4.1% and 4%, respectively. www.abiresearch.com

Handset market grows to 346.2m in Q3,while Samsung gains market share Component supply constraints to hit Nokia, but favor Samsung and LG

News: Markets


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Global shipments of mobile hand-sets are expected to total 1.34bnin 2010 and should maintain theirmomentum all the way to 2015,which should see more than 1.7bnin shipments, according to ABIResearch’s ‘Mobile Device Ship-ment Market Data’ study.“The Asia-Pacific region currently

makes the largest contribution toglobal handset sales,” says indus-try analyst Celia Bo. “Sales areprojected to increase 9% this yearcompared to 2009, and willaccount for 38% of total ship-ments,” she adds. “China is clearly a major source of handsetdemand, but it is not the only one.India and Indonesia are alsoexpanding their domesticdemand.”

The Indian market is expected togrow 24% year-on-year from 84.3 million handsets in 2009 to104 million in 2010. Similarly,Indonesia is not insignificant.Many of its 240 million people purchased 33 million handsets in2009, and that is expected to sur-pass 37 million by the end of 2010.Both marketshave traditionallybeen fertileground for Nokiadistributors and dealers. Inthose markets,the Finnish firmhas enjoyed amarket-sharewell above itsglobal average.

Nokia has been very effective inproducing ultra-low-cost handsetsthat are robust and user-friendlyand at the right price-point. ButNokia has seen its market sharesteadily eroded in the mid to hightiers as India’s and Indonesia’saspiring middle classes purchasehigh-end feature phones and smart-phones. Samsung, LG and RIMhave been net beneficiaries. “Local handset vendors such as

Micromax and Spice Mobile inIndia, and Nexian and SPC Mobilein Indonesia, are intent on cater-ing to low-end and mid-tier end-users,” notes VP & practice directorKevin Burden. “Their game-plan isto push the envelope on providingincreasingly feature-rich handsetsat aggressive price-points.”

Asia-Pacific helping to push handset shipments to 1.34bn in 2010

Sales areprojected toincrease 9%this yearcompared to2009, and willaccount for38% of totalshipments

Handsetvendors withgreater in-house ability to source their owncomponentswill be able totake advantageof the marketopportunity toexpandvolumes

For its fiscal second-quarter 2011(ended 2 October 2010), RF MicroDevices Inc of Greensboro, NC,USA has reported its sixth quarterof sequential revenue growth, to$285.8m (up 4.4% on $273.8mlast quarter and up 12.2% on$254.8m a year ago). RFMD achieved substantial year-

on-year and continued sequentialrevenue growth in both its CellularProducts Group (CPG) and its Multi-Market Products Group (MPG).During the quarter, RFMD securedmajor design wins, including components for smartphones,mobile tablet devices, smart energyapplications, high-power GaN appli-cations, and wireless infrastructure.Sales to customers outside RFMD’slargest customer (Nokia) grew byabout 53% year-on-year, driven bymarket share gains at targetedhandset customers and broad-basedgrowth in MPG’s end markets.RFMD also launched 74 new andderivative products targetingdiverse market segments. “During the September quarter,

RFMD continued to transition successfully to a more diversifiedrevenue base, with notable strengthin smartphones, smart energy, and high-performance WiFi,” sayspresident & CEO Bob Bruggeworth.“Importantly, RFMD is also experi-encing strong design-win momen-tum for our new breakthroughproducts and technologies, includingour PowerSmart power platform,our silicon-based switches and ourGaN-based components,” he adds. “During the September quarter,

RFMD demonstrated robust financialperformance and achieved severalall-time financial records,” remarkschief financial officer and VP ofadministration Dean Priddy. On a non-GAAP basis, gross margin

has grown from 38.1% a year agoand 39.2% last quarter to 39.8%.

Operating income has risen from$41.7m a year ago and $51.7mlast quarter to $57.1m (the fifthconsecutive quarter of record oper-ating income). Operating marginwas 20% (up from 18.9% lastquarter). Net income has risen from$36.9m a year ago and $44.3mlast quarter to a record $52.3m. During the quarter, RFMD generated

a record $56.1m in free cash flow(net cash from operating activitiesof $61.3m, minus $5.2m in propertyand equipment expenditures). “RFMD’s record quarterly financial

performance is the direct result ofprior structural changes in strategyand the organization’s crisp execu-tion on that strategy,” commentsBruggeworth. “We are leveragingproduct and technology leadershipto drive our growth in core markets,and we are securing the majordesign wins necessary to power thenext wave of our revenue growth.” RFMD believes the demand envir-

onment in its end markets supportsexpectations that December-quarterresults will be roughly in line withSeptember-quarter results. In par-ticular, it expects sequential growthin its core markets to be broadbased and supported by strength insmart energy, high-performanceWiFi, wireless infrastructure, fixedand mobile broadband, smart-phones and 3G connected devices.RFMD also expects to continueramping new customer programsto offset declining end-of-life legacyproducts. “We continue to forecastPowerSmart will ramp in the March2011 quarter, and we now expectour lead PowerSmart customer willbroadly feature PowerSmart acrosstheir next-generation smartphoneportfolio,” says Bruggeworth. For fiscal 2011, RFMD now expects

record free cash flow of $180–200m(up on fiscal 2010’s $177m). www.rfmd.com

News: Microelectronics


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RFMD adds high-linearity differentialIF mixers to Multi-Market Productcatalog

RF Micro Devices Inc of Greens-boro, NC, USA has expanded itsRF component catalog to includetwo new high-linearity differentialIF mixers: the RFMX0015 andRFMX1015. Both are optimizedfor operation across a broadrange of end markets, includingcellular infrastructure, wirelessbackhaul and other high-per-formance wireless systems.The firm says that increasing

deployment of 3G and LTE wire-less systems is spurring demandfor very high-linearity down-converters (with IIP3 >28dBm).The RFMX0015 and RFMX1015feature a passive gallium arsenidemixer core that delivers high linearity. When combined withthe GaAs heterojunction bipolartransistor (HBT) intermediate-frequency (IF) amplifier, thecombination provides what isclaimed to be an industry-leadingIIP3/DC current figure of merit(29dBm/200mA) for a down-conversion differential IF mixerwith 7dB gain and 0dBm LO drive. The RFMX0015 and RFMX1015

operate in the standard cellularbands of 600–1050MHz and1500–2200MHz, respectively,and support both high- and low-side LO injection for IF frequencies up to 300MHz. In addition, the mixers featurean IF bias pin that enables usersto reduce the DC current to save power when peak linearityperformance is not required. RFMD showcased its portfolio of

RF components at the electronica2010 trade show in Munich, Germany (9–12 November). www.rfmd.com/CS/Documents/BR_RFMX0015_1015.pdf

IN BRIEF RFMD’s quarterly revenue grows 12%year-on-year to record $285.8m Growth driven by diversification, with strengthin smartphones, smart energy, and WiFi

RF Micro Devices Inc of Greens-boro, NC, USA has teamed withFreescale Semiconductor of Austin,TX, USA (which designs and makesembedded semiconductors for theautomotive, consumer, industrialand networking markets) to deliverZigBee solutions for a broad rangeof smart grid applications. RF Micro Device’s RF6535 ZigBee

front-end module (FEM) has beencombined with Freescale’sMC1321x system-in-package (SiP)to create the RF6535/MC1321x reference design, which simplifiesRF design requirements whilereducing product cost and com-plexity. The reference design is targeted at ZigBee smart energyand home-area network (HAN)applications that require high RFperformance to ensure a robustand reliable operation in varyingenvironments. Working together,RFMD and Freescale aim to addressthe need for aggressive size reduc-tions in IEEE 802.15.4 designs witha reduced solution footprint andminimized component count. “RFMD and Freescale are leverag-

ing each other’s expertise to deliverhigh-performance, highly integratedsolutions that reduce design cycletimes, lower customer costs, andaccelerate product time-to-market,”says Bob Van Buskirk, president ofRFMD’s Multi-Market Products Group(MPG). “Large-scale smart energyprojects are forecast to grow rapidly,with particular demand anticipatedin low-power wireless technologieslike ZigBee,” he adds. “Emerging markets such as smart

energy require increased outputpower for extended range and reliable communications,” saysBrett Black, manager of Freescale’sWireless Connectivity Organization.“Freescale and RFMD are buildingon each other's strengths to offercomplete solutions for these markets.”

RFMD’s highly integrated RF6535features a 2.4–2.5GHz +22dBmpower amplifier, Tx harmonic outputfilter, double-pole double-throw(DPDT) diversity switch and an LNA(low-noise amplifier). It is housedin a 3.5mm x 3.5mm x 0.5mmpackage that is claimed to be threetimes smaller than competitiveofferings, reducing discrete compo-nent requirements while minimizingfootprint and assembly costs. Thetransceiver interface is a two-portRx/Tx integrated balun.RFMD says that its expanding

portfolio of ZigBee FEMs enablesusers to accelerate new ZigBeeproducts to market while reducingcomponent count, size, cost, andpower consumption. The RF6535single-chip ZigBee FEM is specificallyoptimized for smart energy/AMI(advanced metering infrastructure)applications including smartmeters, and HAN devices includinghome energy gateways, in-homedisplays and appliances.

Freescale’sMC1321x familyincorporates alow-power2.4GHz radio-frequency trans-ceiver and amicrocontrollerinto a singleLGA package tomeet cost andlimited productspace budgetswhile providingexcellent RF

system performance. Coupled withRFMD’s RF6535 FEM, the MC1321xsuits most ZigBee applications inconsumer electronics, energy management, healthcare, homeautomation, telecom services, andbuilding and industrial automation. www.ZigBee.org www.freescale.com www.rfmd.com

Freescale teams with RFMD todeliver ZigBee solutions for smart energy applications



13

RFMD unveils2.3–2.7GHz PA IC forWiFi, WiMAX, LTEwirelessRFMD has unveiled the RF5632, a2.3–2.7GHz power amplifier ICoptimized specifically for WiMAXsystems that can be designed intomultiple applications including cus-tomer premises equipment (CPE),gateways, access points, LTE wire-less infrastructure, and WiFi-basedwireless high-definition interface(WHDI) for wireless video distributionnetworks. Based on indium gallium phosphide

(InGaP) heterojunction bipolartransistor (HBT) technology andpackaged in a leadless chip carrierwith a backside ground, theRF5632 integrates a three-stagepower amplifier (PA) and powerdetector into a 4mm x 4mm QFNpackage, minimizing customerdesign footprint requirements.Also, the device operates from astandard 5V supply, eliminatingadditional power supply require-ments, enhancing design flexibilityand lowering bill-of-material costs(BOM). The RF5632 is also fully DCand RF tested including EVM at therated output power, maximizingapplication yields and acceleratingtime-to-market.The RF5632 delivers an EVM of

2.5% and meets or exceeds WiMAXand LTE spectral mask requirementswith an output power of 28dBm inthe 2.3–2.4GHz, 2.4–2.5GHz and2.5–2.7GHz frequency ranges.The bias of the PA may be controlledto accommodate a 22dB gain stepto increase the dynamic range of thesystem. The RF5632 offers high gainof 34dB and high linear outputpower, with what is claimed to bebest-in-class efficiency. The devicemaintains linearity over a widerange of temperatures and poweroutputs while the external matchenables tuning for output powerover multiple bands. It also featuresinternal input and inter-stagematching, a power-down mode andpower detection.

Large-scalesmart energyprojects areforecast togrow rapidly,with particulardemandanticipated inlow-powerwirelesstechnologies

RF Micro Devices has announced anew family of integrated configurablecomponents for multiple markets.The RFFC207x and RFFC507x product series perform multiplecommon RF functions in a reducedfootprint while delivering the flexibility necessary to developradio systems that operate over awide dynamic range and across abroad range of frequencies andchannel bandwidths. The RFFC207x and RFFC507x

series integrate RFMD’s fractional-NPLL/VCO (phase-locked loop/voltage-controlled oscillator) combinationwith RF mixers to provide radiodesigners a radio partitioningoption with what is claimed to bevery high performance, superiorintegration and no compromise inflexibility. The RFFC207x andRFFC507x represent the secondgeneration of RFMD’s RF205x familyof integrated configurable compo-nents, which enables radio designersacross industries to shrink circuitboard area, reduce risk and shortenproduct development time (all ofwhich lower the total cost of radioimplementation). The new product families expand

on the capabilities of RF205x byenhancing performance andextending frequency range to servemore industries and applications.General purpose in nature, the newintegrated configurable componentsare applicable to fixed and mobileinfrastructure, radio repeaters,

super-heterodyne radios, diversityreceivers, frequency band shifters,CATV, software-defined radios,point-to-point radios, satcom,VHF/UHF radios, military, industrialand other applications. The product family’s wide bandwidth

enables use in multiple systemsand applications. The RFFC207xseries has a local oscillator (LO)range of 85–2700MHz, with a30–2700MHz mixer on-chip. TheRFFC507x series has an LO rangeof 85–4500MHz with mixer rangeextending up to 6000MHz. With integrated phase noise of

0.18deg rms at 1GHz, theRFFC207x and RFFC507x improvesystem performance for radiodesigners, claims RFMD. Additionally,the integrated fractional-N synthe-sizer features an advanced sigma-delta modulator to achieveultra-fine step sizes and lower spu-rious products, while integratedmixers enable a smaller implemen-tation (5mm x 5mm) than compet-ing solutions, it is claimed. Finally,by integrating the entire LO pathon-chip, the RFFC207x andRFFC507x eliminate the need towork with the highly sensitive interface from VCO to mixer, saving design time and improvingend-product manufacturing yields. The RFFC207x and RFFC507x

series also deliver what is claimedto be industry-low power consump-tion. Their bandwidth and phasenoise specifications are achieved

using only 125mA from a 3V supply(single-mixer, high-linearity setting),and the current can be cut to 100mAby reducing the programmablemixer linearity setting. Importantly,the 4500MHz components use only10mA more than the 2700MHzcomponents. All of the components can be pro-

grammed through a simple 3-wireserial interface. They also feature aunique programming mode thatallows up to four devices to be con-trolled from a common serial bus.By eliminating the need for separatechip-select control lines betweendevices and host controller, thislowers the cost of implementationand the risk of interferencebetween RF and digital lines on thetarget PCB. Finally, two frequenciescan be loaded into the device whenit is initialized, allowing convenientswitching between frequencies, andlock detect and general purposepins are available, enabling controlthough the serial bus. RFMD showcased its integrated

configurable components at theelectronica 2010 trade show inMunich, Germany (9–12 November).The single-mixer 2700MHz RFFC2072starts at $7 per 10,000 units, andthe single-mixer 5000MHz RFFC5072starts at $9 per 10,000 units. Samples and evaluation boards are available now, and productionquantities are expected to be avail-able by the end of the Decemberquarter.



14

RFMD extends performance and frequency range ofintegrated configurable components

RFMD has launched its broadband6-bit digital step attenuator (DSA)product portfolio with the availabilityof the RFSA2614 and RFSA2624,showcased at the electronica 2010trade show in Munich Germany(9–12 November). The firm’s newest high-perform-

ance components are optimized foroperation across multiple market

segments, including 3G/4G/LTEcellular infrastructure, WiMAX,wireless backhaul and other wire-less communications applications. The RFSA2614 and RFSA2624

DSAs feature a 6-bit design withboth serial or parallel mode programming, covering a broadfrequency range from 50MHz to4000MHz. Radio designers can use

the DSAs to adjust the gain ofhigh-linearity receive and transmitchannels over a 31.5dB range with0.5dB step resolution. The newDSAs have a settling time of 200ns,as well as a P1dB (1dB compressionpoint) of 27dBm and a IIP3 (3rd-order intercept point) of+48dBm.www.rfmd.com

RFMD unveils broadband 6-bit digital step attenuators

In response to growing demand forits communications semiconductors,TriQuint is expanding its plant inRichardson, TX. Covering 540,000ft2 (including

48,000ft2 of Class 1 cleanroom) ona 33 acre site, the Richardson fab(originally built for the TwinStarjoint venture between Hitachi andTexas Instruments) currently uses4-inch GaAs wafers and only abouttwo-thirds of the cleanroom. In addition to the Mobile Devicessector in Hillsboro (63% of totalrevenue of $654.3m in 2009),Richardson accommodates some

operations of both the Defense &Aerospace sector ($78m, or 12% of2009 revenue) and the Networkssector ($163.5m, 25% of 2009 revenue). Overall, Richardsonaccounted for 18% of TriQuint’srevenue in 2009. However, TriQuint is installing new

6” GaAs wafer equipment duringfourth-quarter 2010 and first-quarter 2011 (occupying almost100% of the cleanroom), for processqualification over Q2–Q3/2011 andramp-up through Q4. In total, thefirm aims to invest $100m inRichardson over the next five years.

Out of TriQuint’s total worldwidestaffing of 2329 at the beginning of2010, Richardson’s full-time staffaccounted for 527, but this will riseby 165 (about 31%) this year tonearly 700, according to an interviewwith TriQuint Texas’ VP of operationsHoward Witham in The Dallas Business Journal. In first-half 2011, TriQuint will add

about 100 temporary staff, who willmost likely become full-time staffwithin 6–9 months after they arehired. www.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2010/10/18/story1.html

For third-quarter 2010, RF front-endproduct and foundry servicesprovider TriQuint Semiconductor Incof Hillsboro, OR, USA has reportedrecord revenue of $237m, up 14%on Q2’s $207.5m and 37% on$173m a year ago (and 7.7% abovethe guidance of $215–225m). Networks (23% of overall revenue)

continued to enjoy a strong reboundfrom the lows of 2009, with sales up61% on a year ago. Mobile Devices(68% of overall revenue) showedrobust growth, with sales up 28%on Q2 and 37% on a year ago.Defense comprised 9% of revenue.“Our strategy of RF integration,multi-market innovation, and growthfor scale has been effective,” sayspresident & CEO Ralph Quinsey. On a non-GAAP basis, gross margin

was 42.3%, level with Q2 and upfrom 35% a year ago (and wellabove the expected 40–41%).

Operating expenses have been cutfrom 25.9% of revenue a year ago($44.8m) and 26.4% of revenuelast quarter ($54.7m) to 23.6% ofrevenue ($56m, slightly below theexpected $57m). Net income hasrisen from $16m a year ago and$33.1m in Q2 to $44.2m. “Looking forward I expect that the

RF market will remain healthy andTriQuint will benefit from a strongproduct roadmap,” reckons Quinsey.During the quarter, TriQuintreleased its TQP15 foundry processfor millimeter-wave applications(VSAT, satellite and point-to-pointradios); announced an integrationstrategy for base-station products(with four levels of integration);launched heat-spreading capabilityfor high-power die sales (die on tab,or DoT); and was awarded a $17.5mTitle III gallium nitride (GaN)manufacturing development

contract by the US Air ForceResearch Laboratory (AFRL). For fourth-quarter 2010, TriQuint

expects revenue of $245–255m(taking full-year 2010 revenue up33% on 2009, compared with pre-vious forecasts of first 20% then25–30%) — the firm is currently91% booked to the midpoint of thisQ4 guidance. In particular, stronggrowth in the mobile devices market should lead to non-GAAPgross margin of 41–42%. Operatingexpenses are expected to grow toabout $59m (24% of revenue). TriQuint expects that continued

robust growth in demand shouldlead to revenue growth of about20% for 2011, and that the RFmarket will remain strong for yearsto come. The longer-term goal is togrow revenue at 20% annually, anddrive operating income to over 20%.www.triquint.com



15

TriQuint’s Q3 revenue exceeds guidance by nearly 8% Full-year revenue growth forecast raised again, from 25–30% to 33%

In conjunction with the annual Military Communications (MILCOM2010) conference in San Jose, (31 October – 3 November),TriQuint Semiconductor said that ithad received a $2m contract fromthe US Naval Research Laboratory

(NRL) to develop S-band amplifierswith new benchmarks for noisefloor, linearity and efficiency performance. TriQuint says that it was awarded

the contract based on its expertisein developing new semiconductor

processes and products with GaAsand other technologies. The mono-lithic microwave integrated circuit(MMIC) contract will focus on low-noise amplifiers and high-poweramplifiers (LNAs/HPAs). www.milcom.org/2010

Navy awards contract for development of S-band MMIC amplifiers

TriQuint expanding Richardson fab for 6” GaAs wafers



16

For third-quarter 2010, GaAs-basedbroadband wireless and wirelinecommunications component makerAnadigics Inc of Warren, NJ, USAhas reported a sixth consecutivequarter of revenue growth, to$61.3m. This is up 67% on a yearago and up 18.6% on Q2's $51.7m(exceeding the guidance of 11%growth to $57.5m). The latter reflects Anadigics’

increased 3G market share positionwithin its wireless customer baseand the positive traction and market share gains realized in bothWiMax and cable infrastructurewithin Broadband, according topresident & CEO Mario Rivas.According to a recent report fromStrategy Analytics, Anadigics’global market share for wirelineCDMA power amplifiers has risenfrom 18% in Q2 to 22%.Of total revenue, Wireless grew

18.1% from $38.3m to $45.2mand Broadband grew by 20% from$13.4m to $16.1m (compared withgrowth of just 2% last quarter).“The third quarter benefited fromstronger order pull in both Wirelessand Broadband ahead of the typicalfourth quarter holiday trade season,which will affect the revenue in ourfourth quarter,” notes Rivas. With fab utilization exiting Q3 in

the low 70s (up from the mid-60sin Q2), gross margin has risen fromto 35.6% last quarter 37.2%(exceeding guidance of “nearly37%”). Compared with a loss of $6.4m

a year ago, non-GAAP net incomehas quadrupled from just $1.1mlast quarter to $4.4m (exceedingguidance), which is attributed tothe stronger revenue as well asoperating leverage.Cash flow from operations was

$5m, contributing to cash, cashequivalents and short- and long-term marketable securities risingduring the quarter by $4.2m to$96m, after capital expenditure of$1.4m.

For fourth-quarter 2010, Anadigicsexpects revenue to drop by 7% toabout $57m. “This reflects a pausein orders, caused by inventory re-balancing, by our Broadbandcustomers following the robust20% sequential growth reported inthe third quarter, and shortenedorder lead times by Wireless cus-tomers, particularly in Korea andChina, attributable to the solidorder pull in the third quarter,” saysexecutive VP & chief financial officerTom Shields. Broadband revenuecould fall by about 25%, but this isviewed as temporary given the typical fourth-quarter seasonality inAnadigics’ business in prior years.“Our current backlog for Wireless isequal to the Wireless revenuereported in the third quarter [i.e.$45m], but higher than historicalfill levels,” notes Shields.Fab utilization should rise to the

mid 70s during Q4. “Sequentially,we expectslightlyhighergrossmarginand loweroperatingexpenses,with bothGAAP andnon-GAAPearningsper sharein thefourthquarter toapproxi-matethird-quarterlevels of $0.03 and $0.06, respec-tively,” says Shields. “We alsoexpect to exit the year above$100m in cash, cash equivalents andshort- and long-term marketablesecurities on anticipated positivecash generation in the fourth quar-ter,” he adds. “If we can strategi-cally acquire either a company or a

group of engineers that can help usaccelerate development, then wewill,” says Shields. “Looking into 2011, we are very

excited about our new productdesign portfolio for 3G, 4G/LTE andmulti-mode multi-band (MMMB) andseveral design engagements withchipset providers and tier 1 OEMs,”says Rivas, who adds that, in Q3,Anadigics’ new product pipeline pro-duced over the last year accountedfor more than 40% of revenue. “In particular, we officially signed acooperation agreement with a newreference design partner [Infineon],initiated design activities withanother new reference design part-ner, and increased design activitieswith an existing reference designpartner,” he adds. “Enhancing ourbusiness prospects longer term, wealso completed negotiations on aproduct purchase agreement withone of the larger tier 1 OEMs,” Rivascontinues. “With the industry’sstrong 3G unit growth forecastednext year in wireless handsets, weexpect 2011 to be another positiveyear for our company,” he concludes. “In Broadband, we have a line up

of new products addressing marketdrivers in DOCSIS 3.0-enableddevices, cable modems, CATV subscriber home gateways, hybridline amplifiers and 75Ω gain blocksfor CATV infrastructure, mobileWiMax-enabled devices and small-cell wireless infrastructure for 3Gand 4G coverage including picocellsand femtocells, which positions thecompany well in 2011,” says Rivas. “Despite the short-term seasonal

fluctuations in this business, weremain confident in the long-termgrowth opportunities for Anadigics,”says Rivas. “Based on the industryresearch and our own internal esti-mates, we project a compoundedannual growth rate (CAGR) from2009 to 2014 for cable infrastruc-ture and mobile WiMAX market tobe 14% and 73%, respectively.” www.anadigics.com

Anadigics’ revenue grows 18.6% in Q3 to $61.3m Q4 to see 7% drop due to inventory re-balancing

We also expect toexit the year above$100m in cash,cash equivalentsand short and long-term marketablesecurities... If wecan strategicallyacquire either acompany or agroup of engineersthat can help usacceleratedevelopment, then we will



17

Anadigics’ power amplifiers (PAs)have been selected by Samsung forits highly anticipated GALAXY Tab.The AWC6323 is used in the

GALAXY Tab offered by Sprint andVerizon Wireless in the USA, andthe AWU6601 in the SamsungGALAXY Tab in the Korean market.Made from InGaP HBT MMIC tech-nology, both are part of Anadigics’High-Efficiency-at-Low-Power (HELP)portfolio of products for 3G devices. Based on the Android Operating

System, GALAXY Tab is Samsung’sfirst tablet computing device and ispart of its new portfolio of mobileproducts. A 7” TFT-LCD displayallows a wide variety of mobile

applications, including watching TVand movies, viewing photos, brows-ing the web, playing games, e-bookreading and document sharing. It isalso one of the first tablets on themarket to have two (front-facing &rear) cameras. Anadigics says thatits high-efficiency PAs help toextend the Tab’s battery life. “The Samsung GALAXY Tab is one

of the most impressive mobiledevices available today,” saysAnadigics’ president & CEO MarioRivas. “We continue to strengthenour long-standing relationship [withSamsung] by providing high-qualitywireless computing solutions.” www.anadigics.com

For third-quarter 2010, HittiteMicrowave Corp of Chelmsford, MA,USA, which designs and suppliesanalog and mixed-signal RF,microwave and millimeter-waveICs, modules and subsystems, hasreported record revenue of $64.2m,up 54.7% on $41.5m a year agoand 6.4% on $60.3m last quarter(and just above the forecast$62–64m). Growth is attributed toimprovements in Hittite’s principalmarkets, increased market penet-ration, and new product launches. About 43.8% of revenue came

from the USA ($28.1m, up 2.3% onlast quarter, driven by the militarymarket) and 56.2% from outsidethe USA ($36.1m, up 10%, drivenpartly by cellular communications),compared with Q2’s 45.6%:54.4%($27.5m from the USA and $32.8mfrom outside the USA). Gross margin of 74.6% is up from

72% a year ago but down slightlyfrom 74.8% last quarter. Operatingexpenses have continued to risefrom $11.6m a year ago, but by only1.6% from $15.4m last quarter to$15.7m. Nevertheless, operatingincome has continued to rise from$18.3m (44.1% of revenue) a year

ago and $29.7m (49.2% of revenue)last quarter to $32.2m (50.2% ofrevenue). Net income has also risen,from $12m a year ago and $19.2mlast quarter to $20.8m. This is abovethe forecast of $19.1–19.8m (whichassumed gross margin of just72–73% and operating expenses upas much as 5–6% from last quarter). “We achieved new records in

revenue, operating profit, marginsand net income,” notes VP & chieffinancial officer Bill Boecke.Capital expenditure was $2.1m

(making $6.6m year-to-date),focused onfacility, testequipmentand softwarefor engi-neering, andproductionmasks andother produc-tion assets.During thequarter, totalcash andcash equiva-lents rose by $31.2m to $273m. At a macro level, the increasing

demand for additional wireless data

bandwidth and network capacityhas been driving growth. “Ourstrategy is to expand our productportfolio to capitalize on this trendand to take market share,” sayschairman & CEO Stephen Daly.During the quarter, Hittite’s engi-

neering teams launched 30 newproducts (making 85 year-to-date),bringing the standard product port-folio to more than 880. “These 30new non-commodity products willallow us to capture more marketshare in the cellular infrastructure,fiber optic, microwave & millimeter-wave communications and militarymarkets,” reckons Daly.For Q4/2010, Hittite expects

revenue of $64.5–66.5m (up 3.6%sequentially and 52% year-on-yearrevenue; the goal for full-year 2010growth is 50%). Net income shouldbe $20.2–21m, despite operatingexpenses rising sequentially by4–5% due mainly to expansionactivities. As it completes theexpansion into its new engineeringfacility (bought in Q1), Hittiteexpects capital expenditure to riseto $5m, but it should return to the$2m level thereafter, says Boecke. www.hittite.com

Hittite exceeds revenue, margin and profit forecast in Q3 On course for 50% annual growth for full-year 2010

Anadigics’ PAs chosen for Samsung’s GALAXY Tab

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab, which usesAnadigics’ power amplifiers.

CapEx was$2.1m, focusedon facility, testequipment andsoftware forengineering,and productionmasks and otherproductionassets

For third-quarter 2010, Kopin Corpof Taunton, MA, USA has reportedrevenue of $31.6m, down slightlyon $32m a year ago but up 4.5%on $30.2m last quarter. Revenue for CyberDisplays was

$15m, down on $17.7m a year agobut up on $14.3m last quarter. Revenue for III-V products was$16.6m, up 16% on $14.3m a year ago and up 4.4% on $15.9mlast quarter (although less than last quarter’s growth of 7%). “Driven by the continued strong

demand for smart phones andother advanced mobile devices, our III-V revenue has increased50% to $47.1m through the firstnine months of 2010 from $31.5mfor the same period last year as a result of a combination of anexpanding market and, we believe,increasing our market share at sev-eral of our power amplifier circuitpartners during the year,” sayspresident & CEO Dr John C.C. Fan.“III-V continued its momentum inthe third quarter... These resultsreflect the strength of key end-markets,” he adds.

Gross margin has rebounded from25% last quarter to 32.3%, compa-rable to 32.6% a year ago. R&Dexpense of $4.8m was roughlylevel with $4.9m last quarter, upfrom $3.5m a year ago. “We havebeen increasing our R&D invest-ments for new III-V products targeting smart phones and tabletcomputers, and for advancingGolden-i [displays] to market,” saysFan. However, excluding gains onthe sale of patents and the invest-ment in Taiwan subsidiary KTC in2009, net income has fallen furtherfrom $3.8m a year ago and $1.9mlast quarter to $1.4m. “We have continued to broaden

our III-V product portfolio with theaddition of new advanced manufac-turing systems and structures thatfurther enhance device performanceand improve power efficiency,” Fan says. “Furthermore, during thethird quarter, we received a two-year $750,000 contract through theMissile Defense Agency to developaluminum indium nitride (AlInN)-based high-electron-mobility tran-sistors. This award enables us to

leverage our proven success in III-V materials and nanoengineering,advancing toward our long-termgoal of commercializing AlInN-based electronic materials,” he adds. “III-V revenue growth continues

to be strong and we do not expectthe normal seasonal decline in the fourth quarter,” Fan notes.“Although we expect military displayrevenues to remain solid in thefourth quarter, on a full-year basisthese results have been affected by a weak first quarter related todelays in the procurement cycle,”he adds. Accordingly, Kopin expects to

achieve the low end of its revenueguidance of $120–130m for full-year 2010. “Although we haveinvested $9.7m in capital equipmentand repurchased $5.4m of ourstock during 2010, our balancesheet has remained very strong,”comments Fan. During the thirdquarter, cash and marketable securities fell from $115.3m to$110.5m. In addition, the firm has no long-term debt. www.kopin.com

Kopin’s III-V growth slows in Q3 to 4.4% ...but normal seasonal decline in Q4 not expected

Two of Skyworks’ power amplifiermodules (PAMs) are enabling thefirst commercial long-term evolution(LTE) handset in the USA. Launched by MetroPCS, Samsung’s

newest 4G mobile phone, the Craftuses the SKY77702 and SKY77703.The carrier expects to cover 19 mar-kets by 2011 and about 110 millionLTE customers in major cities such asDallas, Los Angeles and New York.Today’s 4G systems offer a compre-hensive solution where data andstreamed multimedia are availableto consumers anytime, anywhereat higher data rates than previous-generation networks. In July, Sky-works also enabled the world’s firstcommercial LTE device, Samsung’shigh-speed 4G USB modem.

“Our solutions benefit handsetOEMs and smart-phone providers,as well as infrastructure suppliersand operators worldwide by improv-ing efficiency and performance,boosting network throughput, andsimplifying roaming,” claims GregoryL. Waters, Skyworks’ general man-ager of front-end solutions. Developed for wideband LTE appli-

cations, SKY77702 and SKY77703PAMs are fully matched 10-pad surface-mount modules (SMMs)that pack full 1850–1910MHz(SKY77702) and 1710–1785 MHz(SKY77703) bandwidth coverageinto a single compact package.Both modules meet the stringentspectral linearity requirements ofLTE data transmission with high

power-added efficiency (PAE). Adirectional coupler is also integ-rated into the devices, eliminatingthe need for an external coupler.The single GaAs MMIC contains all

active circuitry in the modules,including on-board bias circuitryplus input and inter-stage matchingcircuits. Output match into a 50Ωload is realized off-chip within thedevice packages to optimize effi-ciency and power performance.The modules are made with Sky-

works’ InGaP HBT bipolar field-effect transistor (BiFET) process,which provides for all positive volt-age DC supply operation whilemaintaining high efficiency andgood linearity, the firm claims.www.skyworksinc.com

Skyworks’ PA modules used in USA’s first LTE handset



18

For its fiscal 2010 (to 1 October),Skyworks Solutions Inc of Woburn,MA, USA, which makes linear prod-ucts, power amplifiers, front-endmodules and radio solutions for hand-set and infrastructure equipment,has reported revenue of $1.072bn,up 34% on fiscal 2009’s $802.6m. For fiscal fourth-quarter, revenue

was a record $313.3m (80% fromhandsets; 20% from linear products).This is up 14% on $275.4m theprior quarter and up 37% on$228.1m a year ago (and exceedingguidance of $310m, which had beenupdated on 21 September from theoriginal guidance in July of $300m). “Our strong fourth quarter results

were driven by our mobile internetand our diversified analog growthedges,” says president & CEO DavidJ. Aldrich. “Skyworks is capitalizingon consumers’ insatiable demandfor always-on connectivity, broad-band mobility and access, as wellas home automation applications.” On a non-GAAP basis, gross margin

has risen from 40.9% a year agoand 43.3% last quarter to 43.8%,driven by a product mix thatincreasingly includes higher-marginvertical market in 3G solutions, volume ramp of new products,margin-enhancing demand-drivencapital investments, continuedmanufacturing productivity enhance-ments, and yield improvements.Operating income has risen from

$42.5m a year ago (an operatingmargin of 18.6% of revenue) and$63.5m last quarter (a margin of23.1%) to $81.8m (26.1%), despiteoperating expenses rising from$55.6m last quarter to $70.7m.

For full-year fiscal 2010, operatingincome was $246.3m (a margin of23%), more than doubling from$120.9m (15.1%) in fiscal 2009. Non-GAAP net income has risen

from $41.8m a year ago and $58.7mlast quarter to $78.8m. During thequarter, cash and cash equivalentsrose by $69m from $390m to $459mdespite $12m of depreciation and$29m in capital expenditure. “We believe our strategy of diver-

sifying across new vertical marketsand customers while continuouslyimproving operational executionwill translate into sustainableabove-market growth, greateroperating leverage and increasingshareholder value,” says Aldrich. During the quarter, Skyworks

ramped shipments of ZigBee-enabledsolutions targeting hospitality andsecurity applications; gained tractionat Huawei and ZTE with its portfolioof high-performance broadbandsynthesizers spanning ultra-widefrequency ranges; secured refer-ence design wins with Broadcomaddressing HDTV, Blu-ray player,notebook, gaming console andsmartphone platforms; shippedmore than 4 million wireless con-nectivity solutions in support of therapidly emerging tablet market;was designed into next-generationcable head-end distribution systemsat Motorola; started volume pro-duction of analog components atCisco for fiber-to-the-curb (FTTC),fiber-to-the-home (FTTH), cableset-top box and wireless video sys-tems; and extended its smartenergy presence by capturingdesign wins enabling LED-based

streetlight monitors and controllers. “Having completed the 6” capacity

expansion in our Newbury Park fablast year, we have strategicallyfocused our more recent CapExinvestments on expanding ourassembly & test capabilities in support of our improving outlookand high visibility,” says VP & chieffinancial officer Donald W. Palette.“These back-end investments comefrom our 6” wafer transition andhybrid outsourcing model and arefocused on equipment adds to elim-inate internal bottlenecks,” he adds.“We anticipate these investments topayback within the fiscal year, whileexpanding margins and improvingour return on invested capital.” Given strong order visibility and

increasing customer demand, andbased on specific program ramps,for fiscal Q1/2011 Skyworks expectsrevenue of $330–335m (up 6%sequentially and 35–37% year-on-year). “Operationally, we expect todeliver continued gross marginexpansion [to 44.5%] and operat-ing leverage yielding a 27–28%non-GAAP operating margin [upsequentially from 26.1%, and ontrack for the existing medium-termoperating model target],” saysPalette. Skyworks also expects topay off its $50m credit facility. “We are entering fiscal 2011 poised

to demonstrably outpace industrygrowth, underpinned by our design-win momentum, by a productpipeline, and by scale advantages,”says Aldrich. “Skyworks is makingstrides towards a new mid-termoperating model targeted at 30%[with gross margin of 45%].”

Skyworks’ revenue exceeds revised guidance

The Skyworks Global Pte Ltd officehas been opened in Singapore tosupport rising demand for solutionsin the firm’s linear products portfolioand to further enhance manufac-turing activities in the region. Skyworks is broadening its foot-

print in Asia to improve customer

service and bring products closerto the customer, says VP of world-wide operations Bruce J. Freyman.“By expanding our engineering,quality and supply chain capabilitieswithin Asia, we are better positionedto efficiently meet increasing cus-tomer demand,” he adds.

The new office will support strategicsourcing, supply chain planning,logistics and engineering; providestorage for finished goods and die-bank distribution; and serve as afailure analysis laboratory to helpshorten customer response time. www.skyworksinc.com

Skyworks expands Asia presence by opening Singapore office



19



20

M/A-COM Technology Solutions Incof Lowell, MA, USA (which suppliessemiconductors, components, andsubassemblies for RF, microwaveand millimeter-wave applications)says that its Santa Clara DesignCenter has moved to a new facility(near San Jose International Airportand across the street from Santa Clara University) in order toaccommodate its expanded engi-neering and business functions. The design center is focused on

the design and development ofmonolithic pHEMT integrated solu-tions covering 6–50GHz for com-mercial and military applications.M/A-COM Tech previously announcedin May that Henrik Morkner hadjoined it as director of engineeringto lead the team in Santa Clara, andthe firm says that the expansiondemonstrates its commitment tocollaborating with its marketingteams and customers to developdevices.

The new design center occupiesabout 11,600ft2 and includes a1200ft2 engineering lab for designand test characterization of mono-lithic microwave integrated circuits(MMICs), surface-mount devices(SMDs) and connectorized modules.In addition to new product development, the center providesengineering design support andproduct line management for theComponent Product Line, whichcovers a wide variety of catalog and custom applications.“This move to a new facility with

state-of-the-art equipment allowsM/A-COM Tech to fully utilize thetalented team we have assembledin Santa Clara for new productdevelopment,” says VP engineeringMike Murphy. “Under Henrik’s guid-ance we are able to work closelywith our customers to define anddevelop products which meet theirrequirements, both from a techni-cal and commercial approach.”

M/A-COM Tech’s Santa Clara Design Center expands to new facility M/A-COM appoints

global distributiondirector M/A-COM Tech says that JackKennedy is its new director ofglobal distribution, reporting tochief strategy officer Bob Donahueand overseeing the strategicdevelopment of its global distri-bution channels.“As market opportunities

expand, enhancing the capabilitiesand efficiencies of our global dis-tribution channels is fundamentalto supporting our broad globalcustomer base,” says Donahue. Kennedy has a long and produc-

tive history with M/A-COM Techin roles such as strategic accountlead and global account director,as well as roles in sales manage-ment and field sales engineering. Kennedy has a B.S. from Boston

University and is completing hisM.S. at Northeastern University. M/A-COM Tech has also promoted

James (Jim) Dempsey to thenewly created post of deputydirector of distribution, assistingKennedy in distribution channelmanagement and providing keysupport in the assurance of thecontinuity of service betweendistributors, manufacturer repre-sentatives, direct sales, factorysupport. With more than 25 years of

experience in the RF microwaveindustry, Dempsey has worked invarious roles for Skyworks, AlphaIndustries, and Herley Micro-Dynamics. His diverse knowledgecomes from working in areassuch as aviation radar, militaryproducts, wireless data, and infra-structure, says M/A-COM Tech. Dempsey obtained his associates

degree in Electronic EngineeringTechnology from WentworthInstitute of Technology. He alsohas a certificate from the GreaterBoston Executive Business Management Program at MITSloan School of Management.

IN BRIEF

M/A-COM Tech has launched a family of heterolithicmicrowave integrated circuit(HMIC) broadband diodeswitches that use RoHS-compliant Surmount packages. The rugged, monolithic

switches operate up to 26GHz,provide low insertion loss andhigh isolation, and deliver up to+38dBm CW power handling.The Surmount package pro-vides a surface-mount chip-scaleconfiguration optimized for broad-band performance with minimalassociated parasitics, which areusually related to hybrid MMICdesigns incorporating beam leadand PIN diodes that require chipand wire assembly. The broad-band switches are suited to military and test equipment appli-cations, says M/A-COM Tech.

“We combine this innovativeprocess [HMIC] with Surmountdiode technology, which eliminatesall bond-wire parasitics andenables broadband capability in asurface-mount configuration,”says product manager Tim Daly. Engineering samples and

production devices are offered intape & reel or gel packs. www.macomtech.com

HMIC broadband diode switches inSurmount packages operating up to 20GHz

M/A-COM Tech’s new 50MHz–20GHzHMIC broadband diode switches inSurmount packages.

Plessey Semiconductors Ltd saysthat it has started the developmentof 0.35μm silicon germanium(SiGe) BiCMOS process technologyon its 8-inch line at its manufac-turing facility in Roborough, Plymouth, UK. Plessey Semiconductors was

created at the beginning of this yearwith the renaming of Plus Semi,which had acquired silicon foundryX-FAB UK Ltd (including the manufacturing facilities of two former Plessey fabs in Roboroughand Swindon, UK). Bipolar production lines (using both siliconand silicon-on-insulator substrates)have since been transferred fromthe Swindon facility to the originalPlessey CMOS fab at Roborough,operating initially as a 0.35μmfoundry (with annual capacity of30,000 8-inch wafers) supportingthe former customers of X-FABbefore designing and manufacturingits own bipolar and CMOS chips.

The firm now says that, as part ofits strategy of developing its threecore product lines of sensors, RFcomponents and power managementdevices, it decided that a bespokeSiGe BiCMOS process was required. “We have looked at SiGe bipolar

and BiCMOS process technologiesfor some time and have developedprocesses for other fabs,” says chief technologist Dr Peter Osborne.“Our exceptional complementarybipolar processes on SiGe, togetherwith our 0.35μm CMOS capability,should provide a compelling platformfrom which Plessey can developoutstanding product lines,” he adds. Products manufactured using this

process will take advantage of having a 70GHz, 2.5V breakdownvoltage architecture together with a 40GHz 5V breakdown voltagearchitecture on the same substrate.The process will also include a rangeof analog and high-performancepassive components including

Schottky diodes, varactors, high-Qinductors and MIM capacitors.The combination of a high-fre-

quency capability combined withhigh voltage and the added compo-nent features opens up a widerange of applications, reckonsPlessey Semiconductors. Potentialproducts include: high-performancetransceivers for optical communica-tions, next-generation data con-verters for test & measurementsystems, and high-speed amplifiersincluding logarithmic amplifiers; for example, a log amp design usingthe new SiGe technology couldoperate at frequencies up to 5GHz(a ten-fold increase in performancecompared with a previous technol-ogy implementation).Plessey Semiconductors plans for

the SiGe BiCMOS process to begenerally available by mid-2011and for the first products to besampled by end 2011. www.plesseysemi.com



22

Plessey starts development of 8” SiGe BiCMOSto expand RF capabilityNew process could boost operating frequency ten-fold on priortechnology, to 5GHz

Electronics and communicationsdesign consultancy Plextek Ltd ofCambridge, UK says that it has re-designed two gallium arsenide ICsfor a major US-based high-technol-ogy company after the originaldevices, which are used in a largenumber of different boards andproducts, became obsolete andcould no longer be sourced. Plextek says that the firm was

hence able to avoid the expensiveprocess of completely re-designingits various boards and products toaccommodate a replacement ICand could instead cost-effectivelysource direct drop-in replacementswith no change to the performancespecifications.

Previously, Plextek had providedGaAs IC design services to the firmand was approached again whenthe new requirement arose. It saysthat, as a result of its detailedknowledge of the commercial GaAsindustry, it was able to quicklyselect a suitable commerciallyavailable process, design and layoutpin-compatible direct replacementICs, and arrange packaging andtest to ensure that the replacementICs would be available in therequired timescales. In creating the re-designed

devices, Plextek identified andworked closely with US pure-playfoundry Global CommunicationSemiconductors Inc (GCS) of

Torrance, CA, USA (with which itformed a strategic alliance in 2002)and Cirtek, a packaging firm basedin the Philippines. “Plextek’s vast experience in IC

design enables us to source andredesign obsolete ICs with minimumdisruption and help companiesavoid an expensive and time-consuming product redesign,” says Liam Devlin, Plextek’s directorof RF Integration. “In this case ourreplacement IC was not only ableto drop in to the original productwithout disruption, but resulted inhigher isolation and lower leakagecompared to the part it replaced,”he adds. www.plextek.com

Plextek works with GCS and Cirtek in re-designingobsolete GaAs ICs to avoid board re-engineering

Freescale Semiconductor of Austin,TX, USA, which designs and manu-factures embedded semiconductorsfor the automotive, consumer,industrial and networking markets,is now providing samples of 77GHzsilicon germanium (SiGe) integratedchipsets to select customers for use in automotive radar systems.The firm’s radar solutions providelong- and mid-range functionality,allowing automotive systems tomonitor the environment aroundthe vehicle to help prevent crashes. The automotive industry’s target of

zero automotive-related fatalities,along with consumer demand andgovernment legislation, are drivingthe adoption of automotive safetysystems, notes Freescale. Advanced driver assistance systems(ADAS), radar and camera systemsare expected to become govern-ment-mandated in the future. “77GHz is likely to be the European

Union’s radar band of choice in 2013,with China and the USA expectedto follow,” says Demetre Kondylis,VP & general manager of the Sensor & Actuator Solutions Division.“SiGe mixed-signal technology is acritical differentiator for our radarbusiness. It gives us a distinctiveadvantage to offer our customersexceptional product functionality andcapability, such as various modulationschemes in a standalone mode ofoperation, high-speed frequencyramp up, competitive power con-sumption and best-in-class reliability,”he adds. Freescale’s Xtrinsic radar chipsets

consist of a transmitter and amulti-channel receiver with anintegrated phase-locked loop (PLL).The firm’s 77GHz technology allowsa device to switch between long- andshort-range functionality simply byissuing a serial peripheral interface(SPI) command. This enables thesame radar module to be used formultiple safety systems, such asadaptive cruise control (ACC),headway alert, collision warning

and mitigation. Long-range radar,used for adaptive cruise control andlane departure warnings, has longand narrow coverage directly in frontand back of the car. Short-rangeradar (for blind-spot detection, pre-crash and stop-and-go applications)monitors the car’s immediate sur-roundings with a wide spatial viewthat covers shorter distances. Freescale has been developing its

radar technology for collision warn-ing and avoidance for several yearsand is one of few firms developingSiGe for long-range radar. SiGe hasbecome standard for many wirelessapplications as consumer demandfor low-power portable productscontinues to increase. But recentlythe technology has garneredincreasing interest for emerginghigh-frequency markets such asautomotive radar.Freescale’s radar system is based

on multi-channel receivers andtransmitters that allow high-levelintegration and complex signalgeneration and processing. A typicalRF front-end solution consists of atransmitter chip with an integratedPLL, power amplifier and local oscil-lator (LO) output and an on-chipramp generator, along with multi-channel receivers providing thelow-noise down-conversion of theradar signals into the intermediatefrequency (IF) domain. The chips are manufactured in the

firm’s 0.18μm BiCMOS technology,which allows the combination ofhigh-speed bipolar devices with thehigh integration level of CMOS. The technology suits automotive

safety systems and is also applicablefor aerospace, military and industrialmarkets. Several tier-one automo-tive suppliers are sampling thechipsets, and Freescale plans to havestandard products available by 2012. Freescale showcased its radar

technology at the electronica 2010trade fair in Munich, Germany on9–12 November. www.freescale.com/sensors

Freescale samples 77GHz SiGechipsets for automotive radar systems



23

E-Band expands to60GHz forenterprises & carrierpicocell networks E-Band Communications Corp ofSan Diego, CA, USA, which makeshigh-capacity point-to-point GigabitEthernet wireless transmission systems for carrier, enterprise andgovernment networks, has launcheda line of 60GHz point-to-point solutions using its exclusive mono-lithic microwave integrated circuit(MMIC) technology. With license-free operation in

most countries, spectrum-efficientQPSK modulation and narrow-beamwidth transmission, the E-LinkMini provides a highly secure datalink suited to connecting buildingsat street level and can also providea cost-effective solution for last-milenetwork extension. The small high-gain flat-panel design enables theradio to be installed easily usingvisual alignment aid and a mountingbracket and with just one Ethernetcable that handles power and datatransmission (power-over-Ethernet,or PoE) and provides a solutionsuiting sensitive architectural environments where zoning canpreclude the installation of wirelesssystems with larger antennas.“Building on the popularity of our

70/80GHz solutions, we have addeda line of products in the 60GHz frequency range,” says co-founder& senior VP Saul Umbrasas. “Com-pared to competing 60GHz radioswith 100Mbps capacity, the E-LinkMini 320 [320Mbps full duplex] provides over three times highercapacity in a much smaller package,”he claims. “At just 7.2 inches square,the E-Link Mini 320 is less than half the size, weight and powerconsumption of our competitions’60GHz radios, and doesn’t require aseparate external power supply andcable.” The size, pricing and per-formance suits extending macrocellnetworks to a street-level micro-cellular architecture, especially indense urban settings, he concludes. www.e-band.com

News: Wide-bandgap electronics


24

Following the launch of the 25WNPT1012 at the end of July,Nitronex Corp of Durham, NC, USA,which designs and makes galliumnitride on silicon (GaN-on-Si) RFpower transistors for the defense,communications, and industrial &scientific markets, has announcedproduction readiness of the 100WNPT1010 GaN HEMT as the secondproduct based on its new-generationpower transistor platform technol-ogy, which has been developed tomeet the growing demand forwideband, high-power and robustRF power amplifiers. The new platform is specifically

designed to meet the stringent performance requirements of military communications, jammersand radars. The primary benefit ofproducts based on the platform isvery low thermal resistance, whichresults in higher output power andefficiency in broadband applicationscombined with improved rugged-ness, says the firm.

Nitronex claims that the NPT1010has the lowest thermal resistance(1.4°C/W) of all GaN products atthis powerlevel onthe market(lowerthan com-peting 28Vproductsby 30%,normalizedto power). The deviceachievesover 60W,

more than 55% drain efficiency and over 14dB power gain in a500–1000MHz broadband appli-cation circuit with less than 80°Crise in junction temperature. “We focused our efforts on reduc-

ing thermal rise and developed acomplete plan to attack all the keyfactors: FET design, die thickness,die attach methods and packagematerials,” says VP of engineeringRay Crampton. “We recognizedearly on that the contribution of the substrate is secondary to thecontribution of other factors, partic-ularly the FET design,” he adds. “By combining improvements fromseveral areas, we achieved a 22%improvement in thermals comparedto our last-generation products.” The NPT1010 is available in a

ceramic air-cavity package in bolt-down and pill (solder) versions.It is lead-free and RoHS compliant,is production ready, and is availablefrom stock to 10 weeks lead time.www.nitronex.com

Nitronex launches second HEMT on 2nd-gen platform

At the annual Military Communica-tions (MILCOM 2010) conference inSan Jose (31 October – 3 November),RF component maker and foundryservices provider TriQuint Semicon-ductor Inc of Hillsboro, OR, USAlaunched two gallium nitride (GaN)power amplifiers (PAs) with highpower and efficiency. Fabricated using TriQuint’s

production-released GaN-on-SiCprocess, the TGA2572 delivers 20Wfor Ku-band (14–16GHz) systems indefense and commercial communica-tions applictions. “Our new TGA2572delivers high gain as well as excellentpower-added efficiency (PAE),”claims TriQuint marketing managerGrant Wilcox. Typical PAE is 30%and small-signal gain is 24dBm. Offered in die and packaged

forms, samples will be available in early 2011.

TriQuint has also launched a 30WGaN power amplifier with highpower and efficiency for counterimprovized explosive device (C-IED)and other electronic weapons (EW)systems. Fabricated using TriQuint’s

production-released GaN-on-SiCprocess, the TGA2576 delivers 30W

of saturated output power in the2.5–6GHz range. The new devicetypically offers PAE of 30% andsmall-signal gain of 25dBm. Die-level samples were due to be

available by the end of November;packaged samples are expected inearly 2011. www.triquint.com

TriQuint launches 20W and 30W GaN power amplifierswith 30% power-added efficiency

Nitronex’s NPT1012 GaN HEMT.

TriQuint’s TGA2572 20W (left) and TGA2576 30W (right) GaN PAs.

The new platformis specificallydesigned to meetthe stringent performancerequirements of militarycommunications,jammers andradars

Efficient Power Conversion Corp(EPC) of El Segundo, CA, USA hasmade available on its web siteupdated device models for all of itsenhancement-mode gallium-nitride-on-silicon (eGaN) field-effect tran-sistors (FETs).The updates improve the robust-

ness of the models without chang-

ing the core equations. Performancepredictions with the new modelswill be consistent with previous versions of EPC SPICE models.TSPICE, PSPICE, LTSPICE and

Spectre device models are providedto help designers of eGaN-basedpower conversion circuits and sys-tems to understand the value of the

EPC eGaN power transistor familyand reduce their time-to-marketwith benchmark products.EPC has also written an appli-

cation note to help users to under-stand eGaN transistor capabilitiesand the applicability of the SPICEmodels. http://epc-co.com

EPC updates device models for E-mode GaN transistors



25

RF Micro Devices has been awardeda $1.5m R&D contract by the USOffice of Naval Research (ONR)related to gallium nitride microelec-tronics, including the developmentof materials, device fabrication andhigh power circuits. The $1.5m R&D contract award

expands RFMD’s contract backlogover the next six quarters to about$5m. Since 2004, RFMD has beenawarded more than $14.5m in R&Dcontracts by the US Government fordevelopment of its GaN high-powerRF technology. “GaN technology offers unprece-

dented performance advantages to

advanced military applications,including radar, mobile communica-tion and electronic warfare (EW)systems,” says Jeff Shealy, VP &general manager of RFMD’sDefense and Power business unit. “RFMD is leveraging the world’s

largest compound semiconductorwafer fab and captive assembly & test facilities to deliver an industry-leading supply chain forthe design, packaging and test ofGaN high-power devices,” claimspresident & CEO Bob Bruggeworth.“We utilize our scale manufacturingassets used to manufacture andship approximately 3 million RF

components per day, enhancing our competitive position in the high power amplifier (HPA) marketplace and increasing ourability to improve upon RFMD’sreturn on invested capital (ROIC),”he adds. RFMD says that, in addition to

military systems, its GaN RF powertechnology delivers enhanced performance to a growing numberof commercial power amplifierapplications, including privatemobile radio (PMR), 3G/LTE wireless infrastructure and CATVtransmission networks. www.rfmd.com

RFMD wins $1.5m Navy contract for GaN RF power

RF Micro Devices Inc of Greensboro,NC, USA has production releasedthe RF3932, a 75W highly efficientGaN RF unmatched power transistor(UPT) that delivers what is claimedto be superior performance versuscompeting GaAs and silicon powertechnologies. The RF3932 follows the launch in

October of the 140W RF3934 (thehighest output power device in thefirm’s UPT family). RFMD plans torelease a third GaN UPT device infirst-quarter 2011, significantlyexpanding the GaN power transistoroptions available to its customers. RFMD says that its GaN

unmatched power transistors support ‘green’ architectures thatreduce energy consumption,improve thermal management,and optimize network efficiency for

network operators. The RF3932operates over a broad frequencyrange (DC to 3GHz) and delivershigh peak efficiency of >65%. Italso incorporates simple, optimizedmatching networks external to thepackage, providing wideband gain and power performanceadvantages in a single amplifier. The RF3932 is packaged in a

hermetic, flanged ceramic two-leaded package that leveragesRFMD’s heat sink and power dissi-pation technologies to deliver whatis claimed to be excellent thermalstability and conductivity. The 75WRF3932 and the 140W RF3934 areoptimal for both driver and/or output stages, depending on over-all power requirements.RFMD’s GaN-based product port-

folio supports diverse end-markets,

says Bob Van Buskirk, president ofthe firm’s Multi-Market ProductsGroup (MPG). “We look forward tointroducing additional GaN devicesthat feature superior power density,high efficiency, rugged dependabilityand ‘green’ power consumptionadvantages,” he adds. RFMD says that its 48V high-

power-density GaN process fea-tures a combination of high RFpower density and efficiency, lowcapacitance, and high thermalconductivity. This enables thedevelopment of compact and effi-cient high power amplifiers (HPAs)for a broad range of applications,including private mobile radio (PMR),3G/4G wireless infrastructure, ISM(industrial scientific & medical),military and civilian radar, andCATV transmission networks.

RFMD adds 75W device to GaN unmatched power transistor family

The partners in a new publicly fundedEuropean research consortiumhave announced details of themultinational/multidisciplinary program ‘LAST POWER’ (Large Areasilicon carbide Substrates and heTeroepitaxial GaN for POWERdevice applications). The aim of the 42-month ENIAC

(European Nanoelectronics InitiativeAdvisory Council) project is to provide Europe with strategic independence in wide-bandgap(WBG) semiconductors. This field isof strategic importance as it involvesthe development of highly energy-efficient systems for all applicationsthat need power, from telecoms to automotive, from consumerelectronics to electrical householdappliances, and from industrialapplications to home automation. The consortium aims to develop

European technology for the complete production chain forsemiconductor devices built withboth silicon carbide (SiC) and heteroepitaxial gallium nitride onsilicon wafers (GaN-on-Si), whichboth offer higher speed, currentcapability, breakdown voltage andthermal capability compared withconventional silicon technologies.“The power semiconductor market,

which represents approximately30% of the overall semiconductormarket, is set to change signifi-cantly in response to the ever-increasing demand for moreenergy-efficient devices,” says project coordinator Salvatore Coffa,group VP and R&D general man-ager, Industrial and MultisegmentSector, at STMicroelectronics. “This key project, which targetssecure strategic independence inthe emerging field of SiC and GaNtechnologies, will place Europe atthe forefront of energy-efficientdevices,” he reckons.

The project’s overall objective is todevelop cost-effective and reliableintegration of SiC and GaN semiconductors in the Europeanpower microelectronics industry,via five specific objectives:●growth of large-area (150mm) SiCand high-quality heteroepitaxial GaNon 150mm Si wafers, beyond thecurrent state-of-the-art for substrates,epitaxy and surface preparation;●development of new dedicatedequipment for material growth,characterization and processing;●processing reliable and efficientSiC and GaN devices on 150mmwafers; ●demonstration of high-perform-ance devices with properties thatcannot be obtained on silicon,including a 1200V/100A SiC MOSFET,SiC JFET capable of operating up to250ºC, and GaN HEMT devices forpower switching; and ●developing advanced packagesfor high-temperatures devices, aswell as improving device reliability.The partners in the LAST POWER

consortium are: ●STMicroelectronics S.r.l. (Italy); ●LPE S.p.A. (Italy); ●Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche,Istituto per la Microelettronica eMicrosistemi (Italy); ●Epitaxial Technology Center S.r.l.(Italy); ●Foundation for Research & Tech-nology-Hellas (Greece); ●NOVASiC S.A. (France); ●Consorzio Catania Ricerche (Italy); ● Institute of High Pressure PhysicsUNIPRESS (Poland); ●Universita della Calabria (Italy); ●SiCrystal AG (Germany); ●SEPS Technologies AB (Sweden)●SenSiC AB (Sweden); ●Acreo AB (Sweden); and ●Aristotle University of Thessaloniki(Greece). www.eniac-lastpower.org



26

EPC eGaN productswin EDN ChinaInnovation Award

Efficient Power Conversion Corp(EPC) of El Segundo, CA, USAsays its family of enhancement-mode gallium nitride on silicon(eGaN) power FETs have beenawarded the ‘Editor’s ChoiceAward’ in the power device andmodule segment of the ElectronicDesign News (EDN) China’s 2010Innovation Awards.The panel of judges based the

award on online voting by Chinese design engineers. “It isthe best-recognized product yet tobe fully adopted in target mar-kets,” says EDN China’s publisherWilliam Zhang. “We also recog-nize EPC’s potential significantcontribution to the Chinese engineering communities with its innovations to set a newcourse in the power technologyroadmap,” he adds. EPC claims it was first to introduce enhance-ment-mode GaN-on-Si FETs aspower MOSFET replacements. “This award substantiates that

EPC’s enhancement-mode GaNpower transistors represent amajor breakthrough in powerconversion technology,” claimsco-founder & CEO Alex Lidow.“The award supports our beliefthat performance from silicon-based MOSFETs has reached theend of the road and that eGaNtechnology will lead the way forcontinued increases in perform-ance in power transistors.” Spanning a range of 40–200V

and 4–100mΩ, eGaN FETsdemonstrate performanceadvantages over state-of-the-artsilicon-based power MOSFETs.EPC says that its technology produces devices that are smallerthan similar resistance silicondevices and have many timessuperior switching performance. www.epc-co.com

IN BRIEF LAST POWER project targetsstrategic independence for Europe inwide-bandgap semiconductors Complete production chain planned forintegration of SiC and GaN on 150mm silicon

Transmitting Your Power, Clean & Simple.

25W / 20MHz～6GHz

SPECIFICATION

SeriesModel

Frequency Range

Impedance 50Ω

20～50MHz 50MHz～2GHz 2～3GHz 3～6GHz

0.7dB typ.

1.0dB max.

20MHz～6GHz

0.5dB typ.

0.8dB max.

SMA (Female)

Feedthru

50 x 38 x 18 ㎜70g

25W max.

3A max.

50V max.

TBTTBT-H06M20-F

Insertion Loss

VSWR (Return loss)

RF Power

Bias Current

Bias Voltage

Dimensions *

Weight

0℃～ +40℃Temparature

* Excluding Connectors

*□＝L or R for connection orientation

RF

DCConnector

1.4 max. 1.22 max. 1.28 max. 1.4 max.

Typical VSWR & Insertion Loss

RF In

TBT-H06M20-F TBT-H06M20-F

VGG VDD

RF Out

Typical VSWR & Insertion Loss

Dimensions (mm)

SeriesModel

Frequency Range

Impedance 50Ω

20～50MHz 50MHz～2GHz 2～3GHz 3～6GHz

1.0dB max.

20MHz～6GHz

0.8dB max.

20 x 10 x 5 ㎜2g

5W max.

2A max.

50V max.

SMBTSMBT-06M20□*-F

Insertion Loss

VSWR (Return loss)

RF Power

Bias Current

Bias Voltage

Dimensions

Weight

-40℃～ +90℃Temparature

1.5 max. 1.22 max. 1.28 max. 1.4 max.

20MHz～6GHz Typical Installation

SPECIFICATION

ns (mmm) Dimensions (mm)

WWW.TECDIA.COM

Bias Solutionfor GaN FET

High Power Broadband

Ready-made Bias Network for GaN FET

* Left/Right Connection Available

Surface Mount Design

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA)has awarded Sensor ElectronicTechnology Inc (SETI) of Columbia,SC, USA a $750,000 Phase II Small Business Innovation Research(SBIR) contract to continue thedevelopment of AlInN/GaN hetero-structures for X-band RF poweramplification devices. Although GaN-based transistors

have emerged as a future technologyfor high-power microwave appli-cations, technical challenges arisingfrom the lattice mismatch betweenthe AlGaN barrier layer and the GaN

channel continue to lead to reliabilityissues. During Phase I of the SBIRprogram, SETI demonstrated thetechnical feasibility of its patentedMEMOCVD (migration-enhancedMOCVD) technology for growingGa-free high-quality AlInN layers, andproduced AlInN/GaN hetrostructureswith up to 22% indium content andachieved record sheet electron con-centration in excess of 4.5x1013cm2.Using this material structure, recordHFETs were produced, with peakdrain currents exceeding 2A/mmand fT and fmax above 100GHz.

Phase II will scale the technology to3” wafers with improved uniformity. Since lattice-matched AlInN/GaN

hetrostructures do not suffer fromstrain-related effects, significantdevice reliability improvements areexpected. Also, due to much higherAl fractions in latticed-matchedAlInN/GaN heterostructures, veryhigh 2D electron concentration canbe achieved at very small barrierthickness. This should result in veryhigh cut-off frequencies (fT) at veryhigh maximum currents. www.s-et.com

SETI wins phase II SBIR contract for AlInN/GaN FETs



28

In what is claimed to be a first of itskind, GeneSiC Semiconductor Inc ofDulles, VA, USA has made availablea family of 6.5kV SCR-mode SiC (silicon carbide) thyristors for usein power electronics for smart-gridapplications. Performance advantages of the

power devices are expected to spurkey innovations in utility-scale powerelectronics hardware to increasethe accessibility and exploitation ofdistributed energy resources (DER).“Until now, multi-kV silicon carbidepower devices were not openlyavailable to US researchers to fullyexploit the well-known advantages— namely 2–10kHz operating frequencies at 5–15kV ratings — of SiC-based power devices,” sayspresident Dr Ranbir Singh. “GeneSiChas recently completed delivery ofmany 6.5kV/40A, 6.5kV/60A and6.5kV/80A thyristors to multiplecustomers conducting research inrenewable energy, army and navalpower system applications. SiCdevices with these ratings are nowbeing offered more widely.” SiC-based thyristors offer 10x

higher voltage, 100x faster switchingfrequencies and higher-temperatureoperation compared with conven-tional silicon-based thyristors. Tar-geted research applications include

general-purpose medium-voltagepower conversion (MVDC), grid-tiedsolar inverters, wind-power invert-ers, pulsed power, weapon systems,ignition control, and trigger control. Ultra-high-voltage (>10kV) SiC

device technology will play a revo-lutionary role in the next-generationutility grid, believes GeneSiC.Thyristor-based SiC devices offerthe highest on-state performancefor >5kV devices, and are widelyapplicable to medium-voltagepower conversion circuits like fault-current limiters, AC–DC converters,static VAR compensators (SVCs) andseries compensators. SiC-basedthyristors also offer the best chanceof early adoption due to their simi-larities to conventional power gridelements, adds the firm. Deployingthese power semiconductor tech-

nologies could provide as much asa 25–30% reduction in electricityconsumption through increasedefficiencies in the delivery of electrical power.“It is anticipated that large-scale

markets in solid-state electrical sub-stations and wind turbine generatorswill open up after researchers in thepower conversion arena will fullyrealize the benefits of SiC thyristors,”says Singh. “These first-generationSiC thyristors utilize the lowestdemonstrated on-state voltage dropand differential on-resistances everachieved in SiC thyristors,” he claims. “We intend to release future gen-

erations of SiC thyristors optimizedfor gate-controlled turn-off capabil-ity and >10kV ratings,” Singh says.“As we continue to develop high-temperature ultra-high-voltagepackaging solutions, the present6.5kV thyristors are packaged inmodules with fully soldered con-tacts, limited to 150ºC junctiontemperatures,” he adds. GeneSiC says it is committed to

developing SiC-based devices for:(a) HV–HF SiC devices for powergrid, pulsed power and directed-energy weapons; and (b) high-temperature SiC power devices foraircraft actuators and oil exploration. www.genesicsemi.com

GeneSiC samples multi-kHz, ultra-high-voltage SiCthyristors to US researchers

GeneSiC’s 6.5kV/80A SiC thyristor infully soldered module package.

RFHIC Corp of Suwon, South Korea(which makes GaN and GaAs activeRF & microwave components andhybrid modules for telecom andbroadcast markets) has launched aclass-C GaN hybrid amplifier usingdevices on GaN-on-SiC substrate. With input and output matching

circuits included in the designtogether with bias circuits andother matching circuits, and using aceramic substrate over a copperheat slug, the physical size of theSMD-type hybrid GaN amplifier is15mm x 10mm x 5.4mm. Using an input voltage of 24–34V,

the amplifier provides VHF at 8W inthe 130–450MHz range with anefficiency of 60%, and UHF at 6W

in the 450–960MHz range with anefficiency of 50%. Existing TETRA amplifiers (TErres-

trial Trunked RAdio, formerly knownas Trans European Trunked Radio)use LDMOS technology and operatefrom a 5–12V supply. Also, previousdesigns separated three to four bandsof 130–220MHz, 380–400MHz,410–470MHz, 560–580MHz and870–933MHz, and combininglosses were inevitable. RecentTETRA developments require full100–960MHz frequency range cov-erage, and RFHIC says its new GaNhybrid amplifier fits this application.Better efficiency amplifiers canreduce the number of base-stationinstallations in the field.

GaN technology enables a moreefficient solution for most TETRAreplacement amplifiers and newinstallations. RFHIC says it hasdeveloped the wideband TETRAGaN hybrid amplifier for users look-ing for greener solutions for theirsystems. One TETRA system cannow cover the full 100–960MHzband with an efficiency of 50–70%.RFHIC says the use of an SMD-typepackage guarantees high productionyield. All amplifiers are 100% testedand aged for immediate installation. RFHIC is now working on 100W

and 500W TETRA hybrid amplifiers;20W and 40W amplifiers arealready in production.www.rfhic.com

RFHIC launches 8W, 100–960MHz TETRA GaN hybrid



29

Electronic components firm LGInnotek, which is part of SouthKorea’s LG group of companies, andmaterials researchers at Sweden’sLinköping University (LiU) havebegun a nine-year collaborativeproject to develop manufacturing ofsilicon carbide (SiC) for electroniccomponents, starting with a kick-off project meeting in Linköping on12 November.LG Innotek says that investment

in the high-performance electronicsmaterial SiC is a part of a newstrategy for the firm. Using SiC as a substrate can boost the output oflight-emitting diodes, and LED-based displays and illumination area priority area (in which parentcompany LG is the second biggestmanufacturer in the world). How-ever, SiC is also of great interest inthe development of components forelectric vehicles and the streamlin-ing of green energy production.“LG Innotek representatives have

visited research groups and compa-nies around the world to find apartner for this investment,” saysOlle Kordina, senior lecturer andcontact person for the project,

led by professor Erik Janzén.“We’ve been negotiating with themsince the spring, and now the project is underway.” The project is financed in part

by the Republic of Korea. LiUresearchers’ funding includesSEK20m (€2.13m), and their role isto develop a method for epitaxialgrowth of high-quality SiC, forwhich LG will fund a new reactor.“We are the only group outsideSouth Korea who will be working forLG on this,” says Kordina. Janzénand co-workers in the Departmentof Physics, Chemistry and Biology

have focused on SiC for many years.The results of their research havepreviously been commercialized byNorstel, which has a manufacturingplant in Norrköping, Sweden. LG has its sights set on the rapidly

growing hybrid electric car market.With heat-resistant SiC transistors,an electric hybrid can manage withjust one cooling system, reducingweight and hence energy consump-tion. “Many car manufacturers areinterested in silicon carbide for theirfuture electric cars — for example,Hyundai, Toyota, Volkswagen, andBMW,” says LG Innotek’s chief tech-nical officer Joo-Won Lee.The challenge for the approxi-

mately 50 researchers in the LiUgroup is to further improve the surface quality of their SiC materialand hence maximize performance.“We have now developed a newchemical method where we mix inchlorine gas, which increases thespeed of growth by 10–20 times,”says Janzén. “It will be very inter-esting for us to test this on a largescale.” www.lginnotek.co.kr www.liu.se

LG Innotek starts SiC project with Linkoping University Electronic components for hybrid electric vehicles targeted

Professor Erik Janzén (left) and LGInnotek’s CTO Joo-Won Lee at projectkick-off meeting in Linköping.

News: Materials and processing equipment


30

Tokyo-based chemical manufacturerShowa Denko K.K. (SDK) andOsaka-based Air Water Inc (AWI),which supplies gas for industrialand medical applications, haveagreed that in December they willestablish a Tokyo-based joint ven-ture for the production of specialtymaterial gases for the electronicsindustry, to be marketed globally.Owned 51% by SDK and 49% byAWI, Showa Denko Air Water Co Ltdwill be capitalized at ¥100m. Demand for specialty material

gases has been growing steadily,centered on Asian markets, for usein the production of solar cells, semi-

conductors, LCD panels and LEDs,say the firms. Due to the growingneed for functional, energy-savingand compact electronic devices,manufacturers of specialty materialgases are now required to developnew products and make furthercapital investments, they add.SDK and AWI says that they aim to

utilize their proprietary technologiesto establish production at the newmanufacturing joint venture andlaunch a wide variety of new mat-erial gases. The joint venture’s willproducts will be sold independentlyby SDK and AWI through respectivesales channels.

As a first step, within the premisesof SDK’s Tokuyama Plant in ShunanCity, Yamaguchi Prefecture the JVwill install a 40ton/year facility forhydrogen selenide (H2Se), which isused to form light-absorbing filmsin copper indium gallium diselenide(CIGS) photovoltaic cells. H2Se pro-duction should start in June 2011. SDK and AWI add that they aim to

quickly strengthen their joint oper-ations, pursuing the possibility ofexpanding the JVs product linesand establishing plants at locationsboth in Japan and abroad. www.sdk.co.jp www.awi.co.jp/english

Showa Denko and Air Water to form JV for specialty gases Initial H2Se plant for CIGS PVs to start up in June

For third-quarter 2010, AXT Inc ofFremont, CA, USA has reportedrevenue of $26.8m, up 16% on$23.2m last quarter and 60% on$16.8m a year ago.“Solid demand in all of our key

end markets coupled with greatexecution across our organizationallowed us to deliver outstandingfinancial results and continuedincreases in our market share and customer penetration,” saysCEO Morris Young. Total gallium arsenide (GaAs)

substrate revenue was $19.2m, up19% on $16.2m last quarter and44% on $13.3m a year ago.Although up 39% on $688,000 ayear ago, indium phosphide (InP)substrate revenue has fallen 13%from $1.1m last quarter to $955,000.Germanium (Ge) substrate revenuewas $2.3m, up 44% on Q2’s $1.6mand up 28% on $1.8m a year ago.Raw materials sales were $4.4m, up5% on Q2’s $4.2m and more thanquadrupling from $1m a year ago. “Not only did we exceed our rev-

enue expectations, our gross mar-gin performance was the highest ithas been in many years,” says

Young. Gross margin has risen from32.9% a year ago and 36.8% lastquarter to 39.3%.Compared with $3.7m a year ago

and $3.6m last quarter, operatingexpenses have risen slightly to$3.8m. Nevertheless, income fromoperations has continued to rise,from $1.9m a year ago and $5mlast quarter to $6.7m. Net incomewas $5.6m, up slightly from $5.5mlast quarter and $2.1m a year ago(although, excluding a $1.2m netsales tax refund, net income lastquarter was just $4.3m). “We continue to see growing

momentum in the long-term seculartrends that are fueling our growth,including the adoption of smart-phones and other intelligent wire-less devices, the proliferation ofLED applications and the expansionof PV technology,” Young says.“These trends are opening up excit-ing opportunities for our businessthat we believe will extend for yearsto come.” For fourth-quarter 2010, AXT

expects revenue to rise to$28–29m. www.axt.com

AXT’s revenue rises 16% to $26.8m Gross margin leaps from 36.8% to 39.3% in Q3

AXT appoints VP ofsales for AsiaAXT has appointed Dr Liming Zhuas VP of sales for the Asia region.Zhu was previously VP of quality& quality systems for its manu-facturing facility in Beijing. AXTsays that the appointment repre-sents an expansion of its direct,local sales presence in Asia. “Knowledge of our products and

our customers makes him a per-fect fit to head up our sales effortsin this increasingly importantregion,” says CEO Morris Young.“There is an abundance of oppor-tunity in Asia, and having a direct,local presence underscores ourcommitment to this region andenhances our ability to respondquickly and effectively to customerneeds,” he adds. “This expansionwill help drive continued marketshare growth in Asia.” Zhu was appointed VP of quality

& quality systems early this yearafter serving as director of quality& quality systems since 2007. He joined AXT in 2001 and hasheld various positions includingsenior process R&D engineer,senior project manager, andproduct reliability manager.

Brewer Science Inc of Rolla, MO,USA says that, to better serve itsAsian customers with process andmaterial solutions for the semicon-ductor, MEMS, and LED industries,it has recently opened new officesin Tokyo, Japan, and Seoul, Korea,joining its existing offices in Taipei,Shanghai, and Hong Kong. “Local customer support is a com-

mitment of Brewer Science,” sayspresident Terry Brewer. “Workingside by side with customers providesus with an opportunity to addresstheir issues and provides them withthe most effective manufacturingsolution for the long term.” Brewer Science has delivered

technology solutions to the micro-electronics industry for 30 years,beginning with the invention ofanti-reflective coatings formicrolithography processes, thefirm says. The firm’s products

include ARC anti-reflective coat-ings, ProTEK protective coatings,WaferBOND bonding materials, theZoneBOND thin-wafer processingsystems, OptiNDEX high-refractive-index materials, OptiStack multi-layer lithography systems, and Ceebenchtop processing equipment. The new offices are located at:

●Brewer Science Japan G.K., Level 28, Shinagawa Intercity A, 2-15-1, Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo,Japan 108-6028, Tel: +81 (0)36717-4378; ●Brewer Science Asia Ltd, KoreaRepresentative Office, 30th FloorASEM Tower, 159-1, Samsung-dong,Gangnam-Gu, Seoul, Korea 135-798,Tel: +82 2 6001 3498. Brewer Science exhibited in the

Next Generation Technology Pavilion at the SEMICON Japan 2010trade show (1–3 December). www.brewerscience.com

Brewer Science opens offices inTokyo and Seoul



31

Nanometrics beginsshare repurchase The board of directors of processcontrol metrology system makerNanometrics Inc of Milpitas, CA,USA has authorized the repur-chase of up to $10m of the firm’scommon stock from the publicmarket or in private purchases. As of 2 October, Nanometrics

had $64m in cash and cashequivalents and about 22.2 millionshares outstanding. In Q3/2010, Nanometrics

completed its prior $4m stockrepurchase program, “We haveachieved five consecutive quartersof positive cash flow from opera-tions,” notes president & CEOTim Stultz. The new programaims to offset shareholder dilutionfrom periodic grants of incentiveoptions and restricted stock units. www.nanometrics.com

IN BRIEF

Dow Electronic Materials ofPhiladelphia, PA, USA, a businessunit of The Dow Chemical Company,has broken ground on its newMOCVD precursor manufacturingplant in Cheonan, Korea, about85km south of Seoul.Construction of the plant is part of

a multi-phase plan unveiled in Juneto expand TMG (trimethyl gallium)production capacity to meet surgingglobal demand from LED and relatedelectronics markets. The plantshould be operational in early 2011.

Dow Electronic Materials currentlymanufactures TMG and other metalorganic precursors in NorthAndover, MA, while packaging isperformed in both North Andoverand Taoyuan, Taiwan.Capacity expansion in the USA at

existing facilities is also progressingas planned, with new capacityexpected by the end of 2010 andcontinuing through first-quarter2011. Total additional capacityresulting from the multi-phase planis expected to be 60 metric tons

per year.“Meeting our customers’ near-

and long-term needs for high-quality materials continues to be apriority for us,” says Joe Reiser,Dow Electronic Materials’ globalbusiness director for MetalorganicTechnologies. “The construction ofour new facility in Korea illustratesour commitment to investing inexpansion and having supply capabilities close to our customerbase in Asia.” www.dow.com



32

Dow Electronic Materials breaks ground on newKorean trimethyl gallium MOCVD precursor plant

Following March’s expansion oftrimethylgallium (TMG) MOCVDprecursor production at its Brom-borough, UK manufacturing site,chemical manufacturer SAFCHitech of St Louis, MO, USA (a business segment of SAFC withinthe Sigma-Aldrich Group) has reinforced its commitment to theAsia-Pacific electronics markets byannouncing plans to build a new,dedicated facility in Kaohsiung, Taiwan for transfilling, technicalservice and production of LED andsilicon semiconductor precursors. Expected to be operational by late

2011, the new facility will extendthe firm’s ability to serve the Asianmarket, leveraging the knowledgeand capabilities developed at itsexisting Kaohsiung facility. The new investment will transition

current operations into a newenvironment that is expected toexpand SAFC Hitech’s transfillingand technical service base, as wellas add significant capacity for thededicated manufacturing of precursors to support the burgeon-ing HB-LED market as well asatomic layer deposition (ALD) andchemical vapor deposition (CVD)precursors for the silicon semi-conductor market.

Increased focus on improving efficiency and reducing energy coststhroughtechnol-ogy anddesignadvancesis drivingthe elec-tronicssector toroll out more ‘energy-conscious’products and systems, says SAFCHitech. Due to the resulting expo-nential rise in demand for LEDs(particularly HB-LEDs used in applications such as backlighting in flat-panel TV sets and energy-efficient lighting), SAFC Hitech saysthat it is continuing to strengthenits position as a legacy supplier ofprecursors for the HB-LED market. “As mass manufacturing continues

its rise, we are experiencing signifi-cant increases in customer and part-nership activities in the Asia-Pacificregion, which aligns nicely with ourcore commitment to driving globalexpansion in the production of pre-cursors for the rapidly expandingHB-LED market,” says SAFC Hitechpresident Philip Rose. “The expan-sion of our Kaohsiung presence is alogical next step that will help us to

support these markets,” he adds.“By increasing our investment inlocal technical service capabilitiesand by leveraging our proprietarytechnologies and capabilities, weare able to increase our transfilling,production and technical services inthese key markets.” The existing SAFC Hitech Kaohsiung

capabilities handle and characterizehighly specialized laboratory-scalechemicals and features a dedicatedcustomer support center. The exist-ing site is ISO 9001 certified forquality and ISO 14001 certified forsafety and environmental protocols.The facility was originally built toservice semiconductor industrydemands for ultra-high-quality precursors using proprietary technologies. The site also providesintegrated inert-atmosphere transfilling stations, analyticalinstrumentation for the detection of ultra-low metallic- and oxygen-containing contaminants, and dedicated cylinder preparation and packaging areas. An extensivedepartmental infrastructure (health & safety, quality, shipping,sales) provides for adherence tothe highest standards of perform-ance, says SAFC Hitech. www.safchitech.com

SAFC expands Taiwan plant to boost precursor capacity LED TVs and lighting drive new facility to meet Asia demand

We are experiencingsignificant increasesin customer andpartnershipactivities in theAsia-Pacific region

ATMI Inc of Danbury, CT, USA(which provides specialty semicon-ductor materials and high-puritymaterials handling and deliverysolutions) has purchased a minorityinterest in Lake LED Materials ofDaejeon, South Korea, a materialstechnology start-up focused onproviding metal-organic precursorsto the LED market. ATMI aims to help to accelerate

commercial LED materials introduc-tions with select marketing andtechnology rights. ATMI says thatthe collaboration highlights its tech-nical expertise in process materialsfor LED applications with its globalinfrastructure in conjunction withLake LED Materials’ technology.ATMI also says that the collabor-ation represents the first step in amulti-faceted strategy for address-

ing process efficiency opportunitiesin the LED market. “Light-emitting diodes are the

wave of the future for lighting — for TVs, personal electronics, andbusiness and home lighting,” saysDan Sharkey, ATMI’s executive VP,business development. While basicLED technology has been aroundfor decades, moving them intocost-effective mass-productionrequires developing the enablingmaterials that can be readily incorporated into high-volume production, he adds. “Just as ATMI has created a

pre-eminent position in materialswith traditional semiconductormanufacturers, we believe that,working jointly with Lake LED Mat-erials, we can establish a similarenabling materials position with

leading global LED manufacturers,”Sharkey continues. “ATMI’s investment in Lake LED

Materials not only confirms thevalue of our high-efficiency production technology, but alsosupports further production andR&D expansions,” comments Lake LED Materials’ chairman,president & CEO Jin-dong Kim. Market research firm Strategies

Unlimited forecasts a $20bn overallmarket for high-brightness LEDs by2014, a compound average annualgrowth rate (CAAGR) of more than 30% from 2009. Meanwhile,DisplaySearch believes that threeof every four televisions will be LEDmodels by 2014, doubling from 100 million units in 2012 to morethan 200 million in 2014. www.atmi.com

AkzoNobel of Amersfoort, TheNetherlands says that, due to con-tinued strong global demand for itsHigh Purity MetalOrganics (HPMO)product range, it will again significantly expand its productioncapacity for trimethyl gallium (TMG)precursor material. The HPMO business (part of

AkzoNobel’s Functional Chemicalsbusiness unit) is a producer of semi-conductor-grade indium-, gallium-,aluminum-, zinc- and magnesium-based metalorganics used as keyprecursor materials in the productionof LEDs and solar cells. In June, AkzoNobel doubled TMG

production capacity at its facilities inLaPorte, TX, USA. “Our customers’response to this expansion has beenvery positive, and their continuedstrong demand has already fullyadsorbed the enlarged capacity,”says Michiel Floor, global business

manager of the HPMO product group. To continue to meet the growing

demand, especially from the LEDindustry, the company says that ithas decided to advance its plans forexpanding TMG capacity, againdoubling production capacity. Theincreased volume will becomeavailable in February. “This makesus by any measure by far thelargest producer of this product,”reckons Floor. “We continue to support the excit-

ing growth of the LED and othercompound semiconductor industries,and have firmly planned ahead forstepwise capacity additions acrossour High Purity Metalorganics product range, including trimethylgallium and trimethyl indium,” saysFloor. “We are also the only pro-ducer that is backward integratedinto the key raw material trimethylaluminum that we produce in-house

in bulk volumes,” he adds (as perTMG precursor, but also for manyother applications beyond semicon-ductor materials). Akzo will alsocontinue to expand TMI, for whichcapacity has already doubled (step-wise) over the past 12 month. “Weare actively working on the designof the next TMI plant,” notes Floor. “Our continued investments in the

HPMO business further demonstrateAkzoNobel’s commitment to theattractive and high-growth LEDindustry, with general lightingapplications becoming realitysooner than expected,” says BobMargevich, managing director ofFunctional Chemicals. “This busi-ness also further supports ourefforts in sustainability, by focusingon applications that drive energyefficiency and lower energy usage,such as LEDs and solar cells”. www.akzonobel.com/hpmo



33

US firm ATMI buys minority stake in Korean metal-organic precursor supplier Lake LED Materials Semiconductor materials firm expands into LED market

AkzoNobel to double TMG capacity again Demand for LED lighting drives acceleration of plans



34

At the SEMICON Europa 2010 tradeshow in Dresden, Germany (19–21 October), industry associationSEMI announced that Paul Williamsof the University of Liverpool andRoland Bindemann of FreibergerCompound Materials had receivedInternational Standards awards. Williams received a Standards

Leadership Award for his dedicationin leading the SEMI Standards Precursors Task Force, while Bindemann received a StandardsHonor Award for his dedication to theadvancement of SEMI Standards. The SEMI International Standards

Program was established in 1973with the aim of benefiting theworldwide semiconductor, photo-voltaic and emerging marketsindustries by helping to increaseproductivity and reduce costs. Williams, formerly with precursor

chemical manufacturer SAFCHitech in Bromborough, UK butcurrently with the University of Liv-erpool, has led the SEMI StandardsPrecursors Task Force since 2005.SEMI says that Williams consistentlybuilt consensus while setting guidelines and seeking input frominterested parties. Under his lead-ership, four major documents werepublished and four more draft documents are almost ready forballoting. The SEMI StandardsLeadership Award was presented to Williams for his outstandingleadership in guiding the SEMIInternational Standards Program. Since 1993, Dr Bindemann of

Germany-based compound semi-conductor substrate makerFreiberger Compound MaterialsGmbH has been involved with standardization efforts in Europe.

In 2003, he was appointed as co-chair of the SEMI Europe Compound Materials StandardsCommittee. Now retired fromFreiberger, he continues to besponsored by the firm to supportSEMI European Standardizationactivities. The SEMI StandardsHonor Award was presented toBindemann for his long-standingdedication to the advancement ofSEMI Standards. “Paul Williams and Roland Binde-

mann received these Standardsawards for exceptional commit-ment to the advancement of SEMIInternational Standards,” saysHeinz Kundert, president of SEMI Europe of Brussels, Belgium.“SEMI is grateful for their commit-ment to the SEMI InternationalStandards Program.” www.semi.org/europe

SEMI Europe’s Standards Awards honor Freiberger’sBindemann and Liverpool University’s Williams

Riber S.A. of Bezons, France, whichmanufactures molecular beam epi-taxy (MBE) systems as well asevaporation sources and effusioncells, has sold a Compact 21research system to the Lyon Instituteof Nanotechnology (Institut desNanotechnologies de Lyon, INL). The new system will supplement

existing Riber MBE systems at INLand contribute to expanding the itsresearch capabilities for developingmicro- and optoelectronic compo-nents, specifically the use of siliconas a ‘universal’ substrate. The proj-ect is being financed with funds froma State-Region planning contract. INL is a mixed research unit, over-

seen by the French national centerfor scientific research (CNRS), EcoleCentrale de Lyon, INSA de Lyon andUniversité Lyon 1. Its mission is todevelop research, from materials tosystems, paving the way for theemergence of groundbreakingtechnical fields. Applications coverthe main economic sectors, from

the semiconductor, microelectronicand photonic industries to tele-coms, energy, health, biology,industrial control, defense and theenvironment. Riber says that the Compact 21

system sold to INL offers high mod-ularity and flexibility, making it pos-sible to deposit materials with bothlow and high evaporation tempera-tures simultaneously (which is par-ticularly suited to growing crystallineoxides on silicon). Drawing onRiber’s technical experience andINL’s oxide growth expertise, thereactor is being integrated into theother Riber systems at INL, whichare devoted to growing III-V semi-conductor-based nanostructures. Riber says that, as well as con-

firming the commercial success ofthe Compact 21 range (the world’sbest-selling MBE research system),the new order from a leading semi-conductor research lab highlightsRiber’s expertise in nanotechnologies. http://inl.ec-lyon.fr

INL orders Riber research reactorIQE wins supplieraward from AvagoEpiwafer foundry and substratemaker IQE plc of Cardiff, Wales, UKsays that its IQE Inc operation inBethlehem, PA, USA has beenrecognized as an outstandingsupplier to wireless chip makerAvago Technologies. The Outstanding Supplier

Award is based on quality-relatedcriteria for products and services.IQE supplies Avago with

specialized RF materials used inthe manufacture of high-endcomponents for handsets andother wireless applications.“The award demonstrates IQE’s

commitment to supplying its cus-tomers with the best quality ofproducts and services,” commentsIQE Group’s CEO & president Dr Drew Nelson. www.iqep.com www.avagotech.com

IN BRIEF

The 2010 MBE Innovator Award,co-sponsored by epitaxial depositionand process equipment makerVeeco Instruments Inc of Plainview,NY, USA and the North AmericanMolecular Beam Epitaxy (NAMBE)organization, was presented to professor Theodore Moustakas ofBoston University’s Electrical andComputer Engineering Departmentat this year’s NAMBE Conference inBreckenridge, CO on 28 September. Initiated eight years ago, the MBE

Innovator Award (consisting of a$3000 honorarium and plaque) recognizes individuals whose inno-vations have significantly advancedMBE in the following categories: ●materials research; ●device development; ●device commercialization; or ●equipment development. NAMBE selected Moustakas for

his pioneering contributions in thedevelopment of MBE growth ofnitride materials and the develop-ment of nitride optoelectronic

devices prepared by MBE. Particularcontributions include the use ofMBE for the synthesis and devicefabrication of LEDs, laser diodes,photodetectors, and optical modulators operating in the visibleand ultraviolet range. He is the co-editor of eight books, has authored300 papers, and has been granted25 US patents (with several morepending). Intellectual propertytranspiring from his work has beenlicensed to a number of firms,including major manufacturers ofblue LEDs and lasers. “Veeco congratulates professor

Moustakas on his great, long-standing success in the field ofMBE, and furthermore we reiterateour sincere appreciation to all inno-vative contributors in MBE,” saysJim Northup, general manager/VP,Veeco St. Paul Operations. “Wesupport this award as a key driverin the continuing expansion of MBEtechnology into eligible markets.” www.veeco.com/mbe



35

NAMBE award for Moustakas AIST orders Riberreactor for PV R&DRiber S.A. of Bezons, France hassold a Compact 21 MBE reactor to the photovoltaic technologyR&D center at the Institute ofAdvanced Industrial Science andTechnology (AIST) in Tsukuba. As Japan’s largest public scientific

research institute, AIST is involvedin nanotechnology, nanomanu-facturing techniques and evalua-tion, and is particularly active inapplied research for solar power. The new system will strengthen

AIST’s fleet of equipment andhelp to develop high-performancestructured solar cells based onInGaAs. Riber says the system offers

high modularity and flexibility,satisfying the most demandingspecifications for developing III-V-based nanostructures. www.riber.com

IN BRIEF



36

For continuing operations in third-quarter 2010 (excluding the Metrology business, sold toBruker Corp of Billerica, MA, USAon 7 October for $229.4m in cash),epitaxial deposition and processequipment maker Veeco Instru-ments Inc of Plainview, NY, USAhas reported record revenue of$277.1m (up 25% on $221.4m lastquarter and 270% on just $74.7ma year ago). Of this, 12.5% came from

Data Storage revenue of $34.5m(down 3% on $35.7m last quarterbut up 59% on $21.7m a year ago).LED & Solar comprised 87.5% oftotal revenue ($242.6m, up 31%on $185.6m last quarter and 350%on just $53m a year ago). Of this,MOCVD revenue was $236m (upfrom $175m last quarter) after Veecoshipped more than 100 MOCVDsystems (up from 81 last quarter).The proportion of Veeco’s total revenue coming from LED & Solarhas risen from 73% in Q2/2010(before the sale of the Metrologybusiness) and just 54% in 2009and 29% in 2007. Gross margin has risen from

40.9% a year ago and 44.6% lastquarter to 48.9% (exceeding theguidance of 45–46%). Comparedwith just breaking even a year ago,net income has almost doubled fora second consecutive quarter, from$49.9m last quarter to $91.1m.

During the quarter, Veeco gener-ated a record $79m in cash fromoperations, “the best financial position in our history”, commentsCEO John R. Peeler. On 24 August, Veeco’s board

authorized the repurchase of up to$200m of its common stockthrough August 2011, and duringthe quarter the firm purchased930,000 shares of its stock at anaverage price of $34 per share (for a total of about $32m). Cash and short-term investmentshence grew $52m during the quarter,from $414.8m to $466.8m. Orders were $278m (up from

$196m a year ago but down 10%on $310.5m last quarter). Of this,

13% came from Data Storage($35m, more than double $17m ayear ago, but down 30% on $50mlast quarter) and 87% came fromLED & Solar ($243m, up 36% on$179m a year ago but down 7%from last quarter’s $260m). During the quarter, order backlogfell from $597m to $569m. “We have recently experienced

rescheduling of tool shipments fromthe fourth quarter into the first quar-ter by several customers in Koreaand Taiwan,” says Peeler. “Due tothe recent strong order rate fromChina, our current plan for Q4 rev-enue includes a significant amountof large multi-tool shipments to key

Chinese customers,many ofwhom arecurrentlybuilding orexpandingtheir facili-ties,” headds. DuringQ3, ordersfor MOCVDtools wereplaced by 15customers,with contin-ued strengthin China(Elec-Tech,Sanan and

Veeco grows 25% in Q3; on track for $1bn in 2010 China MOCVD boom driving LED & Solar towards 90% of revenue

Trends in Veeco’s quarterly bookings (left) and revenue (right), in millions of US dollars, since Q1/2009.

Veeco’s Q3/2010 revenue by marketsegment.

We have recentlyexperiencedrescheduling oftool shipmentsfrom Q4 into Q1by severalcustomers inKorea & Taiwan.Q4 revenueincludes asignificantamount of largemulti-toolshipments tokey Chinesecustomers



37

Tsinghua Tongfang) and furtheraccount penetration in Taiwan(Epistar, Arima, GPI and Lextar).“While we currently expect thatthese tools will ship over the nextfew months, timing of revenuecould shift into the first quarter dueto customer facility readiness.” Forfourth-quarter 2010, Veeco expectsrevenue to rise to $285–320m andgross margin to rise to 50–51%. “We continue to see high levels of

quoting activity for MOCVD systems,particularly in China and Taiwan, andour Data Storage business continuesto experience healthy overall market conditions,” Peeler says.“Fourth-quarter orders will be equalto or better than the third quarter.” “Further strength in MOCVD book-

ings currently forecasted for Q4should enable us to exit 2010 withstrong backlog, positioning Veecofor excellent revenue performancein the first half of 2011,” believesPeeler. “We have built our manufac-turing capacity to 120 or more tools

per quarter, and will head into 2011with the ability to flex quarterlyshipments up or down as requiredby customer demand.” Veeco targets2011 revenue of more than $1bn(compared with just $282.4m forcontinuing operations in 2009). “As we look to the future, we

believe there may be an opportunityto sell thousands of MOCVD systemsas LEDs fully penetrate display appli-cations and adoption accelerates forsolid-state lighting in 2011 and

2012,” Peeler continues. “In order tocapitalize upon this opportunity,Veeco is expanding training, serviceand support functions in China, Tai-wan and Korea, and accelerating ournew product roadmap,” he adds. “In our other businesses, quoting

activity is picking up for our CIGSsolar deposition systems as wemake progress advancing thesetools’ process capabilities for high-efficiency/low-cost solar cells.” www.veeco.com

Taiwan’s Epistar Corp has orderedmultiple Veeco TurboDisc K465iGaN MOCVD systems for high-volume LED production. “Since we qualified Veeco’s tools

for production back in May, wehave been extremely satisfied withtheir performance,” says presidentDr M.J. Jou. “Given the systems’ease-of-use and low cost of owner-

ship, we now plan to include Veecoas an important supplier,” he adds. “We are excited to continue to

establish this strong relationshipwith Epistar in 2010, and pleasedto support their current and futureMOCVD requirements,” says Bill Miller Ph.D., executive VP,Compound Semiconductor andhead of Veeco’s MOCVD operations.

Epistar orders K465i GaN MOCVD systems

Epitaxial deposition and processequipment maker Veeco Instru-ments Inc of Plainview, NY, USAsays that it recently delivered aGEN10 automated MBE system tothe University of New Mexico(UNM) Center for High TechnologyMaterials (CHTM).The GEN10 was purchased

through an instrumentation grantby the US Air Force Office of Scien-tific Research awarded to Dr San-jay Krishna, UNM CHTM associatedirector and professor of Electricaland Computer Engineering.Krishna’s group consists of researchprofessors, postdoctoral fellows,graduate students and undergrad-uates who are investigating next-generation infrared detectors. The system is also accessible foruse by the other researchers atthe center, department, school and university, and is available forindustry to assemble specializedprototypes.

The system will also benefit smallbusinesses by supplying wafers tothem. For example, Krishna has astart-up company that will use the grown samples in an infraredcamera that will permit early detection of melanomas on theskin using extremely small tem-perature variations. Biological sciences, in addition to

energy harvesting, is the newestfocus for researchers at CHTMsince its inception 25 years ago,with an historical concentration inelectrical and optical semiconductorresearch.The new automated R&D MBE

system is the first system of thiskind available for use in a universitysetting in the USA, says Krishna.“We chose the Veeco GEN10because of its state-of-the-artdesign that allows researchers togrow complex crystals with betterquality control than has been possible in the past,” he adds.

“In addition, its flexible footprintdesign provides for efficient use of multiple growth modules forprojects of interest by our variousgroups.” With a focus on maximum

efficiency and the need for theindependent growth of multipleincompatible materials in a singlesystem architecture, Veeco saysthat it is seeing an increase ininterest in its enabling cluster toolsystems. In particular, the GEN10 for R&D is the most recentintroduction to the company’scluster tool product line, built uponnine years of cumulative knowl-edge within various productionenvironments. Veeco says that orders over the

last year position the GEN10 reactor into all major applicationsegemens for MBE, including thoserelated to III-Vs, oxides andnitrides. www.veeco.com/mbe

Veeco delivers GEN10 MBE system to University of New Mexico’s Center for High Technology Materials

Supported by ongoing high systemdemand, mainly fuelled by high-brightness LED backlighting andlighting applications (and positivelyinfluenced by the stronger US dol-lar), deposition equipment makerAixtron AG of Aachen-Herzogenrath,Germany says that in third-quarter2010 it saw a continuation from in recent quarters of its positivegrowth trend in orders, revenue(the sixth consecutive quarter ofgrowth) and profitability (the fifthconsecutive quarter of improve-ment). Revenues was €212.7m (up 11%

on Q2’s €191.8m and up 159% on€82m a year ago). This took revenuefor the first nine months of 2010 to€559.1m (more than tripling from€184.9m year-on-year). Of this,93% came from Asia and just 4%from the USA and 3% from Europe(up from 80%, 5% and 15% forthe first nine months of 2009,driven by revenue 254% growth forAsia). By application, 93% of rev-enue was for LEDs and just 2% fortelecoms/datacoms, 1% for silicon,and 4% for displays/other. Although up from 42% a year ago,

gross margin has fallen from 55%in Q2 to 52% in Q3, due mainly tothe product and final acceptancemix in the quarter. However,despite some offsetting effects onoperating margin from currency

hedging and translation expenses,the operating result has risen from€60.6m in Q2 to €82.6m, resultingin EBIT (earnings before interestand taxes) margin rising from just20% a year ago and 32% in Q2 to39%. Net income has risen byalmost five-fold from €11.6m ayear ago (a margin of just 14% ofsales) and by 34% from €42.3m inQ2 (22% margin) to €56.8m (27%

margin). Cash and cash equivalents(including cash deposits) haveincreased from €301.2m to€444.6m over the first nine monthsof 2010. “We have once more delivered on

what we said we would deliver,namely a very strong set of resultswith excellent operational leverage,”says president & CEO Paul Hyland.“It is a significant moment, when



38

Aixtron reports revenue up 11% in Q3 to record €212.7m EBIT margin guidance for 2010 raised further to 35%

Aixtron’s equipment order intake (top), backlog (middle) and revenue (bottom)in the last 24 months, showing more than six-fold order growth since Q1/09.

Equipment (only)

order backlog

Equipment (only)

order intake

Total revenues(including equipment,service, spare parts)

Aixtron’s cost structure, profit margins, and return on equity for the first nine months of 2010 vs the last four full years.

* revalued at 1/1/2010 to €190.9m at $1.50/€; ** weighted average

we can report an EBIT figure for thefirst nine months of the year[€189.6m] that is higher than therevenue figure for the same periodin the prior year [€184.9],” he adds. Equipment orders have continued

the strong demand trend predictedpreviously, from €168.5m in Q1 to€175.4m in Q2 and now €200.4min Q3 (up 14% on Q2 and up 70%on 117.6m a year ago). “We con-tinue to see healthy demand in thecurrent quarter, mainly for LEDbacklighting and increasingly forLED lighting manufacturing sys-tems, which, in my opinion, lookingahead at the next 2–3 years,underlines the very positive outlookfor the industry,” says Hyland. InQ3/2010 Aixtron announced amulti-system order from China-based Neo-Neon International Ltd(which specializes in LED-basedlight replacement products). New-generation MOCVD system ordersfor LED manufacturing were alsoreceived from China’s Sanan Opto-electronics and Taiwan’s Epistarand Tekcore. In total, more than30% of LED production systemsordered in Q3 were for Aixtron’snew-generation G5 and CRIUS IIsystems (launched in Q1/2010),which have the potential to morethan double productivity over previous-generation systems.

Order backlog has hence risenfrom €152.4m a year ago and€250m in Q2 to €278.7m. Of this,Aixtron expects about €180m to beconverted into revenue by the endof 2010, supplemented by a further€11m from spares and services. Reflecting the positive business

outlook for the rest of the year, Aixtron has reiterated its full-yearrevenue guidance of €750m(which, at the end of July, wasraised from late April’s guidance of€650–700m and mid-March’s guid-ance of €600–650m). At today’sexchange rate, this is more than$1bn. Aixtron has now also raisedits guidance for EBIT margin again,to about 35% (from guidance inlate July of 33%, in late April of30%, and in mid-March of 25%). “With the opening of our new R&D

center this month [an investmentof about €15m by the end of 2010],we plan to even further strengthenour ability to offer the most com-petitive and compelling technologyand value propositions,” concludesHyland. Total staffing has risenfrom 649 a year ago to 766 but, ofthe 117 rise, 52 were in R&D. Aixtron plans to complete the

roll-out of its group-wide SAPEnterprise Software System byyear end. www.aixtron.com



39

Aixtron’s revenue for the first nine months of 2010, showing the dominanceof the LED sector and the Asia region (up from 82% of revenue in 2009).

Aixtron AG of Aachen-Herzogenrath,Germany says that, in second-quarter 2010, Semi Materials Co Ltdof Seoul, South Korea ordered fiveAIX 2800G4 HT MOCVD systems in a 11x4”-wafer configuration.Delivered in fourth-quarter 2010and commissioned by Aixtron’slocal support team in a dedicatedfacility at Semi Materials’ produc-tion plant in Gyeongsan, the systems will be used to produceGaN-based ultra-high-brightness(UHB) LEDs for lighting appli-cations. Founded in 2000, Semi Materials

is engaged in developing photo-voltaic materials and products.

However, the firm’s latest ordermarks its first steps into the LEDlighting market, in which it says itintends to become a world leader in the manufacture of LED-basedlighting materials and components.“Our company has embarked on

an exciting new venture to enterthe business of developing andmanufacturing high-brightnessLEDs for general lighting appli-cations,” says Semi Materials’ CEOKun Park. “The reactors will form acentrepiece of the new operation,which we recently contracted in a$450m memorandum of under-standing with Kyungbuk province.” www.semimaterials.com



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Jiangxi Changdaadds AixtronMOCVD reactors toboost GaN HB-LEDepi capacity Deposition equipment makerAixtron AG of Aachen-Herzogen-rath, Germany has announced an order for two AIX 2800G4 HT2-inch metal-organic chemicalvapor deposition (MOCVD) systems from Jiangxi Changda, a new customer in the Jiangxiprovince of southern China. The new GaN high-brightnesslight-emitting diode (HB-LED)growth reactors have beeninstalled and commissioned bythe local Aixtron support team. “We need them to comply with

our planned capacity increase aswe manufacture more LEDs tomeet the strongly growingdemand,” says Jiangxi Changdaexecutive VP Dr Lu Bo. “The Aixtron systems match ourspecification for process flexibil-ity, thickness uniformity, doping,and composition. We had a swiftand efficient installation thanksto the Aixtron close local supportand service,” he adds. “This is an important sale for

Aixtron for several reasons:Jiangxi Changda is a subsidiaryof Lattice Power Corp in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province,which is one of our long-timecustomers and one of the first inChina,” says Dr Christian Geng,VP Greater China & general man-ager Aixtron Taiwan. “This company relies on several

Aixtron MOCVD systems todevelop and manufacture HB-LEDs for full-color displays,”he adds. “Lattice Power is alsoscaling up its R&D for the production of HB GaN LEDs onsilicon substrate for even morecost-efficient devices,” Gengnotes. www.aixtron.com

IN BRIEF Korea’s Semi Materials enters LED lighting market with fiveAixtron MOCVD systems

Aixtron has announced a neworder for MOCVD reactors fromChangelight Co Ltd of Xiamen,China, comprising several AIX 2600G3 IC systems in a49x2”-wafer configuration as well as a double-digit number ofAIX 2800G4-R systems in 60x2”-wafer configuration. After deliverybetween fourth-quarter 2010 and second-quarter of 2011, theAixtron China support team willinstall and commission the newreactors in Changelight’s epitaxyfacility at its mainland China pro-duction plant, after which they will be used for red-orange-yellow(ROY) high-brightness LED production. “Since 2006, we have been

exclusively working with Aixtron,”says Changelight’s general man-ager professor Xiang Wu Wang.“Consequently, it was a straight-forward decision choosing theirsystems when assessing the bestsolution to carry out our plannedincrease in production capacity,”he adds. “This time it will be the

combination of the AIX 2800G4-Rand AIX 2600G3 IC systems.These will give us good economicsthrough very low source materialcost overhead. The G4 systemswill provide the desired highthroughput for our ROY LEDrequirements.” Changelight’s quaternary alloy

AlGaInP LED epitaxial wafers andchips are said to be comparable tothe best from the leading domesticmanufacturers in terms of scale,output and sales, with wide applications in digital, dot matrix,full-color screen displays as wellas traffic lights. “Changelight plans to reach the

number-one position amongstmainland China GaAs LED companies, and longer-term wewant to achieve success in over-seas markets,” states Wang. “The new reactors, coupled withthe high-quality Aixtron supportservice, will ensure that we reachour targets according to plan,” he reckons. www.changelight.com.cn

Changelight orders Aixtron MOCVDreactors for AlGaInP ROY LED expansion



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Arradiance Inc of Sudbury, MA,USA has shipped its first GEMStaratomic layer deposition (ALD) system to the School of ElectricalEngineering and Computer Scienceat Oregon State University (OSU). Founded in 2003 with expertise in

charged particle detection andamplification, Arradiance uses itsproprietary ALD materials andequipment to produce high-gain,low-noise micro-channel amplifiers,offering electron amplificationdevices that can replace the legacytraditional lead-glass/hydrogen firing process (developed in the1960s) that is used for all micro-channel plate (MCP) applications.“From our work with sensitive,

high-aspect-ratio microchannelstructures, we became acutelyaware of the need for a systemwhich could repeatably and

uniformly deposit complexnanolaminate films efficiently,”explains chief operating officerDavid Beaulieu. “We also realizedthat, in order to meet the needs ofthe research community, the toolneeded to be small but powerfuland to be flexible enough to handlethe wide range of applications, sub-strates and materials commonlyfound in lab environments,” he adds. With its capability to process

wafers of up to 6” diameter usingup to eight precursors, Arradiancesays that GEMStar has the flexibil-ity to deposit atomically thin layersof material on virtually any sub-strate and was designed with themost challenging high-aspect-ratioand through-pore deposition applications in mind.“The GEMStar has everything our

lab environment should need in an

ALD tool,” believes OSU professorDr John F. Conley. “It is small, flexi-ble and can handle up to 6” wafers.We also like the 1” height of thechamber that accommodates small,three-dimensional objects and theport we can use for in-situ metrology.The design appears to be ruggedand easy to service,” he adds. “Our unique experience in

materials science, charged-particlephysics and systems design havebeen combined to make a trulyrobust research system,” says Arradiance’s CEO Ken Stenton.“Because of the importance of mat-erials research in emerging growthindustries such as biomedical, solar,space science, environmental andsemiconductor, we saw the need fora research tool with production per-formance and reliability,” he adds. www.arradiance.com

Arradiance ships first benchtop GEMStar ALD system to Oregon State University

For fiscal second-quarter 2011 (toend-September 2010), plasma etchand deposition system maker Tegal Corp of Petaluma, CA, USAhas reported revenue of $3.2m, up from $3.1m a year ago and just $0.3m last quarter. This follows March’s sale of its

legacy thin-film etch and physicalvapor deposition (PVD) productlines to OEM Group Inc of Gilbert,AZ, USA for up to $3m. Tegal continues to sell and support its full range of deep reactive ion etch(DRIE) systems acquired fromAlcatel Micro Machining Systems(AMMS) in September 2008, whichare used for etching silicon anddielectric films in the micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), bio-tech, power IC, optoelectronic,and 3D-IC (interconnect) sectors. “We expected our results this

quarter to improve as we shippedtwo new systems to two new cus-

tomers and a process module to anexisting customer,” says president& CEO Thomas Mika. Operating expenses have been cut

from $2.7m a year ago to $1.6m,largely due to R&D expenses beingmore than halved from $1.17m to$0.54m and sales & marketingexpensesbeing slashedfrom $0.67mto $0.15m.This has con-tributed to thefirm recordinga net incomeof $0.1m($0.02 pershare), comparedwith a net lossof $1.7m($0.20 pershare) a year ago and $2.5m($0.29 per share) last quarter.

Nevertheless, during the quarter,cash balance fell further, from$6.2m to $4.4m. At the end of Q2,systems backlog was about $1m. In July, Mika said that results of

the restructuring will not be fullyrealized until the December quarter,following closure of its manufacturingfacility in Petaluma. “We are in the process of restruc-

turing the company to its presentmission, which is focused on deep silicon etch for MEMS and TSV(through-silicon via) applications,”says Mika. “We are actively seekingbusiness partners that can take fulladvantage of our leading technicalposition in these markets, and weare evaluating several strategicalternatives for the company,including possible business combi-nations in these markets and inrelated, higher-growth markets,”he adds. www.Tegal.com

Tegal returns to profit and revenue growth aftershedding thin-film etch & PVD

We are in theprocess ofrestructuringthe company toits presentmission, whichis focused ondeep siliconetch for MEMSand TSVapplications

www.evatecnet.com

Ultra high resolution plasma etch

PECVD and sputter with tuneable stress

Flexible thin film production platforms

From energy harvesting to sensor technology and drug delivery, Evatec’s flexible batch and cluster tools enable highly precise thin film deposition and etch processes for MEMS, NEMS and whatever the future holds in device technology.

L E D s • P O W E R D E V I C E S • T E L E C O M S • P H O T O V O LTA I C S • MEMS • E VAT E C - T H E T H I N F I L M P O W E R H O U S E

Featuring Corial Plasma Technology



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SPP Process Technology Systems Ltd(SPTS) of Newport, Wales UK, theplasma etch & deposition equipmentsubsidiary of Japan’s SumitomoPrecision Products Co Ltd (SPP),has celebrated one year since itbegan operations in November2009, while opening its new officein San Jose, CA, USA. Consisting of a manufacturing

space of about 28,000ft2 plus17,000ft2 in warehouse space, thenew facility will be home to itsThermal Products Division (relocated from Scotts Valley, CA)as well as its sales and supportheadquarters for North America,with more than 80 staff serving thefirm’s global customer base.In October 2009, SPP acquired the

assets of Aviza Technology Inc(including the Newport-based Single-Wafer process equipmentsubsidiary Aviza Technology Ltdand Aviza’s Scotts Valley-basedThermal Products business). SPP subsequently integrated thesewith its plasma etch & depositionequipment subsidiary Surface Tech-nology Systems (STS) into thenewly formed SPTS. “Novembermarks a year since the formation ofSPTS,” says its president & CEOWilliam Johnson. The company has since grown

50% faster than the estimated130% growth of the global waferfabrication equipment segmentduring the past year. The firm’s Single Wafer and Thermal Productsdivisions derive about 80% of current business from four majormarket segments: advanced pack-aging including through-silicon via(TSV) and wafer-level packaging,compound semiconductor includinghigh-speed electronics and LEDs,power semiconductors, and micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). “We’ve had great support from our

customers in the past 12 months,and moving the North Americaheadquarters and the ThermalProducts Division back to the heart

of Silicon Valley demonstrates ourcommitment to serving theirneeds,” says Johnson. “With less than two months left in

2010, we are on course to triple ourrevenue compared to the combinedpre-acquisition entities in 2009,”says Johnson. “To attain thisgrowth in 12 months while simul-taneously completing the companyand product integration is atremendous achievement,” he adds,highlighting a company record ofmore than 40 new customer ortechnology wins in 2010. “SPTS grew one-and-a-half times

faster than the next vendor in ourpeer group,” says Susumu Kami-naga, chairman of SPTS and presi-dent of SPP, who also hails newpenetration in the firm’s chosenmarket segments. “Our goal is tocontinue that growth with the Thermal Products Division and theSingle Wafer Division based in theUK as we leverage our market synergies,” adds Johnson. Building on current growth

momentum, SPTS looks to futuretechnology investments by com-mitting to joint ventures and tech-nology partnerships. In August, it

announced a AUS$5.2m invest-ment in BluGlass Ltd of Silverwater,Australia, with which it is forming a joint venture. Spun off from theIII-nitride department of MacquarieUniversity in 2005, BluGlass hasdeveloped a low-temperatureprocess using remote-plasmachemical vapor deposition (RPCVD)to grow materials including gallium nitride (GaN) and indiumgallium nitride (InGaN), potentiallyoffering cost, throughput and efficiency advantages for the production of LEDs. In addition, in October SPTS announced anagreement to develop 300mm (TSV)3D-IC processes at CEA-Leti’s300mm facility in Grenoble, France.SPTS, which claims to be an earlyproponent and market leader inTSV equipment development, willteam its process expertise in etchand deposition technologies withLeti’s device know-how to optimizean integrated process flow. SPTS concludes that, with a surge

in all its served market segments, it expects order intake to remainstrong through the remainder of2010 and into 2011. www.spp-pts.com

SPTS opens San Jose facility as it celebrates anniversaryAnnual revenue on course to triple

SPTS president Bill Johnson at the San Jose opening ceremony.



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UK-based equipment maker Oxford Instruments has received amulti-system order for its PlasmaProSystem100 PECVD deposition andPlasmaPro System100 ICP etch toolsfrom Ostendo Technologies Inc ofCarlsbad, CA, USA. The multi-waferbatch tools will be used by Ostendoin developing next-generationsolid-state lighting based displaytechnologies and products for com-mercial and consumer markets. “Our objective is to achieve effi-

ciencies and cost effectiveness at thematerial, device and system levels.We chose Oxford Instruments’leading-edge tools as they offerhigh throughput and excellent uniformity in addition to multi-batchcapability,” says Ostendo’s CEO Dr Hussein El-Ghoroury. “Ostendo’senabling technologies supportproducts that are disruptive in theirindividual marketplaces, and thiswill be achieved more effectively

with the addition of our OxfordInstruments tools,” he adds. “This latest order from Ostendo

reinforces our relationship with thisimportant and innovative SSL displaytechnology provider,” commentsStuart Mitchell, VP Oxford Instru-ments America Inc. Earlier this year, subsidiary Oxford

Instruments—TDI announced theavailability of a semi-polar (1122)gallium nitride (GaN) layer on sapphire substrate wafers usingOstendo’s proprietary design andTDI’s proprietary hydride vaporphase epitaxy (HVPE) technology.The firms says that their joint devel-opment provides the opportunity tohigh-brightness light-emitting diode(HB-LED) and laser diode developersto increase optical efficiency signifi-cantly compared with structuresgrown on c-plane GaN substrates. www.ostendo.com www.oxford-instruments.com

Ostendo orders Oxford Instrumentsdeposition and etch systems ClassOne joins Fab

Owners Association ClassOne Equipment of Atlanta,GA, USA has become an associatemember of the Fab Owners Asso-ciation (FOA) of Cupertino, CA. FOA is an international, non-

profit, mutual benefit corporationcomposed of semiconductor andMEMS manufacturers, and suppliers. Founded in 2004, itprovides a forum for executivesto discuss and act on commonmanufacturing issues.ClassOne supplies refurbished

wafer fabrication and metrologyequipment to the semiconductor,nanotechnology and MEMSindustries. Focus areas include:Suss and EVG mask aligners,Semitool wet process equipment,Hitachi SEMs, and KLA-Tencorwafer metrology tools.www.waferfabs.org www.classoneequipment.com

IN BRIEF

–

USHIO America, Inc of Cypress, CA,USA (a subsidiary of USHIO Inc ofTokyo, Japan that provides specialtyand general illumination lightingsolutions) has started marketing inthe USA what it claims is the world’sfirst 6” full-field projection exposuresystem for manufacturing LED chips. Designed specifically for LED

manufacturing, the system isintended to greatly reduce the initial cost compared with using asemiconductor stepper system formanufacturing LEDs. In LED manufacturing, exposure

equipment has been used to formelectrodes, electrical circuitry, andpassivation layers on the sapphiresubstrate, in the same manner asfor semiconductor device making.In general, stepper systems (step &repeat projection exposure systems)or contact exposure systems usedfor manufacturing semiconductorshave also been used for 2-inch or4-inch sapphire wafers. As the applications of LEDs have

increased, demand has risen dra-matically while the price has fallensignificantly, says USHIO. To meetgrowing demand, LED chip makershave increased wafer sizes from 2-inch or 4-inch wafers to 6-inchwafers in order to enhance produc-tivity and reduce manufacturingcost (through increasing the number of chips produced fromeach wafer). However, the increase in wafer

size has caused problems such aswarpage or distortion of wafers thatcannot be eliminated by conven-tional stepper or contact exposuresystems, lowering the yield due todeposition errors. In addition, con-ventional exposure systems requirechanges in system settings and thereplacement of parts for wafer sizeconversion. This can cause addi-tional cost and downtime, so it hasbeen a challenge in technology andcost to enhance productivity byincreasing wafer size, commentsUSHIO.

USHIO hence developed the newUX4-LEDs system, which is basedon the same platform as USHIO’sfield-proven UX series full-field projection exposure systems (forsemiconductors, flat-panel displays,PCBs and MEMS), of which it hasinstalled over 1000 units worldwide.However, compared with the con-ventional UX series, the UX4-LEDs’footprint is reduced by at least 50%(to 3m2 or less). The UX4-LEDs allows full-field

exposure of 6” wafers. USHIOdeveloped the projection lens andthe alignment and wafer transfermechanism so that it was optimizedfor manufacturing LEDs. This allowsan enhancement in the detectionaccuracy of alignment marks withlow visibility (such as those fortransparent electrodes) to achievehigh overlay accuracy. The systemalso has an original wafer chuckingmethod for eliminating warpage ordistortion of wafers, and a projectionlens with a deep depth of focus tominimize variation in line width.The system requires no contactbetween mask and wafer, avoidingdamage to both and preventing

defects in circuit patterns. It alsorequires neither the mask replace-ment nor the cleaning that cancause system downtime. Through-put is boosted by 300% comparedwith conventional stepper systems. Also, use of a modular structure

for major system componentsallows easy specification changesor upgrade and easy maintenance.In particular, a flexible systemdesign allows automatic wafer sizeconversion, enabling an increase inwafer size without changing systemsettings or replacing parts, andhence requiring no downtime.“It will allow major LED manufac-

turers to dramatically increase theirmass-production capacity whilelowering their manufacturing cost,”says USHIO America’s president &CEO Kenji Hamashima about theUX4-LEDs. Running cost is 80%less than conventional stepper sys-tems, lowering cost of ownership. “We expect to ship the first unit

within this year, since several majorLED manufacturers have alreadybeen evaluating this system formass-production,” Hamashima adds. www.ushio.com

USHIO launches first 6” full-field projection exposuresystem for LED chip making



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RASIRC of San Diego, CA, USA hasbeen selected as a winner in theSemiconductors, Industrial andAnalytical Instrumentation cate-gory of the 2010 TechAmerica HighTech Awards. RASIRC’s ultra-high-purity steam generation and deliverytechnology was recognized for itsinnovation and market potential. “We have developed the first com-

mercially accepted steam purifica-tion technology, which is used toimprove solar cell efficiency, semi-conductor line width shrinks, andcarbon nanotube structures,” sayspresident Jeffrey Spiegelman. “Oursteamers, humidifiers and humidifi-cation systems incorporate patentedprocesses for water vapor control,delivery and purification. With triple-digit CAGR over the last five years,we believe the market has spokenpositively about our products.” “The strength of applications

TechAmerica received this yearmade for a solid competition, andselecting winners was no small feat,”says TechAmerica San Diego’sexecutive director Kevin Carroll.“RASIRC is being honored in the

Semicon-ductors,Industrialand AnalyticalInstru-mentationcategorynot onlyfor itsinnovativecontribu-tions, butbecausewe believe

its steam purification technologyexemplifies key development in thetechnology industry,” he adds. RASIRC’s technology delivers

ultra-high-purity water vapor tomanufacturing processes at a widerange of flow rates from microgramsto kilograms per minute. Steam iscreated from de-ionized water,which eliminates explosive andexpensive hydrogen and oxygen,delivering high-purity water vaporat a lower cost than other technolo-gies presently in use, says the firm.www.rasirc.com

Lithography and laser-processingsystem maker Ultratech Inc of SanJose, CA, USA has announced theopening of its new Singapore Inter-national Operations headquarters,located at #02-01, 1 Kaki BukitView, Techview, Singapore 415941. Aiming to better serve its large

customer base in Asia, the UltratechSingapore operations will includeengineering and manufacturing forits lithography systems and otherrelated products, which includelithography steppers for advancedpackaging (bump packaging of ICs)and high-brightness LEDs (HB-LEDs),and modules for the laser spikeanneal systems (LSA). Ultratech’sinternational sales and serviceoperations will also be headquar-tered in the Singapore facility.Laser processing systems will

continue to be manufactured at thefirm’s facility in San Jose. The grand opening event for the

Singapore operations will be heldon 6 December, with manufacturingof lithography systems planned tobegin in late 2010 and the first toolshipments to customers scheduledfor first-quarter 2011. “Our corporate objective has been,

and continues to be, to provide ourcustomers with leading-edge tech-nology at the lowest cost-of-owner-ship for high-volume manufacturing,”says Ultratech’s chairman & CEOArthur W. Zafiropoulo. “With manyof our customers located in thePacific Rim... the new Singaporefacility will help Ultratech achieveour commitment to meet our inter-national customers’ needs.” www.ultratech.com

Ultratech opens Singapore HQ

RASIRC wins TechAmerica award

Spiegelman withRASIRC’s TechAmericaHigh Tech Award.

Cascade hires Mahonas VP of operationsCascade Microtech of Beaverton,OR, USA, which provides produc-tion test products including probecards and test sockets for wafers,ICs, packages, circuit boards andmodules as well as MEMS andLED devices, has appointedSteve Mahon as VP of operations.Mahon joins Cascade after more

than 16 years at RF componentmaker and foundry servicesprovider TriQuint SemiconductorInc of Hillsboro, OR, where he washired as the director of processengineering and for the last fiveyears has been general managerof military bulk acoustic wave(BAW) and surface acoustic wave(SAW) products as well as BAWproduction. He began his careerat Hewlett Packard as a processdevelopment engineer, and thenmoved to Electronic Decisions Incof Illinois where he served aswafer fabrication manager. Mahonhas a BSEE from the University ofIllinois at Urbana-Champaign, andan MSEE from Stanford University. “Steve is a critical strategic

addition to our managementteam at this time in our corporateevolution,” says president & CEOMichael Burger. “He brings astrong background in operationsmanagement, with over 30 yearsof experience in a broad array ofpositions in micro-fabricationoperations, engineering manage-ment and semiconductor processengineering. He will be a greatasset as we continue to pursue notonly aggressive operating efficien-cies, but as we develop a productroadmap that delivers continuedvalue for our customers,” he adds. “My role will be to help Cascade

Microtech find ways to work moreeffectively and efficiently through-out the organization, with theultimate goal of enabling CascadeMicrotech’s growth,” says Mahon. www.cascademicrotech.com

IN BRIEF

X-ray and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV)metrology tool maker Jordan ValleySemiconductors Ltd (JVS) of MigdalHaemek Israel has named Ken Levyas chairman of its board of directors,replacing Kalman Kaufman (whohas been chairman for the last threeyears, and remains a member of theboard). “I look forward to continuingto work with Ken, a seasoned business executive and visionarytechnologist,” comments Kaufman. Levy has been an entrepreneur

and corporate executive for over 35years. He founded KLA Instrumentsin 1976, serving as CEO and thenchairman until 2006. On retiring,he was named chairman emeritus.During his tenure, KLA-Tencor wentfrom a development-stage firm tosales of over $2bn and a marketcapitalization in excess $10bn. It isnow one of the five largest compa-nies in the semiconductor capitalequipment industry. Levy has also received awards

including the ‘SEMMY’ Semiconductor

Equipment and Materials Instituteaward in the area of wafer fabrication,and the SEMI Lifetime Achievementaward. He has been inducted intothe Silicon Valley Hall of Fame, andwas elected as a member of theNational Academy of Engineering. “Jordan Valley, led by the leader-

ship of founder & CEO Isaac Mazor,presented impressive and uniqueprogress in 2010,” says Avi Fischer,deputy chairman of IDB Group (the largest shareholder, throughClal Industries and Elron). “Wethought that at this time the com-pany could benefit from the skillsand expertise of one of the mostexperienced, talented and highlyregarded managers in the industry,”he adds. “Jordan Valley’s products are

enabling x-ray systems to move ontohigh-volume production applications,”says Levy. “Their systems willenable the semiconductors industryto control its most advancedprocesses. I expect the company to

continue to innovate and expand itsbusiness opportunities,” he adds.“His experience and knowledge in

the semiconductors capital equip-ment business will be a valuableasset to Jordan valley,” remarksMazor about Levy. “The next fewyears will prove to be a period ofincreased market penetration andhigh growth for Jordan Valley follow-ing it’s outstanding growth in 2010,”he believes. “As a chairman of theboard, Ken will play a key role indriving the company’s strategy.” Over the past 25 years, Levy has

been active in helping to buildIsraeli hi-tech firms. In addition toinvesting in technology firms, hespearheaded the establishment ofKLA-Tencor Israel and served onboards of firms including Saifun,Aprion, Scitex Digital, PowerDsine,Genoa and DigiFlex. For his contri-butions to Israeli industry, he wonthe ‘State of Israel Jubilee Award’by Prime Minister Netanyahu. www.jvsemi.com

Jordan Valley appoints KLA founder Levy as chairman



48

Equipment and process solutionsprovider SÜSS MicroTec AG ofGarching, Munich, Germany, andBraunschweig-based Fraunhofer forSurface Engineering and Thin Films(IST) have announced the launchof SELECT, a bond aligner andmask aligner technology that selec-tively activates parts of a wafersurface through plasma treatment. Local treatment of the surface

prior to wafer processing canreplace standard process steps andreduce the overall cost per wafer.Selective plasma activation can beapplied to a variety of MEMS(micro-electro-mechanical system),optical and solar applications usingdirect wafer bonding or surfacemodification for the creation ofmicro mirror arrays, micro valves,sensors or micro fluidic channels.The SELECT toolkit is an upgrade

option for SÜSS MicroTec’s MA/BA8Gen3 manual mask and bond aligner. Fraunhofer IST’s patent-pending

technology is based on atmosphericpressure plasma selectively modi-fying the molecular level surface.Conventional surface treatment ofcomplete wafers without selectioncan damage the functionality ofmicro components or electronics.With selective treatment it is possibleto protect those sensitive areas byactivating only specific parts of thewafer. Selective plasma activation isused with planar wafers as well aswith wafers with topography, whereplasma activation is provided in thecavities or on the elevated structures. “While selective plasma treatment

in wafer bonding applications sig-nificantly reduces the post-bondanneal temperature from 1000°Cdown to 200°C, it also protects

sensitive devices,” says FraunhoferIST’s director professor GünterBräuer. The technology thereforeincreases the process window fordirect bonding. “With SÜSSMicroTec’s SELECT toolkit applied inboth direct bonding as well as otherwafer processing applications, aground-breaking new approachseems possible for device process-ing in the semiconductor industry,”he reckons. “The treatment of selected parts of

wafers reduces the costs of produc-ing a device through streamliningprocesses and increasing through-put at the same time,” explainsSÜSS MicroTec’s president & CEOFrank Averdung. “The new technol-ogy has the potential to completelychange the cost-of-ownership modelfor a large variety of applications.” www.suss.com

SÜSS MicroTec and Fraunhofer IST launch alignertechnology for selective surface treatment



49

AZZURRO Semiconductors AG ofMagdeburg, Germany has closed a€14.5m ($19.3m) round of financingfrom existing investors Cedrus PrivateEquity and IBG Innovationsfonds as well as new investors WellingtonPartners, Good Energies and Emerald Technology Ventures (whoseChristian Reitberger, Frank Siebkeand Markus Moor, respectively, jointhe firm’s supervisory board). AZZURRO uses MOCVD to make

gallium nitride epiwafers on large-diameter (150mm) silicon wafersfor low-cost high-brightness LEDsand high-power electronics. Thenew funding will finance its firstproduction site, to be built up inDresden within the next two years. High-power electronics such as

power supplies, solar inverters orpower converters for hybrid andelectric vehicles typically use conventional silicon or expensive

silicon carbide devices. In contrast,GaN-on-Si has unique advantagesof high efficiency and low cost athigh voltages and currents. Previously, GaN-on-Si has not

been available on large-sizedwafers and has not been widelyadopted. However, AZZURRO saysit has closed this gap by providingthick high-quality GaN epilayers onstandard silicon wafers with a diam-eter of 150mm (and soon 200mm). The LED industry has adopted GaN

but relies on small sapphire-basedsubstrates that have supply andcost constraints, says AZZURRO.The firm says it offers a platformtechnology for LED makers toprocess wafers in standard siliconfabs with high productivity. Com-pared with conventional technology,substantial cost savings can beachieved while maintaining thesame performance, it is claimed.

“The AZZURRO team has workedhard for the last seven years tobring the core technology platformto commercialization readiness,”says CEO Erwin Wolf. The basictechnology was invented by profes-sor Alois Krost and Dr Armin Dadgarat the Otto-von-Guericke UniversityMagdeburg from 1999 to 2006 andexclusively transferred to the firm.“We have received highly encour-aging feedback from our customersand are now building up morecapacity to fully support our cus-tomers’ ramp-up plans,” says Wolf. “The time has come to build a

high-volume GaN epiwafer foundryto enable industry-wide adoption,”says Wellington general partnerReitberger. “AZZURRO will bring theindustry the long-anticipated arrivalof GaN-on-Si and the benefits ofeconomies of scale,” he adds. www.azzurro-semiconductors.com

AZZURRO closes €14.5m funding round High-volume GaN-on-Si epiwafer foundry to be built in Dresden

Peter Wolters GmbH of Rendsburg,Germany is introducing a new polishing slurry for the LED marketthat has demonstrated a 50%reduction in the time required tocomplete final polishing of c-planesapphire for flip-chip or through-substrate LEDs (see figure). The development uses a combi-

nation of chemical and abrasivetechnologies to cut the cost of own-ership or the manufacturing costfor LEDs when manufactured on c-plane sapphire. “As demonstratedby our testing, the time required toachieve a comparable final surfacefinish has been reduced by half insubstrates of identical incomingquality,” says David Suica, presidentof subsidiary Peter Wolters ofAmerica, the Peter Wolters Compe-tence Center for Sapphire Polishing.The quality and clarity of the final

polished surface is comparable with

the use of colloidal silica (which is commonly utilized in the finalpolishing step), adds the firm.Peter Wolters says that the slurry

product is completely mixed and

tested by its in-house team of scientists andengineers tomaintain highlevels of consis-tency and quality. The pre-mixed

slurry is shippedin a concen-trated form,which can bethinned easily tothe appropriatepoint-of-useconsistency byadding deionized(DI) water. Handling and

storage of the custom slurry does notrequire any exceptional processesor procedures beyond what is typical to common colloidal silica. www.peter-wolters.com

Peter Wolters’ new slurry halves polishing time for c-plane sapphire substrates

New slurry reaches surface roughness endpoint in half thetime compared to standard colloidal silica slurry.



50

Japan’s Sumitomo Electric IndustriesLtd (SEI) has developed what itclaims are the first 6-inch diametergallium nitride (GaN) substrates tobe used for white light-emittingdiodes.Previously, Sumitomo Electric was

first to produce 2”-diameter GaNsubstrates for blue-violet lasers,which enabled production of thefirst Blu-ray DVD players.The white LED market has been

growing rapidly using 2–4” sapphiresubstrates. As an alternative tosapphire, Sumitomo Electric beganlarge-scale production of 2” GaNsubstrates designed for use in whiteLEDs. It has also been developinglarger-diameter GaN substrates. SEI says that GaN substrates

allow better thermal dispersion andother properties that can enableLED makers to reduce chip sizesand increase output power. It also

believes that GaN substrates will beused for power devices because oftheir excellent thermal conductivityand electric responsiveness as wellas the breakdown voltage of devicesmade using these materials. The front face of the new 6” GaN

substrates is a polarized c-plane,

which is theplane that isgenerally usedfor white LEDsand blue-violetor blue lasers(although thepolarizationdecreases light-emittingefficiency in thegreen region,compared withnon-polar orsemi-polar GaNorientations).

SEI says that it has ongoingdevelopment efforts to bring its 6” GaN substrate into large-scaleproduction, and it expects that thematerial will find wide-spread usefor both white LEDs and powerdevices. http://global-sei.com

SEI unveils first 6” GaN substrates for white LEDs Volume production of c-plane GaN planned

SEI’s 2–6”-diameter GaN substrates.

Sumitomo Electric Industries saysthat it has developed productiontechnology enabling large-scaleproduction of 2” diameter semi-polar/nonpolar GaN substrates forgreen semiconductor lasers.For white LEDs and blue-violet or

blue semiconductor laser diodes,the c-plane crystal face of a GaNsubstrate is generally used. However, with positively chargedgallium (Ga) and negatively charged(N) atoms oriented alternately, thec-plane exhibits strong polarization,which decreases light-emittingefficiency in the green region. Following its development of

green semiconductor lasers in2009, Sumitomo Electric has beendeveloping manufacturing technol-ogy for semipolar and nonpolarGaN substrates (rather than polarc-plane GaN), which can improvethe performance of green lasers

and white LEDs. These effortshave resulted in the developmentof manufacturing technologies thatinhibit piezoelectric effects onpolarized substrates, improvingdevice luminous efficiency.In general, semipolar and non-

polar GaN substrates are manufac-tured by vertically or diagonally

slicing GaN crystals along thecrystallographic c-plane.However, this method resultsin relatively small crystals(rectangular crystals withdimensions on the order ofseveral millimeters). The sizeof these materials has beena major obstacle to increas-ing the production scale ofhigher-efficiency LEDdevices, says the firm. To overcome this limitation,

Sumitomo Electric has hencedeveloped HVPE (hydride

vapor phase epitaxy) manufac-turing technology for large-scaleproduction of 2” substrates. The firm says that the substratesproduced using this techniqueexhibit a dislocation density on theorder of 105, which is comparableto that of the c-plane substratescurrently in use.

SEI announces first 2” semipolar/nonpolar GaN Volume production with dislocation density comparable to c-plane

SEI’s 2” semipolar and nonpolar GaN.

For third-quarter 2010, RubiconTechnology Inc of Bensenville, IL,USA, which makes monocrystallinesapphire substrates and productsfor the LED, RFIC, semiconductorand optical industries, has reportedrecord revenue of $20.5m, up 30%on Q2’s $15.8m and up 260% on$5.7m a year ago (and above theexpected $19.5m). Growth wasdue largely to increased pricing forsapphire substrates. “Demand from the LED market

remained strong in the quarter asour customers continued to addcapacity in response to the projectedrapid growth in the LED industry,”says president & CEO Raja Parvez.Strong interest in polished 6”wafers also continued. “With theincreased polishing capacity we arebringing on-line, we expect the 6”polished wafer product to becomean increasingly large percentage ofour total revenues,” says Parvez. Gross margin has risen from 46%

in Q2 to 54%. Operating margin

reached 40%. Compared to a netloss of $2m a year ago, net incomemore than doubled from Q2’s$3.8m to $8.3m. Diluted earningsper share nearly doubled from Q2’srecord of $0.18 to $0.35 (exceed-ing the expected $0.28). After generating $4.4m in cash

from operating activities, cash andcash equivalents fell from $21m to$12m, due to spending $15.2m onproperty and equipment. “While we have seen some soften-

ing in demand in certain geographiesassociated with higher TV panelinventories, overall demand remainsstrong and we expect prices for oursapphire products to increase in thefourth quarter by at least 15% onaverage sequentially,” says chieffinancial officer William Weissman.“We also anticipate beginning toadd capacity in both crystal growthand polishing in the quarter.” Rubicon recently opened both its

new crystal growth facility in Batavia,IL and its new polishing facility in

Penang, Malaysia. The new crystalgrowth facility will produce largercrystals, allowing more flexibility inaddressing the growing demand forlarger-diameter sapphire substrates.The new polishing plant will beresponsible for the more labor-intensive crystal fabricationprocesses and will allow the firm tosignificantly expand capacity forlarge-diameter wafer polishing.“These two new facilities give us a

significant advantage,” believesParvez. “This combination of high-volume, high-quality, large-diam-eter crystal growth and polishingcapability makes us unique in themarketplace today, and positionsus very well to maintain our leader-ship position for years to come.” For Q4/2010, Rubicon expects

revenue to grow 27% sequentiallyto $25–27m. Gross margin shouldrise to the high 50% range, andoperating margin to the mid 40%range. Diluted earnings per shareshould rise further to $0.47–0.49.

Rubicon’s sales grow more-than-expected 30% in Q3



51

Rubicon has produced the firstboule from its new 135,000ft2

sapphire crystal manufacturingplant in Batavia, IL (in the ChicagoMetropolitan area near Rubicon’sFranklin Park and Bensonville facilities). The large-diameter 6”sapphire will be exported to Rubicon’s new plant in Malaysia forcutting and polishing into finishedwafers. The new facility was established

to meet increasing demand fromAsian manufacturers of LEDs usedin LED-based consumer electronics(including HDTVs, smartphonesand laptops) and general lightingproducts (such as LED light bulbs).“Demand for high-quality sapphiresubstrates is high as industriesranging from consumer electronicsto general and architectural light-ing have tapped LEDs as a lightsource for their next-generationproducts,” says president & CEO

Raja Parvez. Rubicon’s capacity todeliver high-yield, large-diametersapphire wafers will help to satisfythe large volumes of sapphireneeded to meet growing demandfor LEDs, he adds. “This is espe-cially important as the demand forLED-based light bulbs grows withworldwide consumer adoption.” Market research firm iSuppli

expects the LED market to nearlydouble to almost $14.3bn by2013, driven by the penetration of

LEDs into the general illuminationmarket. In particular, governmentregulators worldwide looking tosave energy are driving the moveto LED light bulbs. LEDs areemerging as a replacement forincandescent bulbs due to theirdurability, energy efficiency,enhanced aesthetics, and low-voltage operation versus less clean options such as compactfluorescent bulbs that containmercury, Rubicon adds. Rubicon claims that its ability to

cost-effectively produce low-defect,large-diameter sapphire wafers iscritical to making the production ofhigh-quality, affordable LED-basedproducts. The transition to large-diameter wafers has already begun:earlier this year, the firm said thatit had entered into a $71m agree-ment to supply 6” polished sub-strates to a major LED chip maker. www.rubicon-es2.com

First boule produced from Batavia 6-inch sapphire plant President& CEO RajaParvez(left) andCFOWilliamWeissman(right)with theBataviaplant’s firstboule.

Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbHof Regensburg, Germany says thatmillions of its TOPLED LEDs arebeing used by Tampere-based agri-cultural lighting specialist Netled Oyin a horticultural lighting system inHonkajoki, Finland. Designed and installed in a curtain

structure of 10 strips each meas-uring 25m in length, the LED light-ing replaces high-pressure sodium(HPS) lamps that are traditionallydeployed in greenhouses. By creatingthe right wavelengths and intensity,the lighting installations areexpected to achieve energy savingsof up to 60%, says Osram Opto.HPS lamps are widely used in hor-

ticulture to create the right environ-ment for plants to grow in the darkseason. A typical 1 hectare green-house using HPS lamps consumesabout 10,000MW-hrs of electricityper year. “Based on some research,we found that only 7% of the lightcreated by HPS lamps is absorbedby the plants. Much of the energy iswasted by inefficiencies,” saysNetled’s Niko Kivioja. “By convertinginto LED lighting, energy saving canbe achieved immediately,” he adds.

“In the case of lettuce grown in agreenhouse, energy consumptioncan even be reduced by 20–30%.” The patent-pending curtain

structure also reduces light pollutionin the skyline, which is an issue inhigh-density population areas innorthern territories and Asia. In addition, according to recent

studies, certain wavelengths andcolor temperatures can make thefruit quantity, weight or biomassgrow more quickly. By using morepre-defined light, for example ingrowing tomatoes, the joules spentper kilogram of vegetables can bereduced. With cucumbers, the yieldcan be increased by more than20%, the vegetable quality isimproved, and the production season can be lengthened.The cost of electricity in Finland is

rising by more than 15% annually,which will have an enormous effecton the food industry in the years tocome, reckons Kivioja. Netledhence aims to provide affordablesolutions to decrease lighting costsfor horticultural production, he adds. Cultivation in greenhouses is

becoming more significant, says

Osram Opto. Through greenhouse-based farming, profitable and high-demand plants have become morecultivated. However, the total areaof greenhouses in Scandinavia is1400ha, which is less than the2000ha in Canada and 2100ha inJapan. Furthermore, there is hugemarket potential for LED lighting inthe Nordic countries, central Europe,and in Canada due to the significantperiod of darkness, the firm adds.“The LED installation in Honkajoki

has important implications forgreenhouse farming in Scandinavia,”says Kai-Chung Cheng, marketingdirector of Osram Opto Semicon-ductors Asia Ltd. “It also provesthat the features of LEDs such assmall form factor, high efficiencyand long life-span provide flexibilityfor lighting designers to make theirideas into reality,” he adds. The project has been initiated by

Netled in terms of research andpromotion and Amity in terms ofdesign and development, while thelighting system was manufacturedby BCM in Malaysia. www.netled.fi www.osram-os.com

Deep ultraviolet (UV) LED makerSensor Electronic Technology Inc(SETI) of Columbia, SC, USA,together with Stanford Universityand National Security Technologies(NSTec) of Livermore, CA, hasdemonstrated what is claimed to beunprecedented environmentalrobustness and radiation hardnessof its UVTOP deep ultraviolet LEDs. Deep UV LEDs with peak emission

wavelength of 255nm have passedstringent space qualifications forlarge temperature variations andmechanical shocks, with 27 cyclesof 100K temperature cycles and14g rms random mechanical vibrations. The forward voltage,emission spectra, and optical out-

put power exhibited no significantchanges after these harsh environ-mental tests. The UVTOP LEDs have been suc-

cessfully tested against the require-ments for deep space explorationsuch as the Europa Jupiter SystemMission (EJSM), where they will besubject not only to severe thermaland mechanical shocks but alsohigh levels of radiation. Under irra-diation up to 2x1012 protons/cm2,the LEDs demonstrated extremeradiation hardness. UV LEDs have sofar have exhibited high operationallifetimes in excess of 26,000 hoursin nitrogen atmosphere and 25,000hours in vacuum, without significantpower drop or spectral shift.

SETI says that the extreme test-ing demonstrates that the optical,electrical and mechanical robust-ness of the UVTOP LEDs is suitablefor many space and terrestrialapplications where conventional UVlight sources are too fragile. In addition, solar-blind P-i-N

photodiodes with a peak responsiv-ity matching the UVTOP LEDs at255nm were also manufactured by SETI and tested to the samestringent space qualifications. These detectors also exhibitedextreme radiation hardness andretained 50% responsivity up to a fluence of 3x1012 protons/cm2, says the firm. www.s-et.com

SETI’s UVTOP DUV LEDs pass environmentalrobustness tests to complete space qualification

News: LEDs


52

Osram’s TOPLED LEDs used in horticultural lighting

At the end of October, USDepartment of Agriculture(USDA) officials, includingDeputy Secretary KathleenMerrigan, toured PurdueUniversity greenhousesequipped with prototypeLED lights in order to preview work that willcome from its new $4.88mgrant for the four-yearproject ‘Developing LEDLighting Technology andPractices for SustainableSpecialty-Crop Production’,which aims to increasegreenhouse yields and decreaseproducers’ energy costs. The USDA Specialty Crops

Research Initiative Award willinclude $2.44m from the USDA and an equal amount of in-kindcontributions of equipment andservices from industry partners.Researchers at Purdue will collabo-rate with Rutgers University, theUniversity of Arizona, MichiganState University and Orbital Tech-nologies Corp of Madison, WI, USA. “The high-intensity discharge lamps

used today are inefficient. When youhave acres and acres of greenhouseswith these lamps in them, it reallyadds up,” said project director CaryMitchell, a professor of horticultureat Purdue. “With LED lighting, weshould be able to do as well or betterwith much less energy,” he adds. “The specialty crop industry plays

an enormously important part inAmerican agriculture and is valuedat approximately $50bn every year,”Merrigan said. “These projects willbe key to providing specialty cropproducers with the information andtools they need to successfullygrow, process, and market safe andhigh-quality products.” Mitchell’s work will include testing

LED lighting on high-wire tomatoes,which can grow taller than 20 feetso that traditional overhead lightingdoesn’t reach the lower parts ofmany plants. Mitchell believes that

using LED lights on the sides ofplants will increase photosynthesisand flowering, improving yield. Assistant professor of horticulture

Roberto Lopez will work with about20 species of bedding plants to testthe ability of LED lighting to lowerthe cost of establishing new plantsfrom cuttings and seeds. Low winterlight means growers currently haveto use more expensive overheadlighting to establish new plants.John Burr, a lecturer in Purdue’sKrannert School of Management,will evaluate the costs and benefitsassociated with LED lighting.A.J Both at Rutgers will be respon-

sible for developing best practicesand standards for testing commer-cial LED lighting. Chieri Kubota atthe University of Arizona will testthe optimal wavelengths and colorsfor LED lighting to establish veg-etable transplants. Erik Runkle atMichigan State will test flower initiation of ornamental crops withdifferent colors of LEDs, as well asperforming project outreach.The researchers are partnering

with Robert Morrow and C. MichaelBourget of Orbital Technologies,which will build the LED lights.Later phases of the research will

include evaluating LED lighting incommercial settings and developingimproved LED lights that match theneeds determined from those tests. www.purdue.edu

News: LEDs


53

USDA awards $4.88m grant to study LED lighting of crops

A USDA grant will help Cary Mitchell study LEDlighting use in greenhouses. (Purdue AgriculturalCommunication photo/Tom Campbell).

News: LEDs


54

Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbHof Regensburg, Germany says that,due to its high brightness and colorstability, its new OSTAR LightingPlus LED can be used without anyproblems in retrofits for incandescentlamps or halogen lamps. Containingfour chips fabricated in UX:3 chiptechnology and emitting eithercold-white or warm-white light, thenew LED provides a large amountof light from a small area andimproves efficiency compared withits predecessors. Brightness is 425lm (5700–6500K)

or 365lm (2700–4000K) at anoperating current of 350mA, corre-sponding to typical efficiency ofabout 100lm/W or 80lm/W, respec-tively. “OSTAR Lighting Plus is alsovery efficient at higher currents andoffers high light output thanks tothe extremely uniform flux distribu-tion over the entire chip surface,”says Andreas Vogler, marketingmanager General Illumination (SSL).The greater brightness level perchip area suits applications wherespace is tight, such as LED

luminaires and retrofits, he adds.Homogenous white light is ensuredby an ANSI-compatible binningsystem with finely graded classes.The LED is also easy to handle due to its compatibility with surface-mount technology (SMT),says the firm.

With a power draw of less than5W, the 365lm output of the warm-white OSTAR Lighting Plus is muchbrighter than a 25W incandescentlamp, which manages just 220lm.Energy savings of more than 80%can therefore be made despite aluminous flux that is 65% higher.Only four OSTAR Lighting Plus unitsare therefore needed to replace afrosted 100W incandescent lamp.Also, the color rendering index (CRI)is 80. Applications for the new power

LED cover interior lighting forshops, offices and homes, includingmany applications that requirestrong directional light from a smallunit, such as spotlighting. Thesmall dimensions of OSTAR LightingPlus also suit applications that arecurrently being served mostly byhalogen lamps. OSTAR Lighting Plus was premiered

at November’s electronica 2010trade fair in Munich, Germany andwill be available on the market atthe start of 2011. www.osram-os.com

Osram’s four-chip OSTAR Lighting Plus offers powerful,efficient and surface-mountable lamp replacement

Osram’s new OSTAR Lighting PlusLED.

At November’s electronica show inMunich, Osram Opto Semiconductorslaunched its OSLON SSL 150 LED. While adding to its OSLON SSL

product family (which has a beamangle of 80°), the 150 has a beamangle of 150°, enabling luminairesto be simpler and more efficient.Retrofit and downlight designs canbenefit from the even light distri-bution, allowing designers to bettermanage light in external reflectors,the firm says. Also, the OSLON’ssmall footprint can simplify thedesign of lamps and luminairesand facilitate low-profile designs. The new LED’s wide beam

characteristic enables the light tobe used in reflector systems withmuch lower light losses, so LEDlamps and luminaires designed

with OSLON SSL 150 are moreefficient. “With its low-profile and very

compact design [measuring 3mmx 3mm], the new OSLON SSL 150can be closely clustered withoutcreating shadow effects,” saysMartin Wittmann, marketing manager Solid State Lighting. “In reflector applications for exam-ple, the luminaire efficiency can be increased by more than 5%.The reflectors can also be low-profile and the luminaire itself needsonly a shallow mounting depth,”he adds. “Thanks to these proper-ties the LED offers flexible designoptions for high-performancelighting solutions.” The OSLON SSL 150 also suits

other applications such as diffused

lighting in suspended ceilings andwide-area backlighting with noobvious spots of light. Additionally,uniform illumination of the diffuseris possible in retrofits that aim tosimulate incandescent or halogenlight. Color mixing is also easier. If

OSLON SSL LEDs in different colors are used in a cluster, thenthe colors can be mixed at thereflector level, which is much lesscomplex than mixing colors withsecondary lenses.The LED is based on a 1mm2 chip,

providing a typical brightness of92lm at 3000K at an operatingcurrent of 350mA and 156lm at700mA. It is available in all whitetones (2700–6500K) and in different colors.

OSLON SSL 150 LED’s 150° beam angle boosts luminaire efficiency

News: LEDs


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Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbHof Regensburg, Germany says thatits new TOPLED Compact 4520enables super flat displays due tobeing one of the smallest LEDs forscreen backlighting, and is the firstLEDs for this application to have aUX:3 chip. It is therefore suitablefor pulse mode, can be loaded witha very high current, and can help toproduce sharp pictures.The trend toward flatter displays

calls for very slim backlighting sys-tems and high quality of light, saysOsram Opto. Correspondingly,since it is flat encapsulated, doesnot have a lens (like the othermembers of the TOPLED family),and uses the tried and testedTOPLED package (which measures4.5mm x 2.0mm x 0.8mm), theCompact 4520 light source suits

single- or double-sided injectioninto light guides up to 2mm. It alsocovers a color space of more than100% sRGB. Due to its UX:3 chip,which offers high linearity betweencurrent and brightness, with abrightness of 35lm (at 150mA) andan efficiency of 72lm/W, it isbrighter in high-current pulse modethan any LEDs based on other chip

technologies, the firm claims.“The TOPLED Compact 4520 has

been designed specifically for super flat displays,” says WinfriedSchwedler, marketing managerBacklighting. “Its extreme bright-ness and high-current pulse modehelp produce razor sharp high-con-trast images with no wipe effects,”she claims. Pulse mode providesgreater contrast on dark images bydarkening or dimming individualsegments of the image. It also pre-vents wipe effects on fast-movingimages. To achieve this, parts ofthe backlighting are brieflyswitched off. This takes place soquickly that the human eye cannotdetect the dark phases. The overallresult is a bright image with consis-tent color quality, says Osram Opto. www.osram-os.com

Osram’s TOPLED Compact 4520.

Osram’s new TOPLED Compact 4520 LED producesbright high-current pulsed light for super flat displays

Osram Opto Semiconductors saysits new Power TOPLED SFH4250Semits almost double the infraredlight compared to its standardSFH4250 component. The new IR-LED achieves a radiant

intensity of typically 22mW/sr anda total flux of 70mW in continuousoperation at a drive current of70mA, allowing the design of verycompact lighting units. Also, inexisting designs the effective rangecan be increased. Applications thatcan benefit include 3D TVs. Osram attributes the increase in

performance to its stack technologyfor thin-film chips (introduced lastyear to large-scale 1mm2 chips),which features a serial connectionof two p-n junctions rather than one p-n junction, almost doublingperformance. The technology hasbeen applied to chips with an edgelength of 300μm for the SFH4250S. “With this combination of well-

proven chip design and standardpackages, our customers can makeuse of our enlarged portfolio of

powerful IR emitters without havingto change their design,” notes Harald Feltges, marketing managerfor Infrared Components. The newStack Power TOPLED allows pulsedoperation up to 1A pulse current,reaching 220mW/sr radiant inten-sity and 700mW total radiant flux. “Applications in which compact

lighting units illuminate large areaswith infrared light benefit from thisnew component,” says Feltges. Atypical example is 3D TV: synchro-nization of shutter glasses with theTV picture is achieved by powerfulIR emitters which illuminate the

area in front of the TV up to a dis-tance of 7m. “The new Stack PowerTOPLED almost halves the numberof required IR-LEDs per set, or itimproves the range of existingdesigns, respectively,” he adds. With a wavelength of 850nm, the

emitted light of the SFH4250S isnot visible to the naked eye, neitherdoes it interfere with the remotecontrol, which works at about950nm. Many computer gamesmake use of the 3D technologytoo, benefiting from the new IRemitters. The increased IR poweralso generates advantages in veh-icle safety systems, mainly in seatoccupancy detection systems forairbag activation and driver moni-toring systems to enable fatiguedetection (Drowsy Driver System). Osram Opto says that the stack

technology for thin-film chips hasbeen tested in many applications,from vehicle night-vision systemsto sensors in mobile end-userdevices, which benefit in particularfrom the efficiency of stack chips.

Stack chip technology doubles output of infrared Power TOPLEDs

Infrared Power TOPLED SFH4250S.

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Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbHof Regensburg, Germany says thatits OSLON SSL LEDs illuminated the exterior of the venue for theAsian Games, held in a newly constructed stadium in HaixinshaSquare in Guangzhou, China(12–27 November). The games involve 11,700 athletes

from 45 nations competing in 42sports. The LEDs were used to produce a variety of colors, high-lighting the gill-like side openingsof the half-stadium, flanked by thecity’s UFO-like opera house and thelatticed Guangzhou TV Tower. The OSLON SSL series is a family

of compact and symmetrical LEDswith an efficiency of up to 84lm/W(typical) at an operating current of350mA and a viewing angle of 80°or 150°, and are particularly suitedto architectural lighting.OSLON SSL amber/green/blue

LEDs and warm-white LEDs wereused in separate flood lights to pro-vide the different combinations ofcolors for the architectural lighting.Each floodlight was equipped withfour independent sections of displaypixels and color adjustments.Together with a real-time videocontrol system, different colorswere able to be created to workwith the requirements of the variousopening ceremony programs.About 200,000 LEDs were used

in 3200 floodlights in the project.To achieve the effect and efficiencyrequired, several design optionswere explored. “We finally optedfor a bi-directional asymmetric lensdesign and DMX online systemwhich can make the whole lightingsystem easier to use and to createdynamic lighting effects,” says Jiansheng Chen, general managerof Guangzhou Joinmax DisplayTechnology Ltd, which installed thefloodlights. Currently, architectural lighting is

the biggest application segment ofsolid-state lighting, accounting for33.7% of the market, and revenuewill rise at a compound annualgrowth rate (CAGR) of 16% by

2014, according to market researchfirm Strategies Unlimited. Also, Osram Opto’s Golden

DRAGON Plus LEDs are installed inthe street & parking lamps of theHaixinsha People square in Lin JiangRoad in the Zhujiang New City Central Business District (CBD) ofGuangzhou, where the Asian Gameswere unveiled. The LED lamps provide a uniformly illuminatedenvironment for pedestrians andfor drivers in the parking lot. Haixinsha is the largest public

plaza in Guangzhou, measuring170,000m2. Osram Opto says thatthe Golden Dragon Plus LEDs werechosen for their large viewing angleof 170º and high luminous flux of116lm at a color temperature of6000K for an operating current of350mA (and up to 273lm for1000mA), enabling uniform and

high-efficiency lightingover such an expansivearea. Also, GoldenDRAGON Plus LEDs aredesigned specifically forgeneral illumination appli-cations. The long lifetimeof 50,000 hours suits outdoor lighting, as theyrequire very low mainte-nance and thus cause min-imal disruption to traffic.The LED lamps were

installed by GuangdongZhonglong CommunicationsTechnology Ltd. Already,

last year, Zhonglong installed LEDstreet lamps using Golden DRAGONOval Plus LEDs in Zhujiang New CityCBD. That was following by severalother projects. “As the opening andthe closing ceremonies will takeplace in Haixinsha Square area andthousands of visitors will witnessthe benefits of LEDs in general illu-mination, we hope this will drivethe adoption of LEDs in other appli-cations,” says Guangdong Zhong-long Communications Technology’sgeneral manager Chen Ben. “We understand the importance of

uniform lighting in street lamps andtherefore have developed productswhich can meet this requirement,”says Kai-Chong Cheng, marketingdirector of Osram Opto Semicon-ductors Asia Ltd. “Our ThinGaNchip technology not only enablesproducts with long lifetime but also

small form factor and lowenergy consumption, making LED becomes aviable and cost-effectivelight source for outdoorapplications,” he adds. Since the launch of the

‘10 Cities, 10,000 LEDLamps’ program in China,local governments aremow using LEDs in newroads. Among them, theGuangdong provincial government has started its ‘10,000 LED lamps in1000km’ project.www.osram-os.com

Osram Opto’s LEDs light up Asian Games

Golden DRAGON Plus LEDs illuminating squarefor opening ceremony.

Architectural lighting for Asia Games stadium.

South Korean LED manufacturerSeoul Semiconductor Corp hasannounced an agreement with Singapore-based venture capitalfirm Vertex Venture Management tojointly seek and invest in companieswith advanced capabilities in LEDtechnology development.As a subsidiary of Vertex Venture

Holdings (owned by Temasek Hold-ings), Vertex Venture Managementis engaged in company investmentsand fund commitments throughoutAsia and the USA. Seoul Semicon-ductor aims to leverage its expert-ise in LED technologies to seek outhigh-potential companies and combine them with the capabilitiesof Vertex in sourcing and adminis-tering investment capital to achievesynergies for effective investmentand returns. In addition, with subsequent

expansion of investment opportuni-ties, both firms may establish a

dedicated fund to nurture the R&Defforts of technology companiesthat can drive future innovation inLEDs and related industries.“There are various LED-related

new technologies and applicationcompanies engaged in R&D thathave synergies with such new technologies... We want to supportthese efforts,” says Brian Wilcox,Seoul Semiconductor’s VP of North American sales. “All suchfirms are invited to sign-up on theInvestment Application section ofour website,” he adds. “LED is an eco-friendly light source

with significant growth potential inthe middle- to long-term, and weintend to identify and invest intomany more companies with strongtechnology potential,” says Vertex’schief investment officer Joo HockChua. www.vertexmgt.com www.seoulsemicon.com

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LLFY gains OpticalSelection Tool Osram Opto Semiconductors’partner network LED Light for you(LLFY), which focuses on LEDsand their applications, is nowoffering a new service in theform of an Optical Selection Tool:a database containing 350 differ-ent lens types from seven of theworld’s largest lens manufactur-ers. The new tool provides com-prehensive information (availablefor download) so that the correctlenses can be selected for eachparticular application.For LED lighting, depending on

the application, lenses can focuslight in the desired direction orcreate a precise spread of light,e.g. in street lighting. Integratedlenses are one way of achievingan appropriate emission charac-teristic, but secondary lensesoffer greater flexibility becausethey can be adapted to suit theapplication.The ‘LED Light for you’ network

now aims to make it easier tofind the right lens for a specificluminaire design. The OpticalSelection Tool provides a largedatabase containing informationneeded to select the right lens(e.g. which lenses are suitable forwhich LEDs, how many LEDs canbe placed behind external optics,and the materials, diameters andbeam angles of the lenses).Some network partners offeradditional simulation data for thelens characteristics on the LLFYwebsite. Links to the manufac-turers are also provided so thatfurther details can be obtained.“This tool gives luminaire design-

ers a broad information base thatis easy to use and will help youquickly find the right lens foryour application,” says SebastianLyschick (responsible for theLLFY network at Osram Opto). www.ledlightforyou.com/Optical-Selection-Tool

IN BRIEFSeoul Semiconductor and Vertexpartner to invest in LED tech firms

Seoul Semiconductor saysthat its Z-Power Series LEDswere installed as stage lighting at the opening cere-monies of the Asian Games. The Guangzhou Games

committee selected localSSC partner GOLDEN SEAProfessional Equipment Ltdto provide the Z-power LEDSeries-embedded lightingsolution that illuminated theon-stage performances. SSC saysthat the contract marks its contin-ued growth in mainland China,one of the world’s fastest-growingLED lighting markets.The Z-Power Series RGB LED

chosen by GOLDEN SEA generatespure white light with a color ren-dering index (CRI) of 80, says thefirm. It also outputs 100 lumensper Watt at a drive current of350mA, which is claimed to be

the industry’s highest luminousefficacy with just a single die. “The Asian Games is one of the

largest events in China this year,and I am sure our partnershipwith Seoul Semiconductor wasinstrumental in enabling us tosecure this monumental win,”says Golden Sea’s presidentZhang Wei Kai. “We are lookingforward to tightening our relation-ship in the future,” he adds.

Seoul Semiconductor’s LEDs light up stageat Asian Games opening ceremonies

Due to fears of an oversupply of LEDchips used in LCD TV backlight units(BLUs), Neo-Neon Holdings Ltd, a vertically integrated LED lightingmaker listed on the Hong Kongstock exchange, is downsizing itsLED epiwafer capacity expansion byreducing the installation of additionalMOCVD systems from its originallyplanned 50 by the end of 2011 to 30,according to the firm’s Taiwan general manager Cheng Chien-wenreported in Digitimes. Neo-Neon has three LED epiwafer

fabs: two in Jiangmen, southernChina, and the other in Yangzhou,eastern China. One in Jiangmencurrently has 14–15 MOCVD reactors, giving a monthly capacity30,000 2-inch epiwafers, with a

total output of 300 million LED chipsfor lamps, 1 million high-power LEDchips, and 70 million SMD LED chips,Cheng indicates.Neo-Neon’s

Yangzhou fabwill installfive reactorsin Decemberand startproduction inJanuary–February,while theother factoryin Jiangmenwill install5–10 reactorsby the end of 2011.

The three fabs will hence have upto 30 MOCVD reactors by the endof 2011, according to Cheng. The possible oversupply of LED

chips used in backlight units isbecause TFT-LCD panel makershave been expanding capacity forLED chips among subsidiaries toincrease in-house supply, Chengpoints out. Digitimes also reports that

Taiwan-based LED chip makersTekcore Co Ltd and FOREPI (Formosa Epitaxy Inc) have bothalso recently delayed installingadditional MOCVD reactors for thetime being. www.neo-neon.comwww.digitimes.com/news/a20101124PD209.html

Neo-Neon shrinks LED epitaxy expansionfrom 50 to 30 MOCVD reactors Fears of oversupply of LEDs for LCD TVs prompted by panel makers’in-house expansion

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Taiwan’s largest LED chipmakerEpistar Corp of Hsin-chu Science-based Industrial Park says that ithas developed a high-voltage (HV)chip that enables record luminousefficacy of 162 lumens per watt fora cool-white LED. Epistar Lab achieved the record

efficiency with a large-chip 45milindium gallium nitride HV-LED witha cool-white color temperature of5000K operated at a drive currentof 20mA. The firm recently started shipping

HV-LEDs with efficiency of 110lm/W,and just in late August it unveiledwhite HV-LED operation with efficacyof 135lm/W at a power of 1W and acolor temperature of 5000K. Epistar says that, compared with

traditional LEDs, the HV-LED offersless power consumption and higherwall-plug efficiency because of itshigh-voltage monolithically integ-

rated DC multi-array chip design,which improves current spreading.Also, flexibility in voltage and currentadjustment can simplify the LEDpackage and circuit design,enhancing overall efficiency, thefirm claims. Due to enabling powersaving, Epistar expects the newHV-LED to be used in general light-

ing applications. Massproduction of the162lm/W HVLED isexpected to start insecond-quarter 2011. According to a report

in Digitimes, Epistaralso expects the effi-cacy of its warm-whiteLEDs to reach130–150lm/W by theend of 2010 (afterachieving 110lm/Wwarm-white LEDs inOctober 2009). LED

lighting products accounted forabout 20% of Epistar’s revenue inthird-quarter 2010, and it expectsthis to reach 30% in 2011 as LEDlighting becomes its main focus asluminous efficacy continues toimprove and prices drop. www.epistar.com.tw www.digitimes.com

Epistar achieves record 162lm/W cool-white LED 45mil InGaN HV-LED chip operated at drive current of 20mA

Record 162lm/W at 5000K achieved by 45mil HV-LED chip operated at a drive current of 20mA.

200

180

160

140

120

100

800 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1

J(A)W

hit

e lm

/W

HV45(F) 47V@20mA; 5000K white

The possibleoversupply ofLED chips usedin backlightunits is becauseTFT-LCD panelmakers havebeen expandingcapacity for LEDchips amongsubsidiaries to increase in-house supply

The new Smart Lighting EngineeringResearch Center (ERC) at RensselaerPolytechnic Institute (RPI) of Troy,NY, USA has transformed a keybuilding on RPI’s campus into a testbed for high-efficiency lighting. Led by director Robert Karlicek,

the Smart Lighting ERC worked withcampus officials to replace some ofthe conventional incandescent bulbsin overhead lights with LED bulbs in the nine-story George M. LowCenter for Industrial Innovation (CII).The initial batch of 119 replacedbulbs is expected to pay for itselfvia energy and labor cost savingswithin 12–16 months. Following the payback period, the bulbs areforecast to result in annual savingsof $5608. Karlicek says that, along with a

significant reduction in energy con-sumption and lower maintenancecosts, the new LED bulbs producebetter, brighter light. “Initially, we’re trying to show the

campus community how easy it isto make a very noticeable differencein terms of sustainability andreduced energy consumption,” saysKarlicek. “We hope this is just thefirst step. If we replaced all of theold bulbs in the CII with LEDs, theannual savings could increase by afactor of five,” he adds. Most of the incandescent bulbs

replaced were 50W, with anexpected lifetime of 2500 hours.The new screw-in LED bulbs usejust 8W of electricity, but produce asmuch light as a 65W incandescentbulb. Also, the LED bulbs have anexpected lifetime of 50,000 hours(20 times longer), so the LED bulbswill need to be replaced aboutevery six years (rather than everyfour months for incandescents).Along with buying fewer bulbs,there should be a significant drop inthe amount of time required bystaff members to replace lightbulbs.

Though the LED bulbs represent alarger up-front investment (costing$60 each versus $4.50 each forconventional bulbs) the long-termsavings over the lifetime of thebulbs are apparent, Karlicek says.Another advantage is that LEDbulbs don’t contain the mercurythat is present in competing compact fluorescent lamp (CFL)technology. “The LED bulbs that were installed

are a great showcase for sustain-ability, but they’re not ‘smart’ technology. When we talk about‘smart lighting’, we’re looking forward to a new wave of solid-state lighting with applicationsthat will transform the way societyuses light,” Karlicek notes. “The vision for smart lighting thatwe’re working to realize is a holisticintegration of advanced lightsources, sensors, and adaptive control architectures that take full advantage of the amazingcapabilities of light,” he adds. “The smart lighting we’re developingwill be able to talk with networkedelectronics and sensors within aspace, and automatically adjust thelighting parameters to provide theideal illumination required for thetask at hand.” Applications for smart lighting

span the entire spectrum of tech-nology, from illumination of homesand offices to breakthroughs inbiotechnology, transportation andlight-based wireless communication,Karlicek says. The Smart Lighting ERC is funded

by the National Science Foundation(NSF), industry, and New York state,and led by RPI with core partnersBoston University and the Universityof New Mexico. Center outreachpartners are Howard University,Morgan State University, and the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. http://smartlighting.rpi.edu

Rensselaer Smart LightingEngineering Research Center deploysfirst LED bulbs on its campus

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Cree has added 80, 85 and 90 color rendering index (CRI) optionsto its XLamp XP-G and XP-E warm-white LEDs. Many lightingapplications (such as retail, medicaland architectural) require highcolor accuracy to properly renderobject colors, the firm notes. With previous-generation high-

CRI white LEDs, increasing colorquality meant decreasing efficacy.But, due to the new high-CRI XP-Gand XP-E, luminaire and fixturedesigners can have both, Creeclaims. “High CRI is a must for certain

applications that require a highquality of light — but at the sametime, we cannot forget about thesystem efficacy,” says MassimoSantinon, i-Led brand manager forItalian lighting firm Linea Light s.r.l.“The new XLamp XP-E and XP-Gwith high CRI are the perfect combination we were waiting forthat will allow us to address newmarkets,” he adds. “Lighting applications require

specific performance characteristics,and Cree’s XLamp LED family delivers products optimized forthese individual applications,” saysPaul Thieken, Cree’s director of

marketing, LED components. “Our high-CRI XLamp LEDs candeliver light quality comparable tohalogen with better efficacy thanfluorescents. And Cree’s lighting-class LEDs are proven to be one ofthe world’s most-efficient lightsources, which can enable moreeconomical designs and appli-cations,” he claims. The new high-CRI XP-G is available

with luminous flux of up to 107lmat a drive current of 350mA inwarm white (3000 K), providingefficacy of 102lm/W and enablingLED lamp designers to create sys-tems which are 70% more efficientthan a traditional halogen PAR38lamp and which deliver similar highcolor rendering, it is reckoned. The high-CRI XP-G and XP-E LEDs

are similar to standard XP-G andXP-E LEDs and may work in existingsystems without any redesign. Aswith the standard XP-G and XP-E,the new LEDs have LM-80 dataapproved by ENERGY STAR, are UL-recognized components underUL 8750 (E326295), and featurewhat is claimed to be excellentthermal-management properties. www.cree.com www.linealight.com/i-led

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Cree adds XP-G and XP-E warm-whiteLEDs offering high efficacy and CRI

Cree Inc of Durham, NC, USA hasannounced the commercial availability of what it claims is theindustry’s brightest, highest-performance lighting-class LEDs.Designed for very-high-lumenapplications such as high-bay orroadway lighting, the XLamp XM-LLED has gone from concept to commercial availability in less thaneight months. Cool-white (6500K) XLamp XM-L

LEDs deliver 1000lm with 100lm/Wefficacy at 3A. In a compact 5mm x5mm footprint, XM-L LEDs offer the

combination of very high efficacy atvery high drive currents, deliveringlight output and efficacy of 160lm/W

at 350mA and up to 315lm and150lm/W at 700mA, providing a20% efficiency gain from Cree’sexisting XLamp XP-G LEDs. “An LED with this level of light

output and this level of efficacy can accelerate the development ofhigh-output commercial lightingproducts and could enable appli-cations we haven’t even thought ofyet,” reckons John Edmond, direc-tor of advanced optoelectronics. XLamp XM-L LEDs are available in

sample and production quantitieswith standard lead times.

Cree launches single-die XLamp XM-L lighting-classLEDs delivering 1000lm at efficacy of 100lm/W

Cree’s XLamp XM-L LED.

XP-E and XP-C ColorLED output boosted Cree has announced commercialavailability of new levels of performance for its XLamp XP-E and XP-C Color LEDs. XP-E Color LEDs are available

delivering minimum light output of500mW for royal blue, 39.8lm forblue, 107lm for green, 73.9lm forred-orange, and 62.0lm for red,all at a drive current of 350mA.XP-C Color LEDs are now

available delivering minimumlight output of 350mW for royalblue, 23.5lm for blue, 62lm forred-orange and 51.7lm for red,all at 350mA. “Cree is extending our leadership

with industry-best light outputacross the color spectrum in acommon, small footprint,” saysPaul Thieken, director of market-ing, LED components. “Theseeconomical, high-performanceoptions can provide designersadditional flexibility for a broadset of applications includingarchitectural, emergency vehicle,transportation and decorativelighting, all while leveraging thereliability of the XP package,” he adds.

IN BRIEF

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Cree Inc of Durham, NC, USA saysthat its 120V LMR4 LED module has achieved California Title 24registration, helping OEM lightingmanufacturers to meet California’senergy-efficiency standards and toquickly enter the LED lighting mar-ket with fixtures based on Cree’sTrueWhite Technology or EasyWhitesolution. Cree is also extending thewarranty on its LMR4 LED modulefamily to five years to further accel-erate the LED Lighting Revolution. “California leads the nation in

promoting sustainable, energy-efficient building codes, and thegrowth of solid-state lighting is critical to achieving energy-savinggoals and policy objectives,” saysMichael Siminovitch, director of theCalifornia Lighting Technology Center (CLTC) at the University ofCalifornia, Davis. “Cree has been aleader in the LED lighting industry,and further advances to its technolo-gies will allow lighting manufacturersto address the energy-efficiencyneeds of California consumers,” he adds. “Lighting manufacturers have

already demonstrated the ease ofdeveloping LED fixtures based on

the Cree LMR4 module,” says Tom Roberts, Cree’s director ofmarketing, LED modules. “Basedon our continued testing and customer design successes, Cree isextending the LMR4 warranty fromthree years to five. We believe thisprovides even greater confidence inthe business case for high-qualityLED lighting.” Cree’s LMR4 LED module, available

with either TrueWhite Technologyor the EasyWhite solution, integratesdriver electronics, optics and primarythermal management. Both versionsdeliver 700 lumens, are designedto last 35,000 hours and consumejust 12W of power. Fixture manu-facturers have the option to includea specially designed heat sink toaccommodate specific high-heatapplications such as downlights forinsulated ceilings. The 120V LMR4 LED module is

UL-recognized, and the 230V LMR4module complies with multiple inter-national standards. Fixture makersseeking ENERGY STAR qualificationwill have access to specificationsand performance data, includingLM-80 reports, which can speedregulatory approvals.

Cree’s 120V LMR4 LED moduleachieves Title 24 compliance;warranty extended to 5 years

Cree appoints boardmember withconsumer productexpertise Cree says that Robert Tillman(former Lowe’s Companies chair-man & CEO) has been elected toits board of directors, and to theboard’s Compensation Committee. “He brings substantial leadership

experience as a CEO in a majorpublicly traded company in theretail distribution industry,” saysCree chairman & CEO ChuckSwoboda. “His knowledge, oper-ational expertise and insight intoconsumer products should bevery valuable to our board as wework to accelerate the LED light-ing revolution.” Tillman served as chairman of

Lowe’s Companies Inc from 1998to 2005, as its president & CEOfrom 1996 to 2005, and as amember of its board of directorsfrom 1994 to 2005. After retiringfrom Lowe’s in 2005, he servedas a member of the board ofdirectors of Bank of AmericaCorp from 2005 to 2009 and alsoas a member of its Executive andAsset Quality Committees. www.cree.com

IN BRIEF

Intematix Corp of Fremont, CA, USA,which makes customizable, patentedphosphors for LED applications, hasadded two new phosphor families totheir product line, creating what itclaims is the broadest portfolio ofLED phosphors on the market. Thenew phosphors are green aluminateand red nitride materials, whichenable high-quality white illumina-tion when applied to blue LEDs.“These latest innovations from

Intematix enable the widest colorgamut for TVs and displays, as well

as the perfect warm light for yourhome,” says CEO Mark Swoboda(former CEO of LED makerBridgelux of Livermore, CA, whojoined Intematix in August). Intematix claims the new phosphor

families meet the challenging material requirements for displaybacklighting and general lightingapplications by offering an improvedcolor spectrum and superior colorrendering to LED lamps comparedwith current solutions. Both phosphorfamilies advance the performance

of existing lighting systems,improving color quality, thermalstability and lifetime reliability.To develop the green aluminate

and red nitride phosphors, Intematixapplied its proprietary C-MAT Syn-thesis accelerated materials discov-ery and development process. Thefirm says that, by testing millions ofcombinations at once, it can developmaterials for LED performance withoptimized particle morphology andhigh quantum efficiency. www.intematix.com

Intematix launches green aluminate and red nitridephosphor materials for white LEDs

Verticle Inc of Dublin, CA, USA,which designs and manufacturesvertical-type LED chips for backlightunit (BLU) and solid-state lightingapplications via its production facili-ties and R&D center in Korea, hasannounced what it claims is thefirst hexagonal-shaped LED chip. The Honeycomb LED Chip is a

vertically structured InGaN-basedblue LED chip developed especiallyfor high-power applications. CEODr Mike (M.C.) Yoo reckons that,compared with conventionalsquare- or rectangular-type LEDs,a hexagonal LED chip yields multi-ple benefits regarding cost, lightoutput efficiency, and beam profile: ●Since a hexagon is the mostclosely packed structure within acircular wafer, chip count per waferis greater, yielding 15% morehexagonal chips than square orrectangular chips of equivalent size. ●A hexagonal chip aids currentspreading, resulting in higher lightoutput than conventional chips. ●Light output after packaging isenhanced. The Honeycomb chipproduces a beam profile that ismuch closer to the circular shape ofthe circular lens used in optic design.In contrast, the beam profile of thetypical square or rectangular chip,when combined with a circular lens,is normally distorted. Although the advantages of a

hexagonal chip over conventionalchips are widely known, they havenot been realized in production upto now, claims Verticle. The mainreason is the difficulty in chip separation using conventionalscribing or dicing. However, achemical chip separation techniqueinvented by Verticle makes the chip separation step much easierand quicker than conventional chipseparation techniques, it is claimed.The chip singulation technique canchemically etch the street line, toeasily produce chips of any shape.Moreover, Verticle says that, withthis technique, it can handle multi-

ple wafers in one batch, resulting inchip separation throughputs thatare 500 times greater than for con-ventional chip separation methods. In addition, a patented copper

(Cu) substrate with high thermal

and electrical conductivity allowsapplications that require thermalbenefits with light color consistencyand better life-time and reliability,the firm adds. www.verticleinc.com

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Verticle launches hexagonal LED chip Chemical chip separation technique enables more chips per wafer

Honeycomb chips before separation (left) and SEM image of separatedhoneycomb chip (right).

Separated honeycomb chip by chemical chip separation technique (left) andblue light emission from separated honeycomb chip (right).

Light output vs current injection (L–I) for Verticle’s power chip with copper(blue) and silicon (red) substrates compared with lateral LED on sapphire.

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Luminus Devices Inc of Billerica,MA, USA, which develops and man-ufactures large-chip PhlatLight(photonic lattice) LEDs for illumina-tion applications, says that its CBT-90 white LEDs are powering StrongEntertainment Lighting’s Solutions650 and 900 spot lights, for use inlight the world’s largest skyscrapersand towers, as well as antennas,amphitheaters and artwork dis-plays. The Solutions 650 and 900lights have a total light output of20,000 lumens and a lifespan of50,000 hours.The Solutions 650 and 900 lights

are suited to indoor and outdoorenvironments where high bright-ness and performance is required.The Solutions 650 uses a proprietaryoptics system, giving a narrow 3ºbeam of light with a reach of morethan 1500 feet. The Solutions 900is a full-color-mixing fixtureemploying an array of PhlatLightLEDs and is claimed to be 4–5times brighter than anything cur-rently on the market.“Our new Solutions products rep-

resent a unique application of LEDtechnology that wouldn't be possiblewithout the Luminus CBT-90,” saysStrong Entertainment Lighting’s VPof lighting Paul Rabinovitz. “Together,Luminus Devices and Strong aredeveloping next-generation narrow-beam LED-based light fixtures withvery long throws previously achiev-

able only by using the highest-performance lamps,” he adds. “CBT-90 white LEDs provide light-

ing fixture manufacturers such asStrong Lighting with ultra-bright,white light with superior opticalcoupling and beam control,enabling more efficient next-gener-ation lighting applications,” saysDon McDaniel, Luminus Devices’director, global entertainment.“Big-chip LEDs offer superiorbrightness over competitive prod-ucts and can last the lifetime of theluminaire, eliminating the frequentlamp replacement of traditionalspot lights.” The Solutions 650 and 900 series

lights powered by CBT-90 Phlat-Light LEDs were displayed at theLDI 2010 show in Las Vegas(22–24 October). http://lighting.ballantyne-omaha.com www.ldishow.com www.luminus.com

Luminus’ LEDs power brightest spotlights from Strong EntertainmentLuminus awarded

50th US patent for‘big-chip’ LEDsThe US Patent and TrademarkOffice (USPTO) has awardedLuminus Devices its 50th patent. Luminus says that, having pio-

neered ‘big-chip’ LED technology,it has aggressively filed intellec-tual property (IP) for protectionof big-chip LED devices, pack-ages and systems. It has alsobeen granted 13 non-US issuedpatents in China, Korea and Tai-wan, extending big-chip LED pro-tection into those countries.“The rapid allowance of our

patents is a testament to thenovelty of our approach in thesolid-state lighting industry,”reckons founder & chief technol-ogy officer Alexei Erchak. “Wehave more than 100 additionalpatents pending in the US and inother countries that furtherextend our coverage,” he adds. Luminus also has a track record

of granting licenses to other LEDfirms, starting with Japan’sNichia Corp in January 2009,then Taiwan’s Formosa Epitaxythis March and Epistar in August.“The innovative technologies

developed at Luminus can helpadvance the entire solid-stateindustry at a more rapid pace,”believes Erchak. “We thereforewelcome licensing opportunitiesthat complement our core manu-facturing business while simul-taneously helping other LEDcompanies benefit from our tech-nology,” he adds. “As the indus-try begins to become more andmore interested in the value ofbig-chip LEDs, we are seeingcompanies respect our IP posi-tion and many licensing opportu-nities continue to develop.” PhlatLight LEDs are used in

display applications by some ofthe largest electronics and light-ing firms, such as Acer, Guth, LG,Philips Lighting and Samsung.

IN BRIEF

On 15 October, 5th MassachusettsCongressional District Congress-woman Niki Tsongas met Luminus’president & CEO Keith T.S. Wardand other members of the execu-tive management team, touredthe firm’s manufacturing facilityand participated in a question &answer session with staff.“For our company to sustain

growth in the coming months it is

important that CongresswomanTsongas and other elected stateand federal officials understandthe significance of our businessand how our products are used bymany of the largest lighting andelectronics companies in both thecommercial and residential light-ing industry,” stated Ward.www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTn_KcxR8B4

Massachusetts Congresswoman visitsLuminus to tour manufacturing facilities

Strong’s Solutions 650 spot light.

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Tokyo-based Mitsubishi ElectricCorp says that on 18 November itwill begin sample shipments of itsnew ML501P73 red laser diode(LD), which has what is reckonedto be record pulsed output power of1W for the 638nm wavelengthband, suiting pico projectors andother portable display systems thatrequire a high-brightness red lightsource. Pico projectors have attracted

much attention because they canbe embedded in or connected tomobile systems such as cellularphones and laptop computers.Laser diodes are widely used as thelight source because they can project a wider range of colorscompared with lamp-based projec-tors. Compared with LEDs, laserdiodes deliver higher output whileconsuming less power, extendingbattery life. They also enable focus-free operation, because opticalsystems with great depth of fieldcan be used with laser beams. After only in January 2009 launch-

ing a 638nm laser with what was

then record output of 110mW(operating in continuous-wavemode), the firm boosted output to300mW in July 2009 then 500mWin January 2010, helping it toachieve luminosity of up to 60lmcompared with just 10lm in LED-based projectors. However, at high temperatures,

the output power of red LDs withwavelengths shorter than 640nmwas insufficient for high-brightnessprojector applications. MitsubishiElectric says that it has now used

its capabilities in applying windowmirror structures and epitaxialgrowth technology to develop output power of 1W at the 638nmlasing wavelength, doubling luminosity to more than 120lm forpico projectors. Supplied in a standard 5.6mm-

diameter CAN package, theML501P73 can be operated over atemperature range of –5ºC to+40ºC while emitting at an outputpower 0.5W in continuous wave(cw) mode and 1W in pulsed modeat a duty ratio of less than 33%and a frequency of 50Hz or higher.At a CW output of 500mW at 25ºC,operating current is 660mA andoperating voltage is 2.2V. Thethreshold current is 170mA. In addition, at a case temperature

of 25ºC, the new laser has an whatis claimed to be an industry-leadingelectrical conversion ratio of 32%at 1W (compared with 32% for the 500mW-output laser), helpingto reduce power consumption inpico projectors.www.mitsubishielectric.com

Luminus Devices Inc of Billerica, MA,USA, which develops and makesbig-chip PhlatLight (photonic lattice)LEDs for illumination applications,says that its CBM-380-RGBW Phlat-Light LEDs have been used insideVari*Lite’s VLX Wash Luminaireslighting the stage for Arcade Fire’srecent live HD webcast concertfrom Madison Square Garden (MSG)in New York City. The Canadian rock band enlisted

the assistance of lighting designerSusanne Sasic, who used 40 VLXWash Luminaries to light the band.During the live streaming show fromMSG, Sasic had to not only providelighting for concert-goers but alsofor fans tuning into the webcast. “During the concert, the VLX’s were

my main lights on the band. Thetrue white from the Luminus LEDsinside the VLX Wash Luminaires

were extremely successful for theband member skin tones,” saysSasic. “VLX Wash Luminaires haveno match today and their bright-ness and intense range of color areincredible,” she adds. The heart of the Vari*Lite VLX

Wash Luminaire is seven replace-

able custom PhlatLight CBM-380-RGBW LEDs. The system has beenoptimized to deliver a total lightoutput of 14,000 white lumens withan LED lifetime of at least 10,000hours at maximum output. “Wash Luminaires popularity with

lighting designers is a testament topunch and color uniformity previouslyavailable only from discharge lampfixtures,” says Don McDaniel, Lumi-nus’ director, global entertainment. “I had seen the VLX Wash during

a private demo, so I knew that itwould be a perfect fit for this tourbecause of its power, deep range ofcolor, and the true white from theLuminus LEDs,” Sasic says. “I haveused automated LED lighting previ-ously as decorative elements, butnever as a main lighting source.” www.vari-lite.com www.luminus.com

PhlatLight LEDs illuminate Madison Square Garden

Mitsubishi samples record 1W red laser for pico projectors

Vari*Lite’s VLXWash Luminaire

Mitsubishi Electric’s 1W ML501P73638nm red laser diode.

Microvision Inc of Redmond, WA,USA, which provides ultra-miniatureprojection display technology, hasintegrated ‘direct green’ laser samples from two leading manu-facturers into pico projector bench-top prototypes for what it claims isthe first time, representing the firststep toward the commercializationof PicoP display engines usingdirect green lasers. “We are very pleased with the

performance of these early directgreen laser prototypes,” says Sid Madhavan, VP R&D and appli-cations. “These encouraging resultsgive us confidence that direct greenlaser diodes will be capable ofmeeting the performance require-ments for integration into our PicoPdisplay platform,” he adds. PicoPdisplay engines that use a directgreen laser are expected to offersignificant commercial advantagesin price, size, power, and perform-ance.

Microvision’s PicoP platform isdesigned to enable next-generationdisplay and imaging products forpico projectors, vehicle displaysand wearable displays that inter-face with mobile devices. The pro-jection display engine uses laserlight sources that can create vividimages with high contrast andbrightness. However, to create a full-color

image, Microvision’s existing picoprojection engine uses red and bluelaser diodes together with a fre-quency-doubled ‘synthetic’ greenlaser (where the wavelength oflight from an infrared laser isreduced, being re-emitted as greenlight). This conversion process creates a complex system of multiple components held to tighttolerances, making manufacturingmore challenging. Direct green lasers can produce

green light natively, enabling theirdesign and manufacturing

processes to be simplified in amanner similar to red and bluediode lasers, facilitating lower costand rapid scalability to commercialquantities, says Microvision. The firm adds that the combinationof smaller size, lower power, andlower cost make direct green lasersan attractive alternative to syntheticgreen lasers for its mobile displaytechnology. Also, historically, the availability of

synthetic green lasers has beenconstrained due to their complexityand the existence of only two manufacturers. Today, there are atleast five firms worldwide that haveannounced they are developingdirect green lasers for commerciallaunch between late 2011 and mid2012. Analyst firm Yole Développe-ment forecasts that the directgreen laser market will reach about$500m by 2016, representing morethan 45 million devices.www.microvision.com

Laser manufacturer Modulight Incof Tampere, Finland has launched a set of OEM laser systems formedical and industrial applications.The sub-systems produce up to1.5W optical power and cover mostconventional wavelengths between635nm and 1550nm. The standard configuration is

based on Modulight's Butterflymodule line-up options andincludes an integrated laser driver,controller, cooling, and externalmodulation interface. Customizableoptions include, but are not limitedto, wavelength, power and outputspecification, control interface,form factor, and various operatingparameters.

Currently the following wavelengthsand maximum powers are offeredwith standard configurations:635nm, 500mW; 650/665nm,750mW; 808nm, 1.5W; 940/980nm,1.5W; and 1470/1550nm, 500mW.Other wavelengths are available asper request.“By presenting a standard OEM

system-level platform for single-

emitter lasers, our customers ben-efit from existing versatile design,in-house customization capabilityfrom chip to system level, and verylarge wavelength range from630nm to 1650nm,” says SampsaKuusiluoma, product line managerfor Integrated Laser Solutions. “We have supplied a number ofcustom OEM systems already for afew years, but we believe that astandard solution will enable largercustomer base within equipmentmanufacturer market,” he adds.“The OEM systems have beendesigned to enable simple integ-ration interface both mechanicallyand electrically.” www.modulight.com

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Microvision integrates direct green lasersinto pico projector prototypesPrice, size, power, performance to outdo frequency-doubled lasers

Modulight launches 635–1550nm OEM laser systems formedical & industrial applications

Modulight’s OEM lasersystem

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MRV Communications Inc hasagreed to sell its optical communi-cations component manufacturingsubsidiary Source Photonics Inc ofChatsworth, CA, USA to global tech-nology-focused private equity fundFrancisco Partners for $146m($113m in cash and $33m inassumed debt and deductions).Payment will be made in installmentswithin 60 days of closing. Source Photonics designs and

manufactures products includingpassive optical network (PON) sub-systems, optical transceivers usedin the enterprise, access and met-ropolitan market segments, andoptical subsystems used in fiber-to-the-premise (FTTP) deployments(for telecom service providers todeliver high-bandwidth video, voiceand data services).

“This transaction illustrates ourstrategic shift away from fiber-opticcomponents and our increasedemphasis on providing optical net-working products, services andsolutions,” says MRV’s CEO DilipSingh. “Moreover, this transactionwill help stabilize revenue andoperating income, allowing us toconcentrate on maintaining steadycash flows from our core businessunits and growing the business tomeet customer demand,” he adds.“Source Photonics will continuenormal operations while benefitingfrom Francisco’s expertise in thetechnology and telecommunica-tions industries,” Singh concludes. “Source Photonics provides a pow-

erful value proposition to its Tier 1customers with its substantialChina cost base, advanced techni-

cal capabilities, and high-growthbusiness model,” says Source Pho-tonics’ CEO Near Margalit. “Fran-cisco Partners’ experience in theoptical component space and ingrowing technology companies willhelp accelerate the next phase ofSource’s growth, and we considerthe investment a strong validationof our business strategy,” he adds. “Francisco Partners has been

engaged in the optical componentspace for many years,” says KeithGeeslin, a partner at Francisco Part-ners. “Source is a truly differentiatedplatform for growth and profitabilityin the optical component space,and look forward to partnering withthe management team to growSource into one of the top globalvendors for optical components.” www.sourcephotonics.com

Source Photonics sold to Francisco Partners for $146m Parent firm MRV focusing on optical networking equipment

Kotura Inc of Monterey Park, CA,USA, which has been designing andmanufacturing application-specificsilicon photonics components forthe communications, computing,sensing and detection markets formore than four years, has demon-strated an ultra-fast, submilliwatt,broadband 2x2 optical switch (Po Dong et al, Optics Express,2010, Vol. 18, Issue 24, p25225).With switching speeds of 6ns andpower consumption of only 0.6mW,the 60nm bandwidth means thatthe device could more than coverthe entire C-band range.“We are putting all the building

blocks in place for optical intercon-nects,” reports chief technologyofficer Mehdi Asghari. “We previ-ously demonstrated high-speed,low-power modulators, high-speeddetectors with record performance,and low-loss wavelength divisionmultiplexers and de-multiplexers.

With our new 2x2 switch we will be able to support more complexsilicon photonic circuits and enablemore flexible interconnecting archi-tectures,” he adds. “The switchingpower of 0.6mW achieved by thisfree-carrier current injection devicerepresents, to our knowledge, aworld record and the speed of 6ns isamongst the fastest ever reported.”

“Because the device isbroad band, it is verygeneric,” says presi-dent & chief operatingofficer Jean-LouisMalinge. “The ultra lowpower of the switchenables us to integratelarge numbers of our2x2 switch modules tocreate complex switchfabrics.” The low-power high-

speed switch wasdeveloped as part of

the US Defense Advanced ResearchProject Agency’s Ultra-performanceNano-photonic Intrachip Communi-cations (UNIC) program in conjunc-tion with Oracle Corp, under theleadership of DARPA program man-ager Dr Jagdeep Shah. www.kotura.com www.opticsinfobase.org/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-18-24-25225

Kotura demonstrates record 0.6mW broadband 2x2 silicon photonics switch with 6ns speed 60nm bandwidth could cover entire C-band range

A 2x2 switch with spiral shape arms. Arm length is4mm and the minimum bending radius is 5μm.



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Grenoble-based CEA-Leti (theFrench government’s Laboratoryfor Electronics & Information Tech-nology), which coordinates thepan-European consortium HELIOS(pHotonics ELectronics functionalIntegration on CMOS) to acceleratecommercialization of silicon pho-tonics, says that project partnershave demonstrated a 10Gb/s siliconmodulator using a process that iscompatible with complementarymetal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS)processing, in addition to the pro-ject’s CMOS-compatible laser. Silicon photonics is an emerging

technology for overcoming electri-cal connections’ limits in processingincreasingly data-rich content andreducing the cost of photonic systems by integrating optical andelectronic functions on the samechip. The technology may enablelow-cost solutions for a range ofapplications such as optical communications, chip-to-chip andrack-to-rack connections, data-centercables, optical signal processing,optical sensing, and biologicalapplications.Launched by the European Com-

mission in May 2008 within theInformation and CommunicationTechnologies (ICT) theme of its 7th Framework Program (FP7), the €8.5m, four-year project isdesigned to drive European R&D inCMOS photonics and to pave theway for industrial development.Specifically, it aims to developmicroelectronics fabricationprocesses for integrating compoundsemiconductor-based photonicswith CMOS silicon circuits and tomake the technology available to awide variety of users.Project partners include CNRS,

Alcatel Thales III-V lab, Thales,University of Paris-Sud, 3S Photonicsand Photline Technologies in France;IMEC in Belgium; Phoenix BV in

The Netherlands; IHP and the University of Berlin in Germany;Austriamicrosystems AG and theUniversity of Vienna in Austria; IMM and the University of Trento in Italy; the University of Valencia,the University of Barcelona andDAS Photonics in Spain; and theUniversity of Surrey in the UK. Theoverall project cost is €12m. Now in its second year, the project

is now developing building blocksand processesto acceleratethe adoptionof silicon photonics.The laser wasfabricated byfirst bondingthe III-V mat-erial indiumphosphide(InP) on topof a CMOSwafer andthen process-ing it using the same equipment asin microelectronics production.The 10Gb/s silicon modulator has

an extinction ratio of 7dB. A 40Gb/sversion has already been designedby the consortium and being fabri-

cated. The firstcharacterizationresults areexpected next year.“The capability

of manufacturingoptical componentswithin the CMOS-processing infra-structure is key to realizing thepotential of siliconphotonics,” saysHELIOS coordinatorLaurent Fulbert,photonics programsmanager at Leti.“HELIOS partners

are focused on bringing this tech-nology to foundries and componentmanufacturers for high-volumeapplications,” he adds. In addition to the laser and silicon

modulator, building blocks underdevelopment by HELIOS partnersinclude a light modulator, passivewaveguides and photodetectors. Other recent results of the project

include: ●demonstration of high-responsivity(0.8–1A/W), low-dark-current andhigh-bandwidth photodiodes (up to130GHz); ●efficient passive waveguides(mux/demux, polarization diversitycircuit, fiber coupling, rib/strip transition); ●establishment of a photonicsdesign flow; and ● investigation of novel conceptsfor light emission and modulation. Most of the results of the project’s

second year were presented at the7th IEEE International Conferenceon Group IV Photonics (GFP 2010)in Beijing, China (1–3 September).HELIOS has also developed a free,

21-hour training course addressingall aspects of silicon photonics,available on the website. www.helios-project.eu

HELIOS European silicon photonicsproject demos 10Gb/s modulator Characterization of 40Gb/s modulator expected next year

CMOS-compatible 10Gb/s modulator.

The capability ofmanufacturingopticalcomponentswithin theCMOS-processinginfrastructure iskey to realizingthe potential ofsilicon photonics

Luxtera Inc of Carlsbad, CA, USAhas announced the demonstrationof 25Gbps receiver technology in its CMOS-based silicon photonicsplatform. The firm says that, leveraging the

benefits of silicon photonics toovercome the barriers of current-generation parallel and serial10Gbps solutions, it can now fullysupport what are claimed to beunmatched levels of optical inter-connect bandwidth while offeringextended reach at low cost. Thetechnology, combined with Luxtera’srecently announced 25Gbps trans-mitters, enables the developmentof products for parallel 100GbpsInfiniBand and Ethernet, as well asfor serial 32G Fibre Channel appli-cations. Recognizing its potentialimpact in the high-performancecomputing (HPC) market, Luxterawas selected to showcase its trans-ceivers as part of the disruptivetechnologies exhibit at this year’sSuperComputing event (SC10) inNew Orleans (13–19 November).“Processor computing capabilities

are continuously increasing, puttingpressure on the interconnect,” saysShai Rephaeli, VP of interconnectproducts at Mellanox Technologiesof Sunnyvale, CA, USA andYokneam, Israel. “Cost-effective,high-throughput interconnect solutions are required to supportlarge-scale computing systems.Breakthroughs in interconnecttechnologies such as Luxtera’shigh-speed transceivers will helpenable economic solutions for these next-generation 100GbpsInfiniBand and Ethernet networks.” Silicon photonics uses CMOS

processes to deliver on-chip wave-guide level modulation and photo-detection. Unlike traditional directlymodulated transceivers, lasers insilicon photonics applications arealways on, acting as a continuoussupply of photons to the chip. Inaddition, light from a single laser isused to power multiple optical

transmitters on a chip, eliminatingthe need for multiple lasers andreducing transceiver cost. Thisallows Luxtera to reuse the samelaser used in current production10Gbps transceivers to power next-generation higher-speed products,eliminating the need for the devel-opment of higher-speed lightsources. When combined with sin-gle-mode fiber and waveguide pho-todetector receivers, this offerspractically unlimited reach and per-formance at 25Gbps, the firm claims. “Our large-scale data center spans

thousands of square feet spreadover multiple computer room floorsin two buildings a mile apart,” saysBob Ciotti, supercomputing systemlead at NASA’s advanced super-computing facility. “Our largest sys-tem currently has over 40 miles ofInfiniBand cables, most of it parallel10Gbps optical links. As we expandand transition to faster systems, we will requirethousands ofeven fasteroptical trans-ceivers thatare costeffective, lowpower andcan operatereliably from10m to 2km,”he adds. “Our 25Gbps silicon proven

transceiver technology will enabledata centers to keep pace withgrowing bandwidth demands, providing end-users with enhancedconnectivity; all at a cost per gigabit lower than the current gen-eration of interconnects,” reckonsLuxtera’s VP of engineering PeterDe Dobbelaere. “Selection to show-case in this year’s SC10 disruptivetechnologies exhibit further under-scores the technology’s potential todisrupt the HPC landscape,” he adds. “A technology is considered dis-

ruptive if it is so much better thancurrent practice that it is poised to

displace the incumbent technologyand becomes the standard practicefor future technologies,” says John Shalf of SC10. “We selectedLuxtera’s optical transceiver for the SC10 disruptive technologiesexhibit because it represents a dramatic shift from conventionalpractice for these devices. To date,optical transceivers have relied ondirectly modulating the laser source,turning the entire laser on and offas fast as possible,” he adds. “Luxtera’s device uses silicon pho-tonics technology to modulate thelight directly rather than the lasersource. This not only enables apath to scaling to even higher signaling rates, it can also greatlyreduce the cost of optical devices inthe future. Given these capabilities,it is poised to drastically changeoptical transceiver technologyacross the industry.” Also, for the third consecutive

year, Luxtera’s Blazar 40Gbpsactive optical cables (AOCs) willprovide connectivity for the SC10SCinet InfiniBand network, built forHPC demonstrations. Selected forits extended reach and reliability,Blazar can support up to 4000mand offers what is claimed to be theindustry’s lowest power consumptionof 20mW per Gigabit.Luxtera showcased its 25Gbps

transceiver technology in the disruptive technology booth (15–18 November). Its commerciallyshipping products, Blazar andOptoPHY (optics on motherboardtransceivers) were also featured inLuxtera’s booth. Commercial products based on

25Gbps transceiver technologyavailability will coincide with themarket’s introduction of 100GbpsEDR InfiniBand and 100G EthernetSystems. Initial products will bedelivered in 4x25G configurations,with potential platform extensionsto highly parallel interconnectssuch as 12x and 16x. www.luxtera.com

Luxtera’s 25Gbps silicon photonics transceiversshowcased at SC10’s disruptive technologies exhibit

Initial productswill be deliveredin 4x25Gconfigurations,with potentialplatformextensions tohighly parallelinterconnects

News: Optical communications — SC10


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Avago Technologies has announcedthe availability of the AFBR-79E4Zfour-channel parallel optic QSFP+transceiver module for 40 GigabitEthernet, enabling data communi-cation and interconnect applicationsthat integrate four independent10Gbps data lanes in each directionto provide 40Gbps aggregate band-width. The pluggable modules alsoprovide an alternative to copperinterconnects for switch and routerconnections, data aggregation sys-tems and backplane applications. The proliferation of videos and

multimedia files in business envi-ronments is placing a premium onbandwidth and density in data cen-ters and high-performance comput-ing applications, says Avago.Copper interconnects present sig-nificant challenges to achieving40Gbps bandwidth performance,and their power and size require-ments are inefficient for higher-bandwidth applications. Systemdesigners are hence making thetransition to optical interconnects,which can handle much higherbandwidths for longer-reachlengths, consume less power,improve electromagnetic noiseresistance, and provide more flexi-

ble cable management than cop-per-based solutions.The AFBR-79E4Z QSFP+ modules

are fully compliant to the IEEE802.3ba 40GBASE SR4 specifi-cation, and support the IBTA 4 x10G QDR for Infiniband appli-cations. They provide designerswith maximum flexibility to supportinstallations of varying cable linksor for difficult cable plant installa-tions, says Avago. With data ratesof 10Gbps for up to 100m usingOM3 fiber or 150m using OM4 fiber,the modules operate over multi-mode fiber systems using a nomi-nal wavelength of 850nm. Theirelectrical interface uses a 38 con-tact edge type connector, while theoptical interface uses either an 8-or 12-fiber MTP (MPO) connector. A

21mm horizontal port pitch pro-vides high port density. Maximumpower consumption is less than1.5W, while the case temperatureoperating range is 0–70°C. The AFBR-79E4Z modules provide

what is claimed to be superior elec-tro-optical noise immunity,enabling the optimal jitter perform-ance required for high-speed com-puting, server clustering, Infinibandand Ethernet switching, and corerouters. The transceivers are alsohot pluggable for ease of installa-tion and servicing, and are back-ward compatible with 5 and2.5Gbps per channel applications. In addition to the AFBR-79E4Z

transceiver, the AFBR-79E4Z-Dvariant features full real-time digi-tal diagnostic monitoring. TheAFBR-79E4Z is priced at $550 andthe AFBR-79E4Z-D at $600, each in10-piece quantities. At the Super Computing 2010

(SC10) conference (16–19 Novem-ber), Avago demonstrated itsQSFP+ transceiver technology for40 Gigabit Ethernet applicationsconnected to an Infiniband switchusing its new CXP form-factor tech-nology. www.avagotech.com

At the Super Computing 2010(SC10) conference (16–19November), Avago Technologiesannounced a new form factor forfiber-optic transceivers thatenables increased port density inEthernet and storage equipment. The new mini-SFP+ (mSFP+)

pluggable modules enable 30%greater port density over industry-standard SFP+ transceivers, while delivering the same data-transmission performance fornext-generation 10Gbps Ethernetequipment designs and 8GbpsFibre Channel for storage applications.

The mSFP+ transceivers incorpo-rate Avago’s 850nm vertical-cavitysurface-emitting laser (VCSEL) andPIN detector technology and complywith the IEEE 802.3ae 10GBASE-SR standard’s optical interfacespecification. The devices aredesigned for low power consump-tion, with typical dissipation of0.6W. Avago has teamed with multiple cage and cable suppliersto provide a complete 10Gbps Ethernet mSFP+ solution. At SC10, Avago is exhibiting ahigh-density DCX Backbone modular switch from Brocade featuring the mSFP+ technology,

in addition to demonstrating otherhigh-speed optical fiber solutions.“Avago is the market leader in

8 and 10Gbps SFP+ transceivers,and our new mini-SFP+ devicesintegrate our proven technology inan innovative form factor thathelps our world-class networkingcustomers such as Brocade todeliver higher-density networkingequipment,” says Tina Ohlhaver,marketing manager for fiber opticproducts. “Avago optical trans-ceivers offer unparalleled reliability,with not a single VCSEL failure inthe millions of 8 and 10Gbps modules we have shipped to date.”

Avago mini-SFP+ transceiver boosts port density by 30% over SFP+

Avago launches first optical module to enablemultimode 40G Ethernet uplink applications

Avago’s AFBR-79E4Z transceiver.



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At the Super Computing 2010 conference (SC10) in New Orleans(16–19 November), Avago Tech-nologies demonstrated what isclaimed to be the industry’s firstCXP parallel optic transceiver solution that is fully compliant toindustry standards. The new 12-channel CXP trans-

ceivers support lane rates of up to10Gbps for an aggregate band-width of up to 120Gbps. The hot-pluggable modules feature anindustry-compliant MTP multi-fiberpush on (MPO) receptacle forremovable fiber cable connectors.Avago says that this allows flexiblecable management at installation,simplifying design and loweringcost for high-performance comput-ing, switch fabric and other short-range data and communicationinterconnect applications. The transceivers are compliant to

both IBTA MSA specifications forCXP QDRx12 and IEEE 100GBASE-SR10 specifications. The modules

combine the firm’s 850nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser(VCSEL) technology, PIN arraytechnology, and integrated laserdriver and receiver IC technology toprovide robust electrical and opticalperformance at high data rates.Programmableequalization andde-emphasisfor each of themodules’ lanesoptimize thesignal integrityperformancefor an edge-mount solutionand long PCBtrace lengths.With what isclaimed to besuperior jitterperformance,the modulesprovide 10Gbps performance perlane for up to 100m using OM3fiber or 150m using OM4 fiber.

“Our CXP transceiver works with separate cabling to offer apay-as-you-go fiber-optic solutionwith lower total cost of ownershipand easier installation,” says Tina Ohlhaver, Avago Technologies’marketing manager for fiber-opticproducts. “Avago has over a decade of

experience in developing 12-channel parallel optic solutions, andwe are leveraging this expertiseand investment in building-blocktechnologies to support our cus-tomers with both standards-basedand custom proprietary solutions,”she adds. At Super Computing 2010,

Avago is demonstrating its CXPform-factor technology in an Infiniband switch connected to itsQSFP+ transceiver technology for40 Gigabit Ethernet applications, in addition to demonstrating otherhigh-speed fiber-optic communica-tions solutions. www.avagotech.com

At the Super Computing 2010(SC10) conference (16–19November), Avago Technologieshas launched a high-bandwidth,high-density parallel optic solutionfor short-range data and commu-nication interconnect applications. The new 12-channel embedded

MiniPOD parallel optics transmitterand receiver modules support lanerates of up to 10Gbps for anaggregate bandwidth of up to120Gbps. The small-footprintmodules feature a low-cost,removable fiber cable connectionand a pluggable electrical connec-tion that provide flexible cablemanagement at installation, sim-plifying design and lowering costfor switching and supercomputingapplications. The modules combine Avago’s

850nm vertical-cavity surface-

emitting laser (VCSEL) technology,PIN array technology, and integ-rated laser driver and receiver ICtechnology to provide robust electrical andoptical performanceat these highdata rates.Using separatetransmitterand receivermodules providesdesign flexibil-ity and lowersthe total solution costfor the opticalinterconnect,says Avago.Incorporatingprogrammable

equalization and de-emphasis into the modules’ compact 22mm x 18.5mm form factor allowsystem designers to optimizedense board layouts with superiorsignal integrity and system margin,the firm adds. “Our new MiniPOD 120 Gigabit

optical interconnects offer a powerful combination of density,speed, performance and designflexibility,” says Tina Ohlhaver,marketing manager for fiber opticproducts. “Avago offers the market’s broadest range of high-density, high-bandwidth parallel optical interconnects,which allows us to meet uniquecustomer layout and densityneeds,” she claims. Avago exhibited high-density

board layouts using its MicroPODand MiniPOD technology at SC10.

Avago launches 120Gbps high-density parallel optical interconnects

Avago debuts first fully compliant CXP transceiver 120Gbps transceiver provides optimal cable management flexibility

The new 12-channel CXPtransceiverssupport lanerates of up to10Gbps for anaggregatebandwidth ofup to 120Gbps...this allowsflexible cablemanagement

The modulescombineAvago’s 850nmVCSELtechnology,PIN arraytechnology,and integratedlaser driverand receiver ICtechnology toprovide robust electrical andopticalperformance



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For its fiscal second-quarter 2011(to end-October 2010), fiber-opticcommunications component andsubsystem maker Finisar Corp ofSunnyvale, CA, USA has reportedanother revenue record for continu-ing operations of $240.9m, up15.9% on $207.9m last quarterand up 65.3% on $145.7m a yearago (and above September’s guid-ance of $215–230m). “The market environment contin-

ued to be very strong for Finisar,driven by increased demand for abroad range of LAN/SAN andmetro/telecom products,” says CEOEitan Gertel. “The company contin-ued to gain market share, includingin the WSS/ROADM line-card seg-ment,” he adds. Of the $33m increase in revenue

from last quarter, sales fell $0.7m(15.6%) for products for analogand cable TV applications, but rose$12.1m (15.4%) for less than10Gbps products, $13.3m (14.1%)for 10Gbps or faster products, and$8.3m (27.3%) for reconfigurableoptical add-drop multiplexer(ROADM)-related products, includ-ing wavelength selective switches(WSS).On a non-GAAP basis, gross margin

has risen further, to 35.5% from35.2% last quarter (due mainly to afavorable shift in product mix) and

29.6% a year ago (due to a reduc-tion in manufacturing unit costsfrom higher shipment volumes). Operating expenses as a percent

of revenue have been cut from23.5% a yearago and 21.3%last quarter to18.5%, duemainly to rev-enue growingfaster thanexpenses.Non-GAAPoperatingincome hasrisen from$8.9m (6.1% of revenue) a yearago and $29m (14% of revenue)last quarter to a record $40.9m(17% of revenue, exceeding Sep-tember’s guidance of 14–15%). “We reached our previously

announced target for non-GAAPoperating margin of 17%, upwardlyrevised just last quarter, substantiallyearlier than we had predicted,” saysexecutive chairman Jerry Rawls.“Achieving this level of operatingmargin was driven by our strongrevenue growth combined withminimal increases in operatingexpenses,” he adds. “We achievednew company records for quarterlyrevenues, operating income andnet income.”

Non-GAAP net income has risenfrom $7.5m a year ago and $25.8mlast quarter to $38.3m. Non-GAAPEBITDA rose to $49.5m, up from$37.3m last quarter and more thantriple the $16m a year ago.After working capital adjustments

and capital expenditure ($13.4m,up from $12.1m last quarter and$7.6m a year ago), cash generatedtotaled $18m. During the quarter the firm

received $11.3m in cash (net ofrelated legal fees) under a settle-ment and cross-license agreementwith Source Photonics Inc, resolv-ing a lawsuit claiming infringementof Finisar patents. Finisar also paid$29.6m in cash to retire convertiblesubordinated notes that maturedon 15 October and made scheduledprincipal payments of an additional$1m on its Malaysian debt. Finally,the firm used $5.9m in cash tomake a strategic minority invest-ment in a small optoelectronicscompany. In total, cash and cashequivalents fell during the quarterfrom $192.2m to $184.9m.For its fiscal third-quarter 2011 (to

end January), Finisar expects rev-enue to rise to $247–262m (includ-ing revenue for WSS/ROADMline-cards growing another 20–30%sequentially). Non-GAAP operatingmargin should be at least 17%.

Finisar’s quarterly revenue up 16% to record $240.9m Operating margin hits revised target sooner than expected

At the annual SuperComputing(SC10) conference on high-per-formance computing, networking,storage and analysis in New Orleans(15–18 November) Finisar demon-strated the industry’s first InfiniBandFDR active optical cable. The high-speed Quadwire FDR cable trans-mitted 56Gb/s data across fourlanes of traffic at 14Gb/s each.As the operating speed of super-

computing clusters continues toaccelerate, the high-performance

computing (HPC) and data-centermarkets demand higher-speedinterconnections to support theincreasing bandwidth needs, saysFinisar. Its FDR active optical cablesuse 14Gb/s VCSEL technology toprovide the next level of datathroughput in the form of a com-pact, lightweight and flexible opti-cal cable suitable to support thosevery high-density deployments. “This product leverages our

expertise in optics technology to

provide a timely solution to thebandwidth and link distancerequirements which cannot besupported by copper cables,” saysChristian Urricariet, director ofmarketing for high-speed optics. At SC10, Finisar also displayed its

complete family of active cables,including Laserwire for 10GbE,Quadwire for 40GbE and InfiniBandQDR, and C.wire for 100GbE andInfiniBand QDR. www.finisar.com

Finisar demonstrates first InfiniBand FDR active optical cable forhigh-performance computing and 16x Fibre Channel applications

The companycontinued to gain market share,including in theWSS/ROADMline-cardsegment

For its fiscal second-quarter 2011(to 2 July 2010), Advanced Pho-tonix Inc of Ann Arbor, MI, USA(which designs and makes silicon,InP- and GaAs-based APD, PIN,and FILTRODE photodetectors,high-speed optical receivers, andterahertz instrumentation) hasreported revenue of $7m, up 11%on $6.3m last quarter and up 29%on $5.4m a year ago. Revenue wasdown in only one of the firm’s fivemarkets. “The second quarter continued to

fuel our strong return to growth,”says chairman & CEO Richard(Rick) Kurtz. “Year-to-date resultsare ahead of the raised guidancewe gave in August of 20% year-over-year growth,” he adds. Although down on 47% last quarter,

gross margin of 42% is still up on38% a year ago. On a non-GAAP

basis, net profit was $209,000, morethan doubling from just $97,000last quarter and compared to a netloss of $452,000 a year ago.EBITDA (earnings before interest,taxes, depreciation, and amortiza-tion) was $455,000, up from$387,000 last quarter and comparedto negative $220,000 a year ago(an improvement of $675,000). “We expect a strong second half of

the year basedon: the increasein demand forour HSOR [high-speed opticalreceiver] prod-ucts; a rebound-ing of ourOptosolutionsproduct platform;and theincreased inter-

est in our terahertz product plat-form, as demonstrated by therecently announced contracts toassist the Department of HomelandSecurity with the detection of con-cealed threats through the utiliza-tion of the technology in our T-Ray4000,” says Kurtz. “Based on theperformance of the first half andthe outlook for the second half weare raising our annual guidance tothe low end of a 25% increase insales for the year.” ●Advanced Photonix has also filedwith the Securities and ExchangeCommission (SEC) a shelf registra-tion statement that will allow it tosell up to $7m of various securities.The terms of any future sale orissuance of securities under theregistration statement will be setforth in a prospectus supplement tobe filed with the SEC.

We areraising ourannualguidance tothe low end of a 25%increase insales for theyear



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Advanced Photonix reports quarterlyrevenue up 29% year-on-year Guidance for full-year sales growth raised from 20% to 25%

Advanced Photonix Inc says that a leading OEM telecom systemsprovider has selected its subsidiaryPicometrix LLC to supply its CR-100A100Gb/s high-speed optical receiver(HSOR) for long-haul communica-tions. The annual commitment is esti-

mated at more than $5.3m, withvolume shipments beginning in thefirm’s fiscal fourth-quarter 2011(starting January). Along with thecommitment for the 100Gb/sHSOR (which is a new design), thesystems provider also renewed itscommitment to purchase $1.7m ofthe firm’s existing 40Gb/s design(to be delivered over the next calendar year), raising its totalspend in 2011 to $7m.“This agreement with a major

tier-1 telecom OEM, a leader in100Gb/s deployment, is only oneof several design wins with tier-1and tier-2 OEMs that we are

pursuing,” says Robin (Rob) Risser,general manager of Picometrix and chief financial officer of API.“We anticipate additional designwins in both 100Gb/s and 40Gb/sDP-QPSKproductswill move tovolume productionstatus during2011, andlook for-ward to along andrewarding relationship with thiskey customer in particular.” Picometrix offers a complete line

of 100Gb/s and 40Gb/s HSORsolutions for both client-side andline-side modulation formats,including NRZ, RZ, DPSK, DQPSK,ODB and DP-QPSK and DP-BPSK.The new design wins are for

100Gb/s long-haul communicationsin dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) systems that use DP-QPSK and DP-BPSKmodulation. The CR-100A 100Gb/s optical

receiver (launched in March andshipping since June) uses thefirm’s patented photodiode arrays,a complete optical front-endincluding 90º optical mixer, andhigh-speed linear amplifiers. Itcomes in the industry-standardCCRx multi-source agreement (MSA)form factor, is consistent with theOptical Internetworking Forum’sImplementation Agreement forcoherent receivers, and supportsdata rates up to 128Gb/s. Thereceiver operates over the entireextended C- and L-band wave-lengths and can be configured withor without an internal polarizationbeam splitter. www.advancedphotonix.com

Picometrix wins $5.3m order for 100G high-speed optical receivers

Additional designwins in both100Gb/s and40Gb/s DP-QPSKproducts willmove to volumeproduction statusduring 2011

For third-quarter 2010, GigOptixInc of Palo Alto, CA, USA, whichdesigns modulator and laser driversand transimpedance amplifier (TIA)ICs based on III-V materials as wellas polymer electro-optic modulators,has reported another revenue recordof $7.2m. This is up 130% on $3.1ma year ago and 15% on $6.3m lastquarter (the fourth consecutivequarter of both double-digit growthand growth of more than $1m onthe prior quarter). It also exceedsJuly’s guidance of $6.6–6.8m. “Achievement of record revenue

during the third quarter and for thefirst nine months of the year repre-sents our continued execution onour business initiatives,” commentschief financial officer Ron Shelton. “Our results were driven by contin-

ued momentum and market sharegains as we capitalized on our lead-ership position in 40G and 100Goptical products,” reckons chairman& CEO Dr Avi Katz. Revenue from40G and 100G products grew morethan 65% sequentially. In particular,during the quarter, GigOptix startedvolume shipments of drivers for both100G coherent and 40G RZ-DQPSKsystems (two of the fastest-growingoptical segments). The firm alsoexpanded its 100G portfolio to surface-mounted devices (SMDs)and began sampling a quad 7.5VppDWDM driver for 100G DP-QPSKapplications. “Most notable, during the third

quarter we introduced our 40G and100G Bundled Solutions, which webelieve sets another industry firstby providing a complete solutionset comprised of a TIA and a TFPS[thin-film polymer on silicon]Mach–Zehnder modulator (MZM)with a matched driver for an opticalapplication,” says Katz. “Our goal isto simplify our customers’ supplychain and development efforts byoffering a one-stop-shop for all oftheir 40G and 100G requirements,including drivers, receivers and

modulators, which will alsoenhance inter-operability qualityand performance,” he adds. “Theseproducts are not currently availablefrom any other single supplier.” Shortly after the close of the third

quarter, GigOptix began shipping theindustry’s first production samplesof its TFPS MZM to tier-1 telecomcustomers. “This proprietary technol-ogy enables electro-optical polymerMZMs that establish new perform-ance thresholds in our industry interms of small size and low power,”says Katz. “Our high-bandwidth TFPSMZM is optimized for the stringenttelecom thermal and optical stabilityrequirements demanded by ourcustomers and we believe greatlystrengthens our comprehensiveBundled Solutions of 40G and 100Gdrivers and receiver TIAs.” Also during the quarter, GigOptix

launched a family of ultra-low-powermulti-rate SMART optical sub-assem-blies (OSAs) targeting short-reachdatacom applications, demonstratedat the European Conference andExhibition on Optical Communications(ECOC 2010) in late September.The SMART receive OSA (ROSA)and SMART transmit OSA (TOSA)are based on a new generation ofGigOptix’ VCSEL driver and TIA/limiting amplifier chips that combineRF analog circuit techniques thatreduce power consumption withmixed-signal circuits to enable afully digitally controlled TOSA andROSA. “Given their ultra-low powerdissipation and ease of design, webelieve there is significant opportu-nity for our SMART TOSA andSMART ROSA products not only inthe traditional datacom market butalso in consumer, industrial andavionics markets,” says Katz. “Our expanded product offerings

position GigOptix as the only pure-play provider of electronic devicesfor high-speed fiber-optical commu-nications covering all applications(drivers, amplifiers and modulators),

all speeds (from 1–120G), and alldistances — from very short reach(VSR) to ultra long haul (ULH),”believes Katz. On a non-GAAP basis, gross margin

has fallen from 62% a year ago and58% last quarter to 55% in Q3.However, although up on $3m ayear ago, operating expenses havebeen cut by 12% from $4.7m lastquarter to $4.1m.Compared to net loss of $0.7m a

year ago and $0.4m last quarter,GigOptix achieved its first non-GAAPnet profit, of $0.3m. The firm alsoachieved its second consecutivequarter of positive adjusted EBITDA,up from $0.2m last quarter to$0.9m (12% of revenue), comparedto a loss of $0.6m a year ago. During the quarter, cash and

investments rose from $0.8m to$4.9m, including $3.9m in net pro-ceeds from a public offering ofshares completed in July.“The third quarter represents our

13th quarter of consistent executionsince the inception of the companyin July 2007, and we are proud ofour continuing ability to exceed ouroriginal GigOptix growth plan,” saysKatz. For fourth-quarter 2010, GigOptix

expects revenue to grow sequentiallyby 7–10%, driven by continueddemand for its existing productlines as well as increasing tractionof products for the 40G and 100Gmarkets. “Furthermore, we expectto grow non-GAAP profitability andadjusted EBITDA as we movecloser towards achieving GAAPprofitability,” concludes Shelton. “Going forward, we will focus on

expanding our customer base andenhancing our product portfolio byachieving a higher level of integ-ration with our Bundled Solutions,as well as continuing to pioneer evenhigher communication speeds up to1Tbps over the next five years,”reckons Katz. www.GigOptix.com

GigOptix’s 15% growth to record revenue in Q3 yieldsfirst non-GAAP profit Growth of 7–10% in Q4 to be driven by 40G and 100G products



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GigOptix Inc of Palo Alto, CA, USA,which designs modulator and laserdrivers and transimpedance ampli-fier (TIA) ICs based on III-V mater-ials as well as polymer electro-opticmodulators for fiber-optic commu-nications systems, has opened twonew offices in the Greater Chinaregion, in Wuhan and Shenzhen,responsible for sales promotion,customer service, and technicalsupport in China. Since the firm’s inception, GigOptix

has operated in China through localrepresentative Pangaea (HK) Ltd,enabling it to develop close part-nerships with local industry leaders.Activities in China include partner-ing with local manufacturers todevelop products targeted specifi-cally for Chinese end-users.“The new offices located at

Luoyu Road, East Lake Hi-TechDevelopment Zone, Wuhan andShennan Road, Futian District,Shenzhen demonstrate GigOptix’commitment to not only its Wuhan

and Shenzhen customers but alsothe broader China market,” saysJay de la Barre, VP of global sales.“Our staff is composed of well-respected professionals withproven field experience, as well asextensive experience in telecomand datacomapplications,support andservice. The estab-lishment ofthese newoffices further confirmsGigOptix’commitmentto develop-ing a strongpresence inthe Chinesemarket,” de la Barreadds.

“China is strategically important toGigOptix. The expansion of ourteam in China is an important mile-stone in our continued commitmentto building a strong presence inAsia and improving our service tocustomers,” says chairman & CEODr Avi Katz. China’s optical net-working market is growing rapidly,and is expected to represent a totaladdressable market (TAM) of $3bnby 2015, according to telecommarket research firm Ovum. “Withthis in mind, and more importantlywith our continuously growing busi-ness in China, we are increasingour local presence to better supportour customers at their point of use,and capitalize on this attractive andrapidly growing market,” says Katz.“With our two new offices, GigOptixnow brings its full resources toChina, including engineering, support, sales and marketingexpertise that will enable GigOptixto better serve the needs of thelocal market,” he adds.

China’s opticalnetworkingmarket isgrowing rapidly,and is expectedto represent atotal addressablemarket (TAM) of$3bn by 2015... We areincreasing ourlocal presence to better supportour customers attheir point of use

GigOptix has made available samples of its pre-productionGX6255, a surface-mounted 8Vpp

Mach–Zehnder Modulator (MZM)single-ended driver designed foruse in 40G RZ-DQPSK and 100GDP-QPSK transponders.The GX6255 is a low-power,

compact surface-mount technology(SMT) MZM driver capable of out-putting 8Vpp at up to 32Gb/s. It isdesigned to be fully compliant withindustry-standard single-endeddriven 40G RZ-DQPSK and 100GDP-QPSK modulators. It is typicallyused to amplify the data signalsbetween the transponder multi-plexer and its optical MZM and dis-sipates about 1.6W of power at7.5Vpp output.“Increasing consumer demand

for bandwidth and the advent ofcloud computing are driving net-work operators to upgrade from10Gb/s links to larger 40Gb/s and

100Gb/slinks tokeep pace,”says VP ofmarketingPadraigO’Mathuna.“Buildingon the success ofourrecentlyannouncedGX62455quad-channeldriver, weare proudto extendour 40Gand 100Gdriverofferingwith ournewest

single-channel 8Vpp driver to offercustomers a complete driver portfolio solution for all their 40Gand 100G driver requirements,” he adds. “Our driver portfolio, incombination with our comprehen-sive receiver portfolio of dual-channel transimpedance amplifiers(TIA) for 40G and 100G coherentsystems and receiver amplifiers for40Gb/s RZ-DQPSK systems,enable GigOptix to offer customersthe widest selection of 40G and100G solutions in the market,”O’Mathuna claims. In a recent report on 100G com-

ponents, market research firmOvum forecasted that, afterlaunching in 2010, the 100G densewavelength division multiplexing(DWDM) line-side market will growat a compound annual growth rate(CAGR) of 140% to more than16,000 units by 2015. www.GigOptix.com

Pre-production single-channel 40G and 100G SMT driver sampled

GigOptix opens support & sales offices in China

Increasingconsumer demandfor bandwidth andthe advent ofcloud computingare drivingnetworkoperators toupgrade from10Gb/s links tolarger 40Gb/sand 100Gb/slinks to keep pace

The 100G DWDMline-side marketwill grow at aCAGR of 140% tomore than 16,000units by 2015



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For its fiscal second-quarter 2011(to end-September 2010), opticalmodule and component makerOpnext Inc of Fremont, NJ, USAhas reported record revenue of$86.4m, up 9.5% on $78.9m lastquarter and 6.7% on $81m a yearago (and above guidance of$80–85m). Of total revenue, Alcatel-Lucent,

Cisco Systems Inc and Huawei Tech-nologies Co Ltd each represented10% or more (47% combined,down from 51% last quarter).Revenue from sales of industrial

and commercial products grew fora fifth consecutive quarter to$7.7m, up 14.9% on $6.7m lastquarter and up 148% on just$3.1m a year ago. Revenue from sales of 10Gbps

and below products was $56.5m.As supply constraints improve, thisis up 1.2% on last quarter’s$55.8m (due mainly to increasedsales of XFP modules) and up13.2% on $49.9m a year ago(driven by increased sales of XFP

and SFP+ modules, offset partiallyby lower sales of Xenpak and X2modules). Revenue from sales of 40Gbps

and above products was $22.2m.Although this is down 20.7% on$28m a year ago (due mainly to adrop in revenue from 40Gbps sub-system sales), this is up a huge35.9% on $16.3m last quarter (duemainly to an increase in sales of40Gbps and 100Gbps modules).Sales had been expected to be flatduring new product ramp-up. “The strength in 40Gbps and above

modules, combined with recentcustomer and industry analyst fore-casts, offers encouraging evidencethat the markets we have beeninvesting in — 40G and 100G — arebecoming a key growth engine forthe optical industry,” commentspresident & CEO Gilles Bouchard. Although still down on 24.2% a

year ago, non-GAAP gross marginhas risen from 20.9% last quarterto 22.2%, despite lower averageper-unit selling prices. This is due

to the higher sales volumes, ahigher mix of 40Gbps and aboverevenues, lower average per unitmaterial and outsourcing costs, andlower obsolete inventory and war-ranty charges.Due mainly to the higher gross

margin, non-GAAP operating losshas been cut from $12m last quar-ter to $9.8m (although this is stillhigher than $8.2m a year ago).Likewise, although still up on$9.2m a year ago, non-GAAP netloss has been cut from $12.1m lastquarter to $10.7m.During the quarter, cash and cash

equivalents fell by $9.4m from$106.9m to $97.5m. This reflects$6.2m of cash used in operations,$3m of capital lease payments and$2.1m of capital expenditure (downfrom $3.1m last quarter), partiallyoffset by a $1.9m benefit from for-eign currency exchange fluctuations. For its fiscal Q3/2011 (to end-

December 2010), Opnext expectsrevenue to rise to $87–92m. www.opnext.com

At the Electronica 2010 trade fair inMunich, Germany (9–12 November),Avago Technologies launched a newline of optical fiber transmitters andreceivers optimized for harsh tem-perature environments. The RoHS-compliant HFBR-

152xETZ/252xETZ optical fibermodules provide reliable data trans-missions over cost-effective 1mm-diameter plastic optical fiber (POF)or 200 micron hard-clad silica fiberin the –40°C to +85°C extendedindustrial temperature range. Thefirm says that designers can usethe devices to implement systemcontrol or drives in wind turbinesand solar farms, traction invertersin trains, and for other industrialapplications and medical systems.

Extending Avago’s Versatile Linkseries, the new modules eliminatethe electromagnetic interference,crosstalk and electrical groundproblems common with copper wiresolutions while providing easier, moreflexible installation, says the firm. The HFBR-152xETZ transmitters are

based on a high-power 650nm LEDthat is easy to drive and modulate,and operate at speeds of 1–125MBdover distances up to 100m. The HFBR-252xETZ high-bandwidthreceivers contain a PIN photodiodeand internal transimpedance ampli-fier. The modules’ plastic housingsinterlock for single-channel orduplex links in a horizontal mountconfiguration, providing flexibilityduring PCB layout.

The HFBR-1527ETZ transmitterand HFBR-2526ETZ analog receiverare designed for transmissionsfrom 1 to 125MBd. The HFBR-1521ETZ transmitter and HFBR-2521ETZ digital receiver transmitfrom DC to 5MBd, and the HFBR-1522ETZ transmitter and HFBR-2522ETZ digital receiver transmitfrom DC to 1MBd.“The addition of these new Versa-

tile Link series modules withextended temperature range oper-ation is based directly on requestsfrom our customers in the rapidlygrowing renewable energy andtransportation markets,” says Mick-ael Marie, marketing manager forindustrial fiber products. www.avagotech.com



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Opnext reports higher-than-expected growth,to quarterly record of $86.4m 40G and 100G becoming key growth engine for optical industry

Fiber-optic modules for harsh temperature environments

In what is said to be the first evertechnology acquisition of an Irishhigh-tech firm by a Chinese corpo-ration, Zhejiang-based ZJF Grouphas acquired Firecomms Ltd of Cork,Ireland, a manufacturer of trans-ceivers (including its OptoLocktechnology, licensed worldwide) forconsumer plastic optical fiber (POF). Spun from Ireland’s Tyndall

National Institute in 2001,Firecomms develops high-speedoptical components that drive fiber-optic networks in home, industrialand automotive applications.Established in 1994, ZJF is anintegrated POF system and solu-tions provider with more than 3000staff that sells to more than 100countries, and has supply partner-ships worldwide for illuminationproducts with large retailers suchas Walmart, Target and B&Q. The deal guarantees €5m invest-

ment in R&D, together with expand-ing Firecomms’ engineering teamfrom 18 to 30 people over the next12 months, as well as facilitatingthe rapid expansion of Firecomms’operations in mainland China.“For some time now, mainland

China has been our largest mar-ket,” says Firecomms’ CEO DeclanO’Mahoney. “As the ZJF Group is amajor global player in this sector,today's announcement not onlyallows us to guarantee investmentcapital and job growth for the future,it also provides us with access tothe world's largest marketplace forour technology,” he adds. Firecomms’ shareholders included

Atlantic Bridge, ACT Venture Capi-tal, Swisscom Ventures, Alps Elec-tric and Enterprise Ireland. “We arevery pleased with this outcome,which positions Firecomms for con-tinued growth and success in theworld’s largest market,” says BrianLong, managing partner at AtlanticBridge, and member of Firecomms’board of directors. “Our acquisition of Firecomms is

driven by the recent decision by

various provincial governments toclassify plastic optical fiber as a majorconstruction focus across China,”notes ZJF’s chairman Xuping Zheng.“Delivering this infrastructure withcopper cables would result in over1 million tons of CO2 emissions forChina, and would be impossible toimplement as the demand for cop-per would far outweigh the world'ssupply. China is already the largestmanufacturer of plastic optical fiberand we are combining those hugeresources with Firecomms’ leadingtechnology,” he adds. “This increased investment in R&D,

coupled with access to the broadresources of the ZJF Group, will be hugely advantageous for ourcustomers,” believes O’Mahoney.“In addition to giving us the abilityto offer complete integrated net-working solutions to our customers,the investment and access to a fast-growing marketplace will result inrapid development of POF solutions,and reduced costs for this reliable,easy-to-use technology,” he says. “The acquisition of Firecomms by

the ZJF Group demonstrates theglobal appeal of the Irish high-techsector,” states Ireland's Minister forEnterprise, Trade and InnovationBatt O’Keeffe TD. “Ireland’s enter-prise base is now well diversifiedand our economic recovery isanchored in continued strongexport growth and a thriving foreigndirect investment sector,” he adds. “A recent study showed that foreign

direct investment is generating morejobs per capita in Ireland than anyother country,” according to BarryO’Leary, CEO of inward investmentpromotion agency IDA Ireland.“IDA’s published strategy Horizon2020 calls for an increase in invest-ments from new high-growth mar-kets. This pioneering technologydeal is a perfect example of whyIreland is increasingly recognized asa global innovation hub,” he adds. www.firecomms.comwww.zjfgroup.com



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China’s ZJF buys Ireland’s Firecomms€5m for POF R&D and engineering expansion Infinera appoints

chairman Infinera Corp of Sunnyvale, CA,USA, a vertically integrated manufacturer of digital opticalnetwork systems incorporatingits own InP-based photonicintegrated circuits (PICs), hasappointed Kambiz Hooshmandchairman of the board of directorsand named co-founder Dr DavidWelch to its board of directors. Hooshmand, who joined Infin-

era’s board last year, has morethan 20 years of experience inoptical transport, routing, access,and related technologies. He waspresident & CEO of Applied MicroCircuits Corp from 2005 to 2009.Previously, he held senior positions at Cisco Systems Inc,including VP & general managerof Cisco’s Optical and BroadbandTransport business unit.Welch is currently Infinera’s

executive VP & chief strategyofficer. Previously, he held seniorpositions at optical componentmakers SDL Inc and JDSUniphase. Welch has more than 80 patents and about 300technical articles to his name. His role in the development ofsemiconductor laser technologyand related products was recog-nized with the 1994 Adolph LombAward, the 1998 EngineeringAchievement Award from theLasers and Electro-Optics Society,and the 1999 Fraunhofer Award.Welch also currently serves onthe boards of both the Optical Society of America (OSA)and the Optoelectronic IndustryDevelopment Association (OIDA).“These appointments bring

deep experience of many aspectsof the telecom and technologybusinesses to Infinera," saysCEO Tom Fallon. “Kambiz andDave will play valuable roles onour board as we continue to growand develop our business.” www.infinera.com

IN BRIEF



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On a non-GAAP basis (includingrevenue from the acquisition of theNetwork Solutions Division fromAgilent Technologies Inc at thebeginning of May), for its fiscalfirst-quarter 2011 (ended 2 October2010) JDSU of Milpitas, CA, USAhas reported revenue of $411.3m,up 3% on $398.1m last quarter andup 38% on $298.6m a year ago. Advanced Optical Technologies

revenue was $60.5m (15% of totalrevenue), up 11% on last quarter’s$54.6m and 12% on $54.1m ayear ago. Communications Test &Measurement revenue was $182.8m(44% of total revenue), down 2%on last quarter’s $186.2m but up27% on $143.4m a year ago.Communications & Commercial

Optical Products (CCOP) revenuewas $168m (41% of total rev-enue), up 7% on last quarter’s$157.3m and 66% on $101.1m ayear ago. CCOP operating incomewas $24.2m, compared with$19.1m last quarter and an operat-ing loss of $1.5m a year ago. Within CCOP, Commercial Lasers

revenue was $25m (up 11% on lastquarter’s $22.6m). Optical Com-munications revenue was $143m(up 6% on last quarter’s $134.7m). Overall company gross margin has

risen from 44% a year ago and45.5% last quarter to 47.4% (thehighest in five years). Operatingmargin has risen from 3.4% a yearago and 9.3% last quarter to 10.8%(above the guidance of 8.5–10.5%).

Net income was $44.8m, up from$33.1m last quarter and just $9m ayear ago.“Our balance sheet remains strong,”

says president & CEO Tom Waechter.After generating $35.7m of cashfrom operations, during the quartertotal cash and cash equivalents andshort-term investments rose from$600.1m to $620m. “We expect tocontinue growing the business assupply constraints ease in our Optical Communications and Test &Measurement businesses and weinvest in incremental capacity forOptical Communications,” he adds. For fiscal Q2/2011 (ending 1 Jan-

uary), JDSU expects revenue of$425–450m (up 6% sequentially). www.jdsu.com

JDSU grows revenue despite supply & capacity constraints Operating margin exceeds guidance

For its fiscal first-quarter 2011(ended 2 October 2010), opticalcomponent, module and subsystemmaker Oclaro Inc of San Jose, CA,USA has reported revenue of$121.3m. This is up 43% on$85.1m a year ago and 7.6% on$112.7m last quarter (compared togrowth of 11.4% that quarter, andback to the level of the March quar-ter’s growth rate of 8%). Revenuewas on the low side of the forecastgrowth of 9% to $120–126m. “Weexperienced a slowdown in the rateof revenue growth in late Septem-ber,” notes president & CEO AlainCouder. However, telecom businessin particular grew by slightly more

than the overall revenue, being up9% on last quarter. On a non-GAAP basis, gross margin

has fallen from 30.7% last quarter to29% (short of the forecast 31–33%),although still up on 26.1% a yearago. Although up from just $4.1m ayear ago, adjusted EBITDA has fallenfrom $12.3m last quarter to $10.9m(short of the forecast $12.5–15.5m).Net income has fallen from $11.5mlast quarter to $3m (but still a bigimprovement from a net loss of$98,000 a year ago).During the quarter, cash, cash

equivalents, restricted cash andshort-term investments fell from$111.6m to $94m. However, this

was mainly due to Oclaro paying$12m in cash for the acquisition on20 July of high-bit-rate opticaltransport subsystem maker MinteraCorp of Acton, MA, USA.“Our guidance for the December

quarter is cautious,” says Couder.For fiscal second-quarter 2011 (toend-January 2011), Oclaro expectsrevenue of $116–124m, non-GAAPgross margin of 27–31%, andadjusted EBITDA of $6–11m. ButCouder adds: “We continue to haveconfidence in our position in the mar-ket and believe the growth prospectsfor Oclaro and our customers in2011 continue to be strong.” www.oclaro.com

Oclaro’s quarterly growth slows from 11.4% to 7.6%, asrevenue, gross margin and adjusted EBITDA fall short Late September slowdown prompts caution on December quarter

At its 2010 Core Partner Conventionin Shenzhen in November, China’sHuawei Technologies Co Ltd (one ofthe world’s largest makers of opticalnetworking equipment for the tele-

coms industry) presented itsExcellent Core Partner Award to twooptical chip and module makers. Oclaro Inc of San Jose, CA was

awarded for the second consecutive

year, while JDSU of Milpitas, CAwas awarded for its delivery ofoptical technology including itsROADM and tunable XFP products. www.huawei.com

Oclaro and JDSU receive Huawei Excellent Core Partner Awards

For its fiscal first-quarter 2011 (to end-September 2010), opticalnetworking component, moduleand subsystem maker Oplink Com-munications Inc of Fremont, CA,USA has reported record revenue of$49.6m, up 28% on $26.4m lastquarter and 48% on $23.6m a yearago (and at the high end of theexpected range of $47–50m). Of total revenue, OMS (optical

manufacturing solutions) comprisedabout 40%, passives more than40%, and actives less than 20%. Huawei and Tellabs together

accounted for 37% of revenue. On a non-GAAP basis, gross mar-

gin has risen from 31.2% a yearago and 33.5% last quarter to33.9% due to scaling revenue, offset by increased labor costs inChina (total company headcountgrew from 3821 to 3855, mainly inR&D engineering). Non-GAAP net income has risen

further, from $4.4m a year ago and$6m last quarter to $8.3m.

During the quarter, Oplink generated $5.5m in cash fromoperations. So, despite spending$6.5m on repurchasing its stock,cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments fell only slightly,to $160m. “We have improved our factory

capacity and normalized our pro-duction lead-times,” says chairman& CEO Joe Liu. “We have the pro-duction flexibility to meet a mean-ingful increase in demand withoutany further significant increase inheadcount,” he believes. “With our new OMS design-wins,

the continued growing demand onvideo transport and consolidatedcompetitor landscape, we are opti-mistic about our long-term busi-ness opportunity, but near-termvisibility remains limited [due tosoftness in demand for some pas-sive product lines],” Liu adds. For fiscal Q2 (to end-December),

Oplink expects revenue of $50–53m. www.oplink.com



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Emcore Corp of Albuquerque, NM,USA, which makes components andsubsystems for the broadband,fiber-optic, and solar power mar-kets, says that it has terminated itsexisting loan agreement with Bank of America (a $14m revolvingcredit facility) and instead estab-lished an asset-based revolvingcredit facility with Wells Fargo thatprovides for borrowings up to $35mfor working capital requirements,letters of credit and other generalcorporate purposes. The credit facility is subject to

certain financial covenants and aborrowing base formula andmatures in November 2013. Itbears interest at a rate per annumequal to the daily three-monthLIBOR rate for the applicable inter-

est period plus 3%. The loan issecured by substantially all of thefirm’s assets located in the USA and is guaranteed by certain sub-sidiaries. The loan agreement con-tains customary representationsand warranties, and affirmative andnegative covenants. Additional information can be found

in a current report on Form 8-K tobe filed with the US Securities andExchange Commission (SEC). “We are pleased to have executed

a significant increase in our creditfacility,” says chief financial officerMark Weinswig (who was appointedon 12 October). “This credit facility,combined with our existing cashposition and improved operatingperformance over the past year,ensures that we have the financial

capability required to support ourstrategic plan,” he adds. During third-quarter 2010,

Emcore’s cash, cash equivalents,available-for-sale securities, andcurrent restricted cash fell from$19m to about $16m. Working cap-ital totaled $33.1m. On 6 October, Emcore said that it

had regained compliance with aNASDAQ rule to file its Form 10-Qreport for third-quarter 2010 withthe SEC. Subsequently, on 26 Octo-ber, the firm said that it had alsoregained compliance with anotherNASDAQ rule by maintaining theclosing bid price of its commonstock equal to or above $1 pershare for a minimum of 10 consec-utive trading days. www.emcore.com

Emcore switches from $14m Bank of America credit facility to $35m Wells Fargo credit facility

Emcore hires CFO The board of directors of Emcorehas appointed Mark Weinswig aschief financial officer, reporting toCEO Dr Hong Q. Hou and respon-sible for the firm’s finance andaccounting functions. “Mark brings a broad back-

ground of both finance andaccounting, as well as a deepunderstanding of the fiber-opticsindustry,” comments Hou. Weinswig previously held lead-

ership positions as controller,executive VP of business devel-opment, and interim CFO withtechnology firms includingCoherent Inc and Avanex Corp(now Oclaro Inc). He was previ-ously at Morgan Stanley’s Insti-tutional Equity Research Group,covering the telecoms equipmentindustry, and at PriceWater-houseCoopers as an auditor.Weinswig received an MBA fromthe University of Santa Clara anda BS in business administrationfrom Indiana University. He alsohas CFA and CPA designations.

IN BRIEFOplink grows 28% from last quarteras China factory capacity increased

Boeing Company says that its sub-sidiary Spectrolab Inc of Sylmar,CA, USA has started mass produc-tion of its C3MJ+ terrestrial photo-voltaic cell, which boosts averagesolar energy conversion efficiencyfrom the existing C3MJ cell’s 38.5%to what is claimed to be an industrymass-production record of 39.2%. Spectrolab says that the concen-

trator photovoltaic (CPV) cells —used for renewable energy — draw on the firm’s 50-year historyof manufacturing solar cells forspace and terrestrial applications.“These more efficient cells aredrawing interest from a number ofcurrent and potential customers,”says Russ Jones, director of CPVbusiness development.

“Last year [in August 2009] weset a new world record for efficiencywith a test cell that peaked at41.6% [as tested independently bythe US Department of Energy’sNational Renewable Energy Labora-tory],” he adds (since surpassedthis October by Spire’s 42.3%-efficient CPV cell.) The cell is a version of the lattice-matchedtriple-junction photovoltaic technology already in high-volumeproduction for space and terrestrialapplications, but with improvementsin wafer processing to reduce howmuch of the cell’s area is shadowedby its metal contact grid and toimprove series resistance. “We nowhave entered production withessentially this same technology

and plan to deliver the first of these39.2% efficiency cells in January,”says Jones. Spectrolab says that it has intro-

duced mass production of a newseries of solar cells with increasedenergy-conversion efficiency eachyear since 2007. The existing C3MJ series entered production inmid-2009, and more than 2 millionhave been sold worldwide. “Giventhe new cells’ close similarity to ourexisting production cells, we believethat our current C3MJ customerswill be able to easily upgrade formore efficiency,” Jones says. The firm says it expects to achieve

40% average production efficiencyfor terrestrial solar cells in 2011. www.spectrolab.com

Spectrolab mass produces record 39.2% solar cellProduction cell efficiency boosted from 38.5%; 40% targeted in 2011

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Spectrolab has produced its 3 millionth multi-junction, space-based solar cell. Production recordsindicate that the gallium arsenidecell was delivered during the weekof 25 October. Spectrolab has beenmanufacturing multi-junction solarcells for more than 15 years andother space products for morethan 50 years. “Our customers expect flawless

satellites that can endure manyyears in space to enable national-security and Earth-observationmissions, as well as consumer andbusiness communications,” saysCraig Cooning, VP & general man-ager, Boeing Space & IntelligenceSystems. “Spectrolab’s solar cellshave powered more than 500satellites and interplanetary mis-sions,” he adds. Spectrolab has been developing

high-efficiency solar cells for spacemissions since the firm’s founding in1956. During the Apollo 11 missionin 1969, a Spectrolab productbecame the first solar panel to be placed on the moon. Today,Spectrolab solar panels are the

only panels in operation on Mars,as part of a reconnaissance satelliteand two land-exploration rovers. Spectrolab recently delivered solar

panels to the NASA-Jet PropulsionLaboratory JUNO mission (the firstmission to Jupiter to be poweredby photovoltaic cells). Spectrolab’scurrently cells and panels powerabout 60% of all satellites in Earth’sorbit, as well as the InternationalSpace Station. “Many years of continuous

improvement in product designand high-volume manufacturingexperience have allowed Spectrolabto develop mature, cost-effectiveand repeatable processes, resultingin the delivery of high-quality,

reliable and affordable products to both space and terrestrial customers,” says Spectrolab’spresident David Lillington. “Ourbusiness continues to grow as wegain market share. We are increas-ing productivity and introducinghigher levels of automation to meetthis increased demand,” he adds.“We expect to announce the pro-duction start of our next-genera-tion space cells early next year.” In 2001, Spectrolab embarked on a

strategy to adapt its space solar celltechnology for terrestrial appli-cations, converting concentratedsunlight to electricity with an aver-age efficiency of more than 38.5%and benefiting from the sameequipment, materials and processesused for space manufacturing. In2009, a Spectrolab triple-junction,lattice-matched cell set a record of41.6% for terrestrial concentratorsolar conversion efficiency. Thisyear, Spectrolab will deliver about50MW of solar cells to terrestrialconcentrated photovoltaic (CPV)customers, and expects to producealmost 150MW in 2011.

Spectrolab produces 3 millionth multi-junction space solar cell

Solar cells made by Spectrolab.

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QuantaSol Ltd of Kingston-upon-Thames, UK, which designs andmanufactures tunable concentratedphotovoltaic (CPV) solar cells, ismoving into pilot production follow-ing a successful period of globalcustomer sampling. Spun off from Imperial College,

London in mid-2007 and funded bythe Low Carbon Accelerator andImperial Innovations, in June 2009QuantaSol said that its strain-bal-anced quantum-well solar cell (SB-QWSC) had achieved recordconversion efficiency of 28.3% for asingle-junction PV cell at a concen-tration of greater than 500 suns

(tested independently by Fraun-hofer ISE). The firm has since beenapplying the technology to higher-efficiency multi-junction cells. The firm claims that its latest

technology, based on adding multi-ple quantum wells to triple-junctionsolar cells, enhances photovoltaicconversion efficiency and offersmanufacturers a route to improvingthe performance of their CPV sys-tem while driving down the cost perkWh. QuantaSol has been samplingwith customers across Europe, Asiaand the USA for several months,and has worked closely with lead-ing system vendors to enhance

their systems by maximizingenergy harvest. “Our technology has always been

focused on achieving maximumefficiency and power output in real-world conditions, and this has beenpivotal in moving forward from thelab stage towards production,” saysCEO Chris Shannon. “We have beenable to demonstrate genuineadvantages in cost per kWh terms,”he adds. To date, QuantaSol has accumu-

lated an order book of more than1MW of cells, and these will bedelivered through first-half 2011. www.quantasol.com

QuantaSol moves tunable CPV cells into pilot production1MW orders for MQW triple-junction cells to be delivered in H1/2011

SolFocus Inc of Mountain View, CA,USA says that Vision ElectroMechanical Company, a subsidiaryof Construction Products HoldingCompany (CPC), is to build SaudiArabia’s first commercial solarpower plant using CPV systems.Located in the Bahra region, theproject will deliver around 300MWhof clean energy per year and is thefirst in a series of Saudi power sta-tions planned by Vision.“The high-sun conditions of the

Middle East provide an ideal envir-onment for reaping large-scale,low-cost solar energy from CPVsystems,” says SolFocus’ CEO MarkCrowley. “Together with our part-ners at Vision, SolFocus will bringthe world’s most efficient andresource-friendly solar technologyto Saudi Arabia, providing energydiversification for the country.” “We accomplished this partnership

in line with Saudi’s efforts to pro-mote investment in renewableenergy projects and serve powerprojects in the Gulf and the wider

Arabian region,” says Vision's gen-eral manager Hassan Chahine.“This is a breakthrough in SaudiArabia’s thrust for energy diversifi-cation. We believe the Bahra plantwill serve as a model for the furtherresearch and study of clean waterand power solutions that diversifythe region’s energy mix.” Vision will market and install the

SolFocus systems, starting with theplant in CPC’s Bahra industrial com-plex. It will also install other solarpower stations in Saudi Arabia, aswell as in the research centers ofKing Abdullah University of Scienceand Technology (KAUST).Earlier this month SolFocus was

the first CPV firm to announce apower warranty backed by MunichRe; in May it announced completionof the largest CPV installation inNorth America; and in 2009 it wasthe first CPV firm to secure Interna-tional Electrotechnical Commission(IEC) certification for performanceand safety.www.solfocus.com

SolFocus and Vision ElectroMechanical Company to buildcommercial CPV power plant inSaudi Arabia

First performancewarranty insurancein US for CPV panelsIn collaboration with brokerWoodruff-Sawyer & Co, MunichRe has introduced the first insur-ance solution to provide an effec-tive performance warranty forCPV panels in the USA through anew plan that covers systemsmade by SolFocus. SolFocus provides all its cus-

tomers globally with a CPV sys-tem warranty of 25 years forpower performance. “As the first CPV company that

can provide an insured perform-ance-warranty to its customers,we are proud to pave the way forthis advanced solar technology toreach commercial status andbecome a trusted, bankabletechnology for developers, finan-cial institutions and utilities,”says SolFocus CEO Mark Crowley.“The ability to provide such aninsurance policy is critical forcompanies such as ours in pro-viding confidence and trust to themarketplace,” he adds. www.munichre.com

IN BRIEF

OPEL Solar Inc of Shelton, CT, USAand Toronto, Ontario, Canada haslaunched its latest high-concentrationphotovoltaic (HCPV) solar panel. Forshipping in spring 2011, the Mk-IXis designed for utility-grade grid-connected systems in medium-to-high solar irradiance climates. The Mk-IX panel uses a dual-

element refractive concentratorarchitecture, in combination withtriple-junction solar cells producedby Boeing-Spectrolab. The panel’sresultant high efficiency (boosted by20–25% over the prior generation)results in much higher power generation per unit area comparedwith both silicon flat-panel and

thin-film installations, it is claimed. “This new version of our successful

HCPV concentrator improves per-formance while reducing cost,” saysVP of engineering Dr Javier Berrios.“By using a more modular design,we are able to reduce overall manu-facturing time, which reduces costs,while also increasing overall energyproduction per panel and reliability.” The new Mk-IX concentrates light

more than 600-fold. It also improvesenergy conversion efficiency,achieving its performance rating atan irradiance of 850W/mm2, placingit among the highest efficiencies forsolar panels currently in commercialproduction, it is claimed.

Because of its standardized design,the Mk-IX offers increased durabilityand reliability. The new concentratortechnology also uses a less complex,easily repeatable assembly processthat can be transferred to differentmarkets, generating more localmanufacturing jobs. “By next year, customers in

North America, Europe, Asia andthe Mid-East will be able takeadvantage of this advanced HCPVtechnology,” says Berrios. OPELclaims to be the leading supplier ofHCPV panels throughout the Euro-pean and North African markets,and is expanding rapidly in the USA. www.opelinc.com

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OPEL’s new CPV panel improves efficiency, reliabilityand manufacturing cost

The National Research Council ofCanada (NRC) has unveiled theSUNRISE (Semiconductors UsingNanostructures for RecordIncreased in Solar-cell Efficiency)test installation in the FlexHousedemonstration home of the CanadianCentre for Housing Technology(CCHT) at the NRC’s Institute forResearch in Construction (NRC-IRC)in Ottawa, Ontario. The project wasformally started up in a ceremonyhosted by Gary Goodyear, Ministerof State (Science and Technology),and NRC president John McDougall. SUNRISE is a collaborative research

project between industrial partnersOPEL Solar Inc of Toronto, Ontario,

which makes high-concentrationphotovoltaic panels, and Ottawa’sCyrium Technologies Inc (whichmakes quantum-dot-enhancedmulti-junction solar cells), as well asthe NRC, the University of Ottawa’s

Centre for Research in Photonics,and the Université de Sherbrooke. The project focuses on developing

ultra-high-efficiency solar cells incombination with OPEL’s concentratordesign. Paired with OPEL’s dual-axistracker, the new panels are expectedto validate target efficiencies forboth cells and the system. Funded by the NRC, the Business

Development Bank of Canada (BDC)and the National Sciences andEngineering Research Council ofCanada (NSERC), SUNRISE is theculmination of three years of researchinto using nanostructures to boostCPV system efficiency and output. www.photonics.uottawa.ca/SUNRISE

SUNRISE tracker installation.

SUNRISE test project unveiled by Canada’s NRC

OPEL Solar has been issued a patentfrom the US Patent office for its CPVmodule used for generating elec-tricity in utility-scale solar powerplants, as well as commercial andindustrial building applications. The new HCPV module was

developed by Edward J. Linke andFrancisco A. Middleton and repre-sents the fourth generation of OPEL’s

HCPV technology and modules. The HCPV module contains a

housing structure that supports anarray of photovoltaic cells and cor-responding light guides. Usingconcentration lenses to focus inci-dent solar radiation into the hous-ing toward the light guides thatthen project the solar radiationonto photovoltaic cells, the module

has been recognized as a new,highly efficient solar energy appar-atus, says OPEL. “Our current HCPV module is a

high-performance, reliable, cost-effective system developed for awide array of grid-connected solarsystems for medium-to-high solar irradiance climates,” claimspresident & CEO Lee M. Pierhal.

OPEL receives patent for fourth-generation CPV module

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OPEL Solar has announced a newwireless, utility-scale solar trackercontrol and management networkdeveloped in conjunction with itspartner FEiNA in Spain. The new system can be more easily

deployed in solar fields because itdoes not require cables, which arenormally used for network manage-ment. While older tracker systemsrequired people on site for mainte-nance, problem-solving, and ongo-ing monitoring, the new wirelessnetwork allows key functions to bemanaged remotely and more cost-effectively. It can provide control andmonitoring systems for solar fieldscurrently being developed by utili-ties in the North American, Euro-pean, and North African markets. OPEL’s tracker family ranges from

small single-axis trackers to utility-scale single- and dual-axis trackersthat can increase the production ofa photovoltaic array by up to 45%.

“We obviously see the benefits oflinking our customers to a networkcontrol system via wireless technol-ogy, which improves both opera-tional efficiency and maintenance,”says VP of engineering Dr JavierBerrios. “In partnership with FEiNA,with whom we’ve enjoyed a verysuccessful relationship over theyears, we are co-developing thenext generation of solar trackertechnology, which we see gainingsignificant acceptance, particularlyin the European market,” he adds. The wireless tracker control tech-

nology can be used for any solarpanel technology and is not exclu-sively designed for OPEL solarpanel products. “It is importantthat our wireless tracker technol-ogy be PV panel agnostic,” believesBerrios. “The operation and main-tenance system is more efficient,therefore keeping the system oper-ating at optimal level.”

The new wireless tracker control iscurrently available for delivery inproduction volumes. FEiNA andOPEL currently have patent appli-cations for the wireless systempending. Through an exclusive agreement

with FEiNA in Spain and withstrategically located distributors,OPEL delivers tracker productsworldwide. Its tracker control net-work system is CE Certified for usethroughout Europe. Tracker sys-tems, ranging from large rooftopapplications to industrial solarfarms, can be networked togetherto provide unison tracking andremote monitoring capabilities. Thefirm says that its trackers can beeasily assembled and equippedwith solar panels in less than fourhours by a crew of 2–3 individualswithout the need for special tooling,cranes or welding. www.opelinc.com

After signing the lease on the property in July, Amonix Inc, whichmakes concentrated photovoltaic(CPV) systems using III-V multi-junction cells at its headquarters inSeal Beach, CA, USA, has brokenground on its new 214,000ft2 manu-facturing facility in North Las Vegas,NV in a ceremony presided over by the US Senate Majority LeaderHarry Reid and attended by USRepresentative Shelley Berkley, the Nevada State Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford,and City of North Las Vegas MayorShari L. Buck. The facility will bring 278 private

sector jobs to Southern Nevadaand, according to the NevadaDevelopment Authority, will contribute $118m in payroll and$12m in taxes to the local economyin its first five years. “More workersskilled in renewable energy jobsmake our state even more attractive

for renewable energy businesses,”commented Horsford. Amonix received a $5.8m American

Recovery and Reinvestment Actcompetitive manufacturing tax credit(legislation championed by Reid andBerkley) to open the new facility.The firm has begun hiring area res-idents to fill management, technicaland production jobs. Also, 135 localconstruction workers will build outthe facility over the next few months. In keeping with its commitment

to produce sustainable energy insustainable ways, the firm hasinstalled an Amonix 7700 solarpower system as part of the facil-ity’s electrical power source. Thefirm has also registered the majortenant improvement underway atthe facility for certification throughthe US Green Building Council’sLEED for Commercial Interiors(LEED CI) Rating System.Amonix will use the facility to make

CPV solar power systems for instal-lations in Nevada and for export toneighboring states. At full capacity(operating 24 hours per day, sevendays per week), annual productionwill be 150MW. The first line in thefirst phase will begin manufacturingby the end of Q1/2011.“CPV solar is a key part of America’s

energy portfolio because of itscompelling bottom lines in sunnyand dry climates like the desertSouthwest,” says Amonix’s CEOBrian Robertson. “These include thehighest efficiency of any solar tech-nology, cost at grid parity and thefact that CPV uses no water in theproduction of energy,” he adds.“Just as the federal governmenthas helped many infrastructureprojects get going in the history ofour nation, this facility was jumpstarted by tax credits availablethrough the Recovery Act.” www.amonix.com

Amonix breaks ground on 150MW North Las Vegas CPV system manufacturing plant

OPEL launches wireless CPV tracker control network

For third-quarter 2010, First Solar Incof Tempe, AZ, USA, which makesthin-film photovoltaic modulesbased on cadmium telluride (CdTe)as well as providing engineering,procurement and construction (EPC)services, has reported net sales of$797.9m, up 66% on $480.9m ayear ago and up 36% on $587.9mlast quarter. Quarter-to quarter growth is due

mainly to increased system sales(driven principally by the sale of the60MW (AC) Sarnia Phase 2 projectin Canada), partially offset by a fallin module average selling prices(ASPs) and lower blended euroexchange rates. Production amounted to a capacity

of 350.2MW (an annualized run-rateof 59.6MW per line), up 2% on lastquarter’s 344MW (59MW per line)and up 20% on 292.4MW a year ago

(53MW per line). Energy conversionefficiency has risen from 11% ayear ago and 11.2% last quarter to11.3%. The total cost per Watt produced has consequently reducedfrom $0.85 a year ago to $0.77 in Q3. Net income per fully diluted share

was $2.04, up from $1.84 lastquarter and $1.79 a year ago.“We continue to execute on our

growth strategy and to developsustainable markets for solar elec-tricity,” says CEO Rob Gillette. “Ourinvestment in R&D, combined withplans to nearly double our manu-facturing capacity, will help us meetrobust customer demand whilecontinuing to drive down the cost ofsolar power,” he adds. Capital expenditure has increased

to $137.6m, up 4% on $133.5mlast quarter and more than double$64.8m a year ago. Despite this,

cash and marketable securitiesrose during the quarter from$960.5m to $997m. First Solar has raised its forecast

for full-year 2010 net sales fromJuly’s guidance of $2.5–2.6bn to$2.58–2.61bn (though still downon April’s guidance of $2.6–2.7bn).Guidance for earnings per fullydiluted share has been raised from$7.00–7.40 to $7.50–7.65. Also,after in July cutting its forecast foroperating cash flow from$725–775m to $575–625m, thefirm has raised it slightly to$595–620m. However, the projec-tion for total capital spending hasbeen reduced again, from April’sforecast of $625–650m and July’sforecast of $575–625m to now$550–600m (although this is stillabout double 2009’s $280m). www.firstsolar.com

First Solar’s sales rise 36% in Q3 to $798m Full-year sales forecast raised from $2.5–2.6bn to $2.58–2.61bn

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Apollo Solar Energy Inc ofChengdu, Sichuan Province, Chinahas appointed Dr Jingong Pan as itsnew CEO. Through its subsidiary Sichuan

Apollo Solar Science and TechnologyCo Ltd, Apollo Solar Energy is avertically integrated firm primarilyengaged in mining, refining andproducing high-purity tellurium(Te), tellurium-based compoundsand other metals for the thin-filmsolar photovoltaic (PV) industry as well as for segments of the electronic materials market including radiation detection andinfrared detection. Products include ultra-high-purity

metals and commercial-purity metals (such as selenium, antimony,bismuth, cadmium and zinc), cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-filmcompounds, and copper indiumgallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-filmcompounds. Te used in the firm’s products is

sourced from its Dashuigou mine in

Sichuan Province as well as fromanother mine in Shimian, Majiagou,China. Apollo’s refining operationsare based in a 330,000ft2 facility inChengdu. Age 45, Pan has been a member

of the firm’s board of directorssince March. He is currently anadjunct professor at the New JerseyInstitute of Technology in Newark,NJ, USA. From 2000 to 2002, he was general manager of Flaming Sun (USA) Corp, and from1997 to 2000 VP of Anton USA(Bank of China Group).

Pan received a Bachelor of Sciencedegree from the Harbin Institute ofTechnology, Masters degrees fromthe Harbin Institute of Technologyand the New Jersey Institute ofTechnology, and a Ph.D. from theNew Jersey Institute of Technology.In March, Apollo awarded a

three-year $1.5m grant to establishthe Apollo CdTe Solar EnergyResearch Center at New JerseyInstitute of Technology, focused on improving the applications ofCdTe materials for use in thin-filmsolar cells.

CdTe, CIGS & metals supplier Apollo Solar appoints CEO

Apollo Solar has signed a five-yearpurchase contract with a majorglobal solar panel maker.Apollo will provide 5N (five-nines

purity) tellurium, which is the corematerial of CdTe thin-film PVs,with projected sales of RMB730m($110m) over a five-year period.

“We have been cooperatingclosely for the past five years withthis manufacturer, and we believethis purchase contract will be awin–win strategy for both of us in the long run,” says Apollo Solar’sCEO Dr Jingong Pan. www.apollosolarenergy.com.cn

Apollo signs five-year deal to supply Te

At the Solar Power International2010 show in Los Angeles (12–14October), 3M of St Paul, MN, USAintroduced its 3M Ultra BarrierSolar Film for flexible copperindium gallium (di)selenide (CIGS),cadmium telluride (CdTe) andorganic photovoltaic (OPV) solarmodules. The result of more than a decade

of development in transparent barrier technology as well as over45 US patents and patent-pendingapplications covering construction,materials and processes, 3M Ultra Barrier Solar Film is highlytransparent, provides moisturevapor transmission rates (MVTR)below 5x10–4g/m2 per day, anddemonstrates what is claimed to beexcellent durability. The firm beganhigh-volume production in October

in order to supply its global thin-film solar customer base.Designed to address the needs of

flexible thin-film solar manufactur-ers, the Ultra Barrier Solar Film acts as a replacement for glass with high light transmission, goodmoisture barrier performance, andweatherability. Compared withglass–glass modules, large-area,lightweight flexible PV modulesmade with Ultra Barrier Solar Filmcan achieve lower balance of systems(BOS) costsby requiringless installa-tion time,removing the need for metalracking, andreducing

logistics expenditures, claims 3M.The firm adds that Ultra BarrierFilm also enables lower modulemanufacturing costs by allowingmanufacturers to commercializelarge-area modules, effectivelyreducing fixed costs associated withmodule manufacturing, assembledin a continuous roll-to-roll process.“High-efficiency flexible solar

modules manufactured with 3M’sUltra Barrier Solar Film not onlyhave the potential to drasticallyreduce the total system costs forrooftop solar installations, but alsohave an array of niche applicationswhere our customers can takeadvantage of the unique moduleform factor,” says Derek DeScioli,business development manager forthe 3M Renewable Energy Division. www.3M.com

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3M launches moisture-resistant front-side film forflexible CIGS, CdTe and OPV modules

DuPont Circuit & Packaging Materialsof Wilmington, DE, USA hasannounced commercial availabilityof DuPont Kapton polyimide filmsengineered for thin film and flexiblephotovoltaic substrates. DuPonthas developed two key products foramorphous silicon (a-Si) modules andcopper indium gallium (di)selenide(CIGS) photovoltaic applications;and additional Kapton technologiesare in development to furtherincrease the efficiency and lifetimeof photovoltaic modules, reduceoverall system costs and help theindustry reach grid parity faster.Kapton polyimide films have a

unique combination of electrical,thermal, chemical and mechanicalproperties that can withstandextreme temperature and otherdemanding environments with high performance, reliability anddurability, claims Robert G. Schmidt,new business development manager,Photovoltaics. “They have made

innovative design solutions possiblein a range of industries over thelast 40 years, including aerospace,automotive and industrial appli-cations; and we are continuing toput science to work to increase efficiency and performance for theflexible and thin-film photovoltaicindustry,” he adds. The new products include:

●Kapton PV9101 for ease of manu-facturing and robust mechanicalperformance;●Kapton PV9102 for ease of manu-facturing and increased productivity;and ●Kapton PV9103 (which will beavailable later this year) for maxi-mum productivity.In thin-film a-Si modules and

CIGS applications, the mechanicalproperties and dimensional stabilityof the substrates at elevated deposition temperatures are criticalto producing cells with maximumefficiency and yields. DuPont says

that the low coefficient of thermalexpansion, high glass transitiontemperature and low shrinkage ofKapton polyimide films help to minimize stress at the interfacewith other materials of construc-tion, during both processing andend use in temperature extremes.The thermal stability of Kaptonfilms also allows processing tem-peratures in excess of 400ºC.The firm says that Kapton PV

series polyimide films provide roll-to-roll processing capability,low moisture uptake and highmoisture release characteristics,good electrical properties andincreased voltage endurance, andceramic-filled versions to increasecorona resistance and thermal conductivity.DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions

exhibited at the Solar Power Inter-national 2010 event in Los Angeles(12–14 October).http://photovoltaics.dupont.com

DuPont launches new Kapton films for flexible and thin-film PV applications

Ultra Barrier Filmenables lowercosts by allowingmanufacturers to commercializelarge-areamodules

Walsin Lihwa Corp of Taipei, Taiwanhas signed an investment coopera-tion agreement with Solarion AG ofLeipzig, Germany to mass producethe latter’s CIGS thin-film photo-voltaic cells and modules, and todevelop next-generation solarenergy technologies. Walsin Lihwa was founded in 1966

to make copper cables and wires,power cables and wires, and specialtysteel products but, as an internationalconglomerate with diverse invest-ments in high-tech industries, inrecent years its long-term strategyhas involved entering sectors frommicro-electromechanical systems(MEMS) to LEDs and solar energy. Spun off in 2000 from the Leibniz

Institute for Surface Modification, in2002 Solarion established Europe’sfirst pilot line for manufacturing CIGSthin-film cells on a flexible carriermaterial. Its technology is based onproprietary ion-beam-assisted deposition of the CIGS absorber ina roll-to-roll process. Advantagesare its low deposition temperature,improved solar cell energy conver-sion efficiency (claiming an averageof 10%), higher process speed, andlower energy and material costs. The use of a lightweight, flexible

polyimide carrier enables new fieldsof photovoltaic applications, includ-

ing building-integrated photovoltaics(BIPV), it is claimed. According toSolarion’s chairman Dieter Waffel,cooperation with Walsin Lihwa pavesSolarion’s way to mass production,as well as helping to develop CIGSproducts and technologies featuringlower cost and higher efficiency. Walsin Lihwa, via subsidiary Ally

Energy Ltd BVI, is investing €40mto acquire a 49% stake in SolarionAG as well as a license to its CIGStechnology patents, with WalsinLihwa’s chairman Yu-Lon Chaio andSolarion’s chairman Dieter Waffelsigning agreements covering notonly technology licensing but alsotechnical collaboration. The invest-ment is also being supplementedby €20m in public subsidies fromthe city government of Leipzig (viaa grant from the Development

Bank of Saxony) under an incentiveprogram to solicit foreign invest-ment. Both Sven Morlok (StateMinister of Economic Affairs of Sax-ony) and Barkhard Jung (Mayor ofLeipzig City) attended the signingceremony at Leipzig City Hall. “We are pleased that we have found

Walsin Lihwa, a global player and astrong partner, to support our long-planned global expansion strategy,”says Solarion’s CEO Karsten Otte.“We want to express our thanksespecially to the Saxon DevelopmentBank, CMS Hasche Sigle Düsseldorf,Euflex, Apricum and the EconomicDevelopment Offices of Saxony andLeipzig,” he adds.Walsin Lihwa and Solarion AG will

together pursue mass production ofCIGS thin-film solar cells by settingup an integrated solar cell andmodule plant in Leipzig. Constructionshould be completed in 2011 andcommercial production should startin 2012. With a staff of 140 staff,initial annual capacity will be 20MW,but this will in future be boosted bya further 180MW facility to 200MW.Moreover, the patent license willenable Walsin Lihwa to independ-ently manufacture and sell its ownCIGS-based solar products. www.solarion.net www.walsin.com

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Walsin Lihwa’s 49% stake to propel CIGSPV firm Solarion into mass production €40m from Taiwanese conglomerate joins €20m from Saxony tobuild 20MW Leipzig plant, for later expansion to 200MW

Walsin Lihwa chairman Yu-lon Chiao(second right) completes €40minvestment in Solarion.

Solarion has placed an order wortha double-digit amount in millionsof euros for several roll-to-roll foilcoating systems from centrothermphotovoltaics’ subsidiary FHRAnlagenbau GmbH of Ottendorf-Okrilla, Germany. For delivery next year, the systems

will form a central component ofSolarion’s CIGS PV cell productionwith an annual capacity of 20MW.

The roll-to-roll process offers sev-eral advantages, says centrothermphotovoltaics’ chief technologyofficer Dr Peter Fath. “These flexi-ble, light and unbreakable cells arealso particularly suited to largeindustrial roofs, and applicationssuch as the textile, automotiveand aerospace industries,” he adds. FHR and Solarion have been

jointly developing technologies

and systems to produce extremelylight and flexible CIGS thin-filmsolar cells on plastic substratessince 2002. “With the fourth generation of these foil coatingsystems, we are now taking thestep into the mass production offlexible CIGS solar cells,” says FHRAnlagenbau’s managing directorDr Reinhard Fendler. www.fhr-ab.de

Solarion orders roll-to-roll coating systems from centrotherm’s FHR

Moser Baer India Ltd (MBI) hasbeen awarded a grant by the Indiangovernment’s Ministry of New andRenewable Energy (MNRE) todevelop copper indium gallium di-selenide (CIGS) photovoltaic cells. MBI will conduct the work from its

corporate R&D facility in GreaterNoida, Uttar Pradesh. The focus ofthe project is to develop a differen-tiated, indigenous, commerciallyviable technology based on thecore competencies of Moser Baer. “Through Moser Baer Solar, a sub-

sidiary of MBI, we have a wealth ofexperiences in crystalline silicon,thin-film silicon and concentratorPV and PV systems businesses,”says chief technology officer Dr G.Rajeswaran. “This project, supportedby MNRE, will utilize the core com-petencies of the Moser Baer Groupand its vast resources to deliverhigh-efficiency CIGS solar cells, apromising next frontier in affordablethin-film PV... Owing to its high effi-ciency and cost effectiveness, CIGSbased thin-film solar cell technologyis likely to emerge as one of themost promising solar cells,” he adds.

“Our aim is to address the gapbetween large-scale efficiencies(11–14%) and lab level efficiencies(19–20%) of CIGS technology,”Rajeswaran continues. CIGS cellshave shown 20.3% efficiencies underlaboratory conditions, which is thehighest of any thin-film technology. However, few firms have succeeded

in maintaining such efficiency andyield while scaling up manufacturingfor high-volume commercial production. “This indicates thatthere is lot of room for innovationto develop a stable productionprocess for this technology,” saysRajeswaran. “We are working todevelop the CIGS solar cells similarto the size of a typical crystallinesilicon solar cell and thus avoidingthe scale-up issues,” he adds. “Weplan to achieve cells with efficien-cies of 15%, along with benchmarkyield. Our initial estimate suggeststhat it is possible to achieve moduleprice of less than $1/Wp[Rs.44.67/W]... Achieving thesetargets would place Moser Baer in avery unique position in the market.” www.moserbaer.in

centrotherm grows22.3% in first ninemonths of 2010 For the first nine months of 2010centrotherm photovoltaics AG ofBlaubeuren, Germany, whichprovides equipment for the production of solar silicon, crystalline solar cells and CIGSthin-film photovoltaic modules,has reported revenue up 22.3%year-on-year, from €374.7m to€458.4m. “Asian customers are expanding

along the photovoltaic valuechain, and in doing so are focus-ing their investments on high-efficiency technology, in order torealize economies of scale anddeclining manufacturing costs,”says CEO Robert M. Hartung.“This is reflected in high salesgenerated abroad,” he adds. Theexport ratio rose from 91.6% to arecord 95.3%. Foreign businesswas dominated by the Asianmarket, with revenue of €385m(84% of total revenue). With orders rising from €472.1m

to €707.7m. centrotherm forecastsfull-year revenue of €580–600m.

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Moser Baer India wins governmentgrant to develop CIGS solar cells Silicon PV firm targets 15% efficiency

centrotherm photovoltaics AG ofBlaubeuren, Germany, which pro-vides equipment for the productionof solar silicon, crystalline solar cellsand copper indium gallium diselenide(CIGS) thin-film photovoltaic modules, has purchased 14.4% ofthe share capital of Taiwanese CIGSthin-film solar module maker Sunshine PV Corp. centrotherm photovoltaics sub-

sidiary Photovoltaics Asia Invest PteLtd of Singapore has invested a single-digit amount in millions ofeuros in Sunshine as part of a capital increase. The stake is to beexpanded to a total of about 25%

early next year.centrotherm photovoltaics says

that, with the share purchase, it hastaken a strategic step to introducingnew second-generation seleniumplants at Sunshine, advancing centrotherm photovoltaics’ CIGSthin-film technology. The investmentalso enables close cooperation withSunshine, allowing manufacturingsystems to be operated and furtheroptimized under real mass-productionconditions.“We are pleased to further develop

this second thin-film generationjointly with Sunshine,” says DrFrank Stubhan, CEO of centrotherm

photovoltaics’ Thin Film Moduledivision. “CIGS thin-film technologyoffers enormous potential. Withthis step, we are backing this futuremarket in a targeted manner,” headds. “We are currently experienc-ing major interest for CIGS technol-ogy from potential new customers.”Together with its Taiwanese cus-tomer, centrotherm photovoltaics isworking on boosting efficiency andthroughput at the pilot plant. Sun-shine is currently starting to sell thefirst modules from its Taiwaneseproduction base. www.sunshine-pv.comwww.centrotherm-pv.com/en

centrotherm buys 14.4% of Taiwan CIGS firm Sunshine Stake to be expanded to 25% in early 2011

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MiaSolé of Santa Clara, CA, USA,which manufactures copper indiumgallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-filmphotovoltaic panels, has deployedthe SolarSuite enterprise softwareplatform of software providerCamstar Systems Inc of Charlotte,NC, USA throughout its entiresolar manufacturing value chain. Founded in 2001, MiaSolé is

growing rapidly, and the scalablemanufacturing platform shouldenable it to shorten time-to-vol-ume, improve product quality andreliability, and rapidly develop, rollout and enforce best known meth-ods across new lines and plants. “Camstar’s SolarSuite provides

visibility and consistent controlover our manufacturing processesand resources,” says MiaSolé’s VPof operations Kevin Eassa. “Accessto a rich set of process intelligence

accelerates our ability to continu-ously innovate and improve whilewe expand operations,” he adds. “MiaSolé’s rapid volume growth

mandated a fast implementationthat would immediately sustainhigh-volume transactions,” saysMiaSolé's senior director of ITAmiya Ranjan. “We wereimpressed with the inherent con-figurability and high performanceof Camstar’s platform that made itpossible,” he adds. “We applied aproven, phased, rapid deploymentmethodology and brought thesolution into production in just 60days, starting with resource andWIP tracking. We then addedintegration with process equip-ment controllers that allows auto-matic collection of veryhigh-volume data and transac-tions. Instant visibility into equip-

ment states, work-in-process andgenealogy helps us meet orexceed target product quality, pro-ductivity and cost goals,” Ranjancontinues. “Camstar is seeing rapid adoption

of our solutions across the solarindustry,” says the firm’s senior VPof global sales & marketing RobRudder. “As these companies raceto bring innovative products tomarket, they realize that productquality will distinguish the winnersin the cost per watt battle,” headds. “MiaSolé is the top innovatoramong their peers, and they rec-ognize the absolute necessity of acomprehensive platform for manu-facturing execution and qualitythat integrates with the rest of thesystems landscape, includingshop-floor automation, ERP andPLM systems.”

Camstar deployed to scale operations and drive product quality

MiaSolé of Santa Clara, CA, USA,which was founded in 2001 to makecopper indium gallium diselenide(CIGS) thin-film photovoltaic panels,says the Department of Energy’sNational Renewable Energy Labora-tory (NREL) has independently confirmed the 15.7% efficiency ofits large-area production modules(1m2 in size). Closely following the 14.3%

efficiency announced just in Sep-tember, this is claimed to be thehighest efficiency demonstrated forcommercial-size thin-film modules,effectively closing the gap withpolycrystalline silicon module efficiencies. “This is a significant accomplish-

ment as it represents the ability to manufacture full-scale CIGSmodules with efficiencies equal to orbetter than that of polycrystallinesilicon modules available in theworld today but manufactured at athin-film cost structure,” says CEODr Joseph Laia. “We are executing

ahead of our roadmap for efficiencyimprovements and feel confident inour ability to bring high-efficiencyCIGS technology to the marketplace,” he adds.MiaSolé has previously announced

that it would start shipping its 13%efficiency modules in second-quarter2011 upon completion of UL andIEC certifications. “An almost 1.5% absolute

increase in efficiency in such ashort time on a continuous roll-to-roll manufacturing line is impres-sive and demonstrates goodprocess control and a validation ofthe MiaSolé approach,” commentsNREL solar researcher Dr RommelNoufi. “This achievement signifi-cantly narrows the efficiency gapbetween manufacturing perform-ance and cells produced in thelaboratory (20.3%),” he points out.“It also moves CIGS technologywell on its way to achieving DOE’starget of $1 per Wp photovoltaicsystems.”

MiaSolé says that it now offersbank-financeable solar moduleswith efficiency comparable to polysilicon combined with the lowermanufacturing costs of thin-filmmodules. The firm’s unique manufacturing

process deposits CIGS on a flexiblestainless-steel substrate and produces all of the layers requiredfor the solar cell in a single continuous process. MiaSolé claims to be the only thin-film solarfirm that uses sputtering processesin every step of the module’s coating process, reducing manufacturing time and cost ofproduction. MiaSolé operates two manufac-

turing facilities and will ship 22MWin 2010. Products are designed forutilities and independent powerproducers to use in industrial-scaledeployments such as large-scalerooftop and ground-mount installa-tions. www.MiaSolé.com

MiaSolé hits 15.7% with commercial-scale CIGS module Increase from September’s 14.3% narrows gap to polysilicon

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Building on its multi-year collabor-ation with the US Department ofEnergy’s National RenewableEnergy Laboratory (NREL), Helio-Volt Corp of Austin, TX, USA saysthat it is extending the CooperativeResearch and Development Agree-ment (CRADA) for research carriedout at NREL’s facilities to jointlydevelop the fastest and most effi-cient method for manufacturinglow-cost thin-film copper indiumgallium diselenide (CIGS) photo-voltaics. HelioVolt was founded in 2001 by

Dr Billy J. Stanbery based on hisproprietary FASST manufacturingprocess for rapid printing of thin-film CIGS material, either directlyonto glass substrates for solarmodules or onto flexible plasticsubstrate for embedding in build-ing-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV)products (e.g. architectural glass

and roofing tiles). The firm has sofar raised more than $140m in ven-ture financing to fund a move intovolume production as well as inter-national expansion. “HelioVolt is deeply committed to

our collaborative efforts with NREL.We continue to invest in the rela-tionship because of the tremendousvalue our teams have jointly con-tributed to our technology evolutionroadmap,” says founder & chairmanDr BJ Stanbery. “CIGS modules areentering a very exciting commercialphase in the solar industry. Webelieve that high conversion effi-ciencies — above 15% on a full-sizemonolithically interconnected mod-ule rather than cell level — requiredeveloping innovative methods forproducing nanoscale buildingblocks and synthesizing them intodevice-quality CIGS thin-film mat-erial,” he adds. “Our work with

NREL provides us a sound founda-tion for realizing these goals.” Many steps in conventional thin-

film production require depositionof the material onto the substratein a very low-pressure vacuumchamber. HelioVolt believes thatfuture non-vacuum depositionprocesses can be less capital inten-sive, but depositing CIGS films onlarge areas with the precision nec-essary to achieve both high per-formance and low manufacturingcosts is difficult without the advan-tages of its FASST process. Helio-Volt and NREL’s efforts indeveloping non-vacuum atmos-pheric pressure depositionprocesses aim to offer a combi-nation of lower cost, process sim-plicity and reduced manufacturingtime, while still delivering high-quality CIGS. www.heliovolt.com

HelioVolt & NREL renew CRADA for CIGS development Research aims for nanoscale building blocks to enable 15% efficiency

XsunX Inc of Aliso Viejo, CA, USAhas further enhanced the energyconversion efficiency of its thin-filmphotovoltaic (TFPV) cells — basedon its copper indium gallium dise-lenide CIGSolar technology — from15.09% (announced on 26 October)to 15.1%, after surpassing 14%just in mid-October. With othermarket-ready thin-film technologiesfunctioning at 8–11% for solarmodules, XsunX believes that CIGSolar illustrates conversion efficiency that may soon lead togains over current technology. “Our confidence that small-area

co-evaporation processes is the keyto delivering the best performanceCIGS thin-film cells continues to bestrengthened,” says CEO TomDjokovich. CIGS thin-film researchers have

concluded that the theoretical limitfor CIGS solar technology conver-sion efficiency is 29%, although thehighest percentage ever achievedis 20% in a laboratory setting.

“We are developing our technol-ogy on the same size substrates weintend to use in our commercialsystems, about the same size as asilicon solar cell, so the efficiencylevels we achieve in the laboratorywe believe will be transferable towhat we can offer the market,”notes Djokovich. “Unlike currentsolar developers, we don’t antici-pate having to struggle with thechallenges of scaling product whilemaintaining laboratory efficiencies.” XsunX claims that it has achieved

15.1% in a relatively short period oftime and with less cost comparedto other CIGS efforts that spannedmany years and incurred signifi-cantly higher capital demands forless than similar results. The firmclaims that this, coupled with thetechnology’s perceived value as analternate for the use of silicon solarcells, has accelerated industry’sinterest levels, leading not only toadditional license discussions forXsunX but also allowing it to work

towards executing its plan to developjoint venture license agreements todeliver the technology packagethrough existing manufacturers. XsunX says that this combination

of leveraging existing brandedmanufacturers to deliver its systemsand having branded moduleassemblers integrate the CIGSolartechnology into their productsallows it to significantly reduce theneed for debt or equity financing tobuild factories directly while alsoproviding bankability for its tech-nology through proven manufactur-ers of solar modules.Deposition of the CIGS cell layer is

conducted on full-size 125mm squaresubstrates. XsunX’s test configur-ations used to measure efficiencyare identical to that used by theNational Renewable Energy Labora-tory (NREL), and the firm’s testequipment is calibrated to the stan-dards of the National Institute ofStandards and Technology (NIST). www.xsunx.com

XsunX ups CIGS PV cell efficiency further to 15.1%

Solyndra Inc of Fremont, CA, USA,which manufactures copper indiumgallium diselenide (CIGS) photo-voltaic (PV) systems for commer-cial rooftops, says that roofingsystem maker alwitra GmbH ofTrier, Germany has completed a1.02MWp solar system (incorporat-ing alwitra’s highly reflective Evalon waterproofing membraneand Solyndra solar panels) for awarehouse belonging to the motorcycle accessories distributorParts Europe GmbH of Konz, nearTrier. The system is the largestSolyndra project in Germany todate, and its second largest worldwide. Alwitra is a PlatinumSolyndra Solution Partner. The project covers 13,000m2 of

rooftop with Evalon waterproofingmembrane and about 10,700m2 ofrooftop with more than 5400Solyndra panels (involving morethan 33,000m of cabling). Theproject generates 1.023MWp(equivalent to the annual powerneeded to supply 250 households).“On a rooftop of this size, Parts

Europe gets strong benefits fromthe highly reflective Evalon water-proofing membrane and the powergeneration of the Solyndra solarsystem,” says Clemens Jargon,

Solyndra’s president of EMEA andmanaging director of SolyndraGmbH of Holzkirchen, Germany.“alwitra’s extensive knowledge ofroof sealing and Solyndra’s PV systems allowed them to completethe entire project in less than 10 weeks,” he adds. “The location and size of Parts

Europe's warehouse is absolutelypredestined for the use of solarpower generation,” reckonsalwitra’s president Joachim Gussner.

“The unique design of Solyndra’scylindrical, non-penetrating andvery light panels made them thebest solution for this large project,”he adds. “Using Solyndra with ourEvalon waterproofing membraneallows us to offer the buildingowner the best combination of roofsealing solution and a solar systemthat actually gets more power as aresult of the reflective qualities ofthe roof.” www.alwitra.de

Prague-based solar energy firmPhoton Energy a.s. has signed anengineering, procurement andconstruction (EPC) agreement fora 1.23MWp project and beguninstallation on multiple rooftops inPrague. The project is the firstexceeding 1MWp in the CzechRepublic using Solyndra panels,and the largest Solyndra installa-tion in Eastern Europe. The turnkey project involves the

installation and development of 18rooftop systems on the roofs ofmunicipal buildings owned by theadministration of Prague 15.Installation has begun and isexpected to be completed by the

end of December.Novacento a.s. obtained permis-

sion to install solar systems on theroofs, which are primarily schooland nursery buildings. PhotonEnergy has agreed to provide ven-dor financing for about 80% of theproject to Novacento, which willalso work with the US ExportImport bank to seek to securelong-term project financing afterthe connection of the last system.“Partnering with Solyndra, with

their proven and readily bankabletechnology, allowed us to completethe planning process quickly,” saysPhoton Energy’s CEO Michal Gärt-ner. “Their performance on flat

roofs, and lightweight, non-pene-trating design was ideal for theschools and other buildingsencompassed in this project,” headds. “The forward-looking Prague city

administration is bringing cleanenergy to the city while generatingincome from otherwise unutilizedrooftop space,” comments saidClemens Jargon, Solyndra’s president of EMEA and managingdirector of Solyndra Gmbh, whodescribes the Czech developmentas a ‘high-visibility, showcase project’. www.photonenergy.as www.solyndra.com

Photon Energy installing 1.23MW Solyndra project in Prague

alwitra completes Solyndra’s largest German installation

The warehouse of motorcycle accessories distributor Parts Europe GmbH ofKonz, near Trier, bearing Solyndra’s largest installation in Germany.

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Fully integrated engineering, procurement and construction(EPC) contractor Nazca, a PlatinumSolyndra Solution Provider, hascompleted a 1.28MW solar systeminstallation on a large warehouseclose to Toulouse (Solyndra’slargest installation in France, andone of the largest worldwide). The warehouse was built by GSE

Group (which founded its subsidiaryNazca in late 2007) and subse-quently sold to ‘Port de Barcelona’,one of the main commercial trans-port and distribution arteries in theMediterranean area. The port ofBarcelona is a founding member ofthe Toulouse Goods Terminals,which were created to bring portservices closer to end-customers. .“We expect the French solar

industry to focus on innovative andhigh-value rooftop installations inthe next year and this project, witha strong partner like Nazca, standsas a great example of the benefitsof Solyndra solar systems,” saysClemens Jargon, Solyndra’s presidentof EMEA and managing directorSolyndra GmbH. “In a shortamount of time, they were able toinstall the Solyndra system withmore than 70% net photovoltaic

roof coverage, resulting in a maxi-mized power density and renew-able energy production,” he adds. “The Solyndra product and tight

support teams made it easy toinstall the panels and bring theproject to the roof quickly,” saysJulien Puel, CEO of Nazca SAS.“GSE Group, who rents the ware-house rooftop and operates thisMW-size Solyndra PV installation, isdemonstrating its commitment tosustainability and green businesspractices while achieving a fairreturn on their system investment,”he adds.

The building conceptexploits Solyndra system advantagesincluding the system’slight weight. Solyndra’snon-penetratingmounting system, withno ballast, allowedNazca to design a system that generatedsignificant power with-out requiring additionalengineering. The sys-tem, installed on anew, white reflective‘cool roof’, consistedof more than 7000

Solyndra panels and will generate1360MWh/year of photovoltaicelectricity. According to the EPAcarbon calculator, this is the equiv-alent of powering 600 households. “Solyndra has proven itself in hun-

dreds of installations around theworld and we are confident that thissystem will produce the energy andrevenues that we have modeled,”says GSE founder & president MichelHugues. “Solyndra has a wealth ofreliability and performance datathat was very helpful as we workedto secure financing for the system.” www.nazcaenergy.com

Nazca completes Solyndra’s largest French project

Solyndra has announced a multi-year sales agreement with roofingmaterials manufacturer Sika Ser-vices AG of Baar, Switzerland. Thefirms will work together to pro-mote Sika’s highly reflective roof-ing products together withSolyndra’s rooftop photovoltaicsystems. Sika is said to be the world’s

number one market leader in con-struction chemistry and is presentin 74 countries, with more than12,500 staff. The agreement willinitially focus on markets in Ger-many, France, Italy, UK, Spain,Slovenia and the Czech Republic,where Sika has a leading positionproviding roofing solutions includ-

ing highly reflective membranes. “Sika has a strong reputation as a

supplier of roofing materials andphotovoltaic systems worldwide.We are pleased to work togetherwith them to develop a powerfulcombined offering for the chal-lenging environment of the com-mercial rooftop solar market,” saysClemens Jargon, Solyndra’s presi-dent EMEA (Europe, Middle Eastand Africa) and managing directorof Solyndra GmbH of Holzkirchen,Germany. “Their knowledge ofrooftops and materials combinedwith our expertise in solar systemswill help us work together to gen-erate the highest amount ofenergy from commercial and

industrial rooftops.” “We have found the lightweight,

non-penetrating Solyndra systemto be an excellent complement toour highly reflective rooftop mat-erials and, as interest in reflective,cool roofs grows in Europe, ourtwo companies will work togetherto present a strong combinedoffering to our customers,” saysHeinz Meier, Sika’s corporate sys-tem engineer Solar. “Both compa-nies have built their reputations byproviding durable, lasting systemsthat will protect and generatepower from rooftops for more than20 years.” www.sika.com www.solyndra.com

Solyndra announces collaboration with roofing materials firm Sika

Solyndra’s largest installation in France.

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Thin-film CIGS laminated PV mod-ules made by Ascent are ready forbeta-test deployment at the JMTechnical Center (JMTC) in Little-ton, CO of Denver-based BerkshireHathaway firm Johns Manville,which makes products for buildinginsulation, mechanical insulation,commercial roofing, and roof insu-lation (as well as fibers and non-wovens for commercial, industrialand residential applications).Ascent’s modules will be comparedside-by-side against thin-film modules already installed at JMTC. “The installation at our test site

will provide the performance datawe need in order to demonstratethe readiness of Ascent’s emerginghigh-power lightweight CIGS modules in order to make it avail-able to our customers,” says Dr Tim Swales, Johns Manville VP

of R&D. “We look forward to furthercollaboration and assessment.” The test installation aims to

collect performance data, evaluatearchitecture aesthetics and show-case the potential of Ascent’s CIGSmodules against existing thin-filmtechnology. For the pilot installationmodules have been applied to thetop surface of the roofing mem-brane. The long-term aim is tointegrate the modules into theroofing material itself as a factory-applied solution that JM marketsunder the Power Blanket brand.Ascent says the external deploy-ment will help to set a standard forthe integration and installation oflightweight flexible CIGS modules,as it is the first time a CIGS mono-lithically integrated module madeusing a plastic substrate has beenintegrated onto an existing com-

mercial roofing installation forcompetitive evaluation. “Installation onto the test site is a

real indication that our productdevelopment is progressing and iscrucial to our viability for largersystem installations down theroad,” says Ascent’s president &CEO Farhad Moghadam. “Now that we have established IEC

61646 certification and have UL cer-tification pending, we are pleasedto launch pilot project installationswith an industry leader,” says seniorVP of sales & marketing RafaelGutierrez. “Ascent Solar’s entry tothe BAPV [building-applied photo-voltaic] market with the highest-power-density flexible solutions andhighest-power modules will enablea new level of power production forflexible commercial applications.” www.jm.com

Ascent’s modules installed at comparative thin-film PV test site

Ascent Solar Technologies Inc ofThornton, CO, USA, which makesmonolithically integrated flexiblethin-film photovoltaic modules basedon copper indium gallium diselenide(CIGS), has closed its public offeringof 5.25 million shares of commonstock (announced on 11 November)at a price of $4.15 per share.Ascent Solar expects to use the

net proceeds of about $20.25m(after offering expenses and under-writing discounts and commissions)

for the completion of its 30MWFAB2 production plant and for general corporate purposes.In March 2009, Ascent expanded

from its initial facility in Littleton, CO(with a 1.5MW-capacity manufac-turing line that entered productionin first-quarter 2009) by opening itsexisting 145,000ft2 headquarters in Thornton. Ascent began initialproduction of CIGS modules fromits high-volume FAB 2 productionplant there this May.

Public offering raises $20.25m

At October’s Solar Power Interna-tional 2010 show in Los Angeles,Ascent launched its OEM-readyUSB-charger-integrated modulesfor portable, off-grid charging. Integration of the USB outlet makes

it a universally acceptable applicationthat can meet the demand of adiverse and growing market forportable power in developed andemerging countries, says the firm. “With the growing proliferation of

power-on-the-go needs to meetthe rising electronic applicationfrom cell phones to other personalelectronic devices, our USB-integ-rated light-weight, rugged and effi-cient CIGS modules can meet thisdemand,” claims senior VP of sales& marketing Rafael Gutierrez. “ThisOEM product will be an importantsolution for our off-grid portablepower portfolio,” he adds. www.ascentsolar.com

Ascent signs Czechdistribution deal Ascent says that Czech Republic-based solar integrator Votum isdistributing its lightweight, flexiblethin-film CIGS modules for build-ing-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV),building-applied photovoltaic(BAPV) and portable power solutions, providing access tomultiple market segments in theCzech Republic’s solar market.“This relationship will give us

access to a rapidly growing marketfor BIPV and BAPV applications,”says Ascent Solar’s president &CEO Farhad Moghadam. “We alsoexpect that other products in ourlineup of flexible, lightweightCIGS modules will be marketedthrough this relationship,” headds. “Votum has a sound solarintegration business and is anexcellent partner to have for distribution of our products in the Czech Republic.” www.votum.cz

IN BRIEF

USB modules for portable, off-grid charging

Ascent Solar Technologies Inc ofThornton, CO, USA has signed adistribution agreement with DisaSolar of Paris, France, a newlyestablished subsidiary of Megamark/DisaTech Group (which providescomplete solutions in architectural,industrial and corporate signage inFrance and other European coun-tries). DisaSolar is dedicated toflexible photovoltaics (PV) in theFrench market. The firm will distribute Ascent’s

lightweight, flexible thin-film copper indium gallium diselenide(CIGS) solar modules for off-gridapplications, integrating flexiblepanels into passenger train roofsand commercial signage structures. The agreement gives Ascent access

to additional emerging market segments in Europe. Recently, thetwo firms demonstrated PV moduleintegration into train rooftops inpartnership with French regionalrail company SNCF. Ascent saysthat the unique characteristics of itsmodules complement DisaSolar’s

heritage in system integration fortransportation and corporate signageapplications, enabling novel appli-cations in emerging segments. “Ascent Solar has a flexible, light-

weight, CIGS solar module technol-ogy that is uniquely qualified toopen new opportunities in everydaypower generation,” says DisaSolar’spresident Stephane Poughon.“Leveraging the expertise of Megamark/DisaTech Group combinedwith the quality and performance ofAscent Solar products, DisaSolaraims to quickly become a leading

French provider of innovative integ-rated solar products,” he adds. “This relationship will give us

access to new and emerging marketopportunities in transportation thatcould provide significant growthover the coming years in France aswell as other countries across theglobe,” says Ascent’s president &CEO Farhad Moghadam. “We alsoexpect that other products in ourlineup of flexible, lightweight CIGSmodules will be marketed throughthis relationship.” www.disasolar.fr

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France’s DisaSolar to distribute Ascent’s PV modules,for integration into train roofs and commercial signage

Ascent Solar Technologies Inc ofThornton, CO, USA has enteredinto a memorandum of under-standing for The Energy andResource Institute (TERI) of NewDelhi, India to perform testing and performance evaluation of itsflexible copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-film photo-voltaic modules and to study thefeasibility of using them for itsflagship program ‘Lighting a BillionLives’ (LaBL) as well as other proj-ects currently under development.Upon successful completion of theevaluation, TERI and Ascent Solarwill mutually decide on the termsand conditions for the use ofAscent’s modules.“Our collaboration with Ascent

Solar will help engage the much

needed newer, cutting-edge solarphotovoltaic technologies into ourongoing electrification projects forrural applications including solarlighting through our flagship pro-gramme Lighting a Billion Lives,”says Akanksha Chaurey, directorDecentralised Electricity Solutionsand LaBL Campaign at TERI. “India is one of the largest off-

grid electricity markets in theworld, and the need for innovativeand cost-competitive off-grid elec-tricity generation in urban andrural markets in India presents atremendous opportunity forAscent,” says the firm's senior VPof corporate developmentAshutosh Misra. “TERI is a premierorganization focusing on develop-ing a range of technologies that

have created new paradigms ofdevelopment underlining the sus-tainable use of natural resources,and are proven for their effective-ness and economic viability,” headds. “Our joint collaboration todevelop various solar energy solu-tions for TERI’s rural electrificationprojects including its flagship‘Lighting a Billion Lives’ based onsolar technology provides us witha unique opportunity to grow ourmarket share in India,” says Misra.“Our unique, light-weight,ruggedized, high power densitythin-film CIGS modules enableease of installation, handling andtransport that are an ideal solutionfor LaBL and other programs like it.” http://labl.teriin.org www.ascentsolar.com

India’s TERI to evaluate Ascent Solar’s flexible CIGS modules for‘Lighting a Billion Lives’ program

SNCF’s Photovoltaic Train (left) and Ascent Solar’s modules applied to roof.

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The Dow Chemical Company ofMidland, MI, USA says that its DOWPOWERHOUSE Solar Shingle hasbecome the first residential solarroofing shingle with an integratedconnection system to receive ULsafety certification. In 2007, Dow won a $20m grant

from the Department of Energy aspart of its Solar America Initiativeto develop building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) arrays for resi-dential and commercial markets. In October 2009, Dow Solar unveiledPOWERHOUSE as the first in a port-folio of building-related solar powerproducts. Dow chose CIGS as the PV material

and Global Solar Energy (GSE) ofTucson, AZ as the preferred supplier.Dow says the flexible foil substrateof GSE’s cells provides the requiredlevel of flexural durability to allowthe shingle to perform reliably in ademanding environment. POWERHOUSE panels hence come

in the form of a solar roofing shin-gle that can be installed by a rooferalong with standard asphalt shinglematerials. The firm says that itreduces installation time and complexity by using a systemdesign that eliminates on-roofwiring, minimizes through-roofpenetrations, and allows installationin the same manner as a standardroofing shingle.

Given the new nature of the solarshingle, Dow Solar worked closelywith UL to identify a series of teststo assess the safety of the designand of all elements of the combinedsolar and roofing product. The finallisting that was awarded representscompliance to a diverse sequenceof UL’s safety and building standards,specifically UL 746, 1703, 1897,790, 486 and 514. More than 50individual tests were conducted toassess safety of the shingle againstbuilding code standards, includingwind and fire resistance, and elec-trical code requirements, such asproper wiring and PV connections.“We had to take a unique approach

in order to test the product as botha roofing shingle and a PV system,”says Jeff Smidt, VP & general man-ager for UL’s Global Energy business. Dow will continue with its own

reliability and durability testing insupport of commercialization. It isnow performing tests on installedsystems in addition to individualshingles in order to assess theproduct’s durability, using Designfor Reliability and Physics of Failuremethodologies to measure performance against weather,extreme temperatures etc. The product should be available in

select US markets by mid 2011. www.ul.com www.dowsolar.com

PVflex’s flexibleCIGS PV modulegains IEC61646 and61730 certification PVflex Solar GmbH of Fürsten-walde, Germany has achievedcomplete certification accordingto IEC61646 and 61730 of a flexible production-ready copperindium gallium diselenide (CIGS)photovoltaic (PV) module. Themodules have an output of165Wp and dimensions of 1.99mx 0.88m. Certification was con-ducted by TÜV Thuringia. Founded in 2006, PVflex pro-

duces flexible modules for build-ing-integrated photovoltaics(BIPVs) that can be installed onindustrial and commercialrooftops using only direct adhe-sion to the roof skin without theusual substructure. Also, newlamination methods using barriertechnology developed by PVflexprotect the sensitive CIGS solarcells against water and watervapour, improving long-termdurability.PVflex says that it aims to

establish further sample plantsusing its module in the next fewmonths. Large-scale productionand distribution of the modules isplanned for second-half 2011.www.pvflex.com

IN BRIEF

SoloPower Inc of San Jose, CA, USAhas become the first solar companyto obtain certification to both IEC(61646 and 61730) standards andUL 1703 standards for flexible,thin-film copper indium gallium di-selenide (CIGS) photovoltaic (PV)modules, enabling it to sell its light-weight CIGS modules in Europe inaddition to North America. “We arenow on a path to developing global

market channels,” says CEO TimHarris. SoloPower’s flexible CIGS module

achieved IEC 61646 and IEC 61730certifications through TÜV SÜDAmerica Inc. Previously, in earlySeptember, the firm announcedthat its module had received ETLMark certification to the UL 1703standard by Intertek. The certifica-tion standards test product durabil-

ity, safety, reliability, and perform-ance. The firm has obtained certification

under IEC and UL standards for itsinitial module format, the SFX1(70Wp and 75Wp, 0.3m x 2.9m,2.3kg/5lbs). Its SFX1-i3 module(up to 260Wp, 0.88m x 3m,6.8kg/15lbs.) is currently complet-ing certification testing. www.solopower.com

SoloPower’s flexible CIGS module receives IEC Europeancertification, joining UL North America certification

DOW POWERHOUSE becomes firstsolar shingle to gain UL certification

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After in June starting constructionof a second plant in Germany for itssubsidiary Avancis in Torgau, SaxonyGermany to produce copper indiumgallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-filmphotovoltaic (PV) modules, Saint-Gobain of Courbevoie, France(which designs, makes and distrib-utes building materials and electronicmaterials) has announced the construction of a third PV panelmanufacturing plant in Korea afterforming a 50:50 joint venturecalled Hyundai Avancis in associationwith South Korea’s Hyundai HeavyIndustries Co Ltd (HHI). Each firmwill invest 110bn won (about$100m), making a total of 220bnwon (just under $200m). As well as being a leading ship-

builder, HHI is one of few firms tomanufacture both solar power andwind turbine system products, andis said to be South Korea’s onlycompany able to produce the entiresolar value chain of products, ranging from polysilicon, solar celland solar module all the way topower conditioning systems. HHI iscurrently expanding its facilities toincrease annual production capacityof silicon solar cell and modulesfrom 330MW to 600MW (in Augustwinning a $700m contract to builda 175MW plant from US-basedMatinee Energy). The JV’s first manufacturing facility

will be designed identically to thesecond Avancis plant under con-struction in Germany, in terms ofboth technology and manufacturingcapacity, making it South Korea’slargest thin-film solar cell plant. It will hence produce an annual volume of 850,000 modules basedon CIGS thin-film PV technology,designed for rooftops and solarfields (giving a power output of100MW, or the equivalent yearlyenergy requirements of a town with15,000 inhabitants). Constructionwill start in December, so the siteshould be operational from second-quarter 2012 and will supply the

global market. Its modules will bemarketed independently by Avancisand HHI (which will be the onlyKorean firm able to produce bothcrystalline silicon and thin-film solar cells).Based on depositing coatings of

CIGS on a glass substrate, thetechnology developed by Avancisavoids using traditional crystallinesilicon. It could allow productioncosts as low as other thin-filmbased techniques, while its solarenergy conversion efficiency(above 12%industriallyand up to20% in thelaboratory)is close tothe higheryieldsachievedusing poly-crystallinesilicon cells,says Saint-Gobain. Aswell asbeing suit-able forsolar fields,

CIGS thin-film PV modules areespecially suited to roof installa-tions, due to their simplicity ofassembly, attractive appearanceand reliability, the firm adds. “Already well located in Korea

(particularly in flat glass, where ithas four float lines and several pro-cessing units for the automotiveand building sectors), Saint-Gobainstrengthens its position in thiscountry in association with HHI,whose industrial and technologicalknow-how is recognized world-wide,” says Jean-Pierre Floris, sen-ior VP of Saint-Gobain andpresident of its Innovative MaterialsSector. Saint-Gobain will provideglass for the CIGS PV cells via itsKorean unit HanGlas. “By expanding into the high-effi-

ciency CIGS PV market under ajoint venture with Saint-Gobain,HHI is on track with its plan tobecome a global supplier in therenewable energy sector via inno-vation and diversification,” saysHHI’s chairman Keh-Sik Min. HHIaims to be a top-five solar powerproducer by 2015. http://english.hhi.co.krwww.saint-gobain.de/en

Saint-Gobain and Hyundai Heavy Industries form JV Avancis’ 100MW 2nd German plant to be duplicated in Korea

HHI chairman Min Keh-sik (left) with Saint-Gobain chairman Pierre-Andre deChalendar (center). Courtesy of HHI.

By expanding intothe high-efficiency CIGSPV market undera joint venturewith Saint-Gobain, HHI is ontrack with its planto become aglobal supplier inthe renewableenergy sector viainnovation anddiversification

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Solar Frontier is to supply GunkulPowergen Co Ltd with 3.3MW of itsmodules (38,500 panels) for apower plant project coordinated byMarubeni in Phetchabun Province,northern Thailand that aims to sellelectricity to the Provincial Electric-ity Authority of Thailand. The proj-ect is scheduled for completion bythe end of 2010. “This solar power plant is the first

of a number of solar facilitiesGunkul Powergen is planning inThailand,” says Gunkul Engi-neering’s CEO Gunkul Dhumrong-piyawut. “The selection of SolarFrontier to supply all the panels forthe first stage of this projectreflects our confidence in thesuperior performance of its CISmodules,” he adds.“Thailand has year-round sun-

shine, which represents greatpotential for solar energy solu-tions, but also challenges in termsof heat and humidity that Solar

Frontier proves well suited tomeet,” says Solar Frontier’s CEOShigeaki Kameda. “This agree-ment is part of the momentum weare building in Thailand andthroughout Asia.” While Thailand introduced a feed-

in-tariff and other programs in2007 with the original aim ofinstalling 500MW of solar energysystems by 2020, this goal is nowpredicted to be exceeded as earlyas 2012. www.solar-frontier.com

Solar Frontier to supply 3.3MW of modules to Thailand’s Gunkul

Tokyo-based Solar Frontier K.K., a subsidiary of Japanese energybusiness Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K.,is to supply its proprietary CIS(copper, indium, selenium) thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules inthe form of GE-branded panels aspart of US firm GE’s globally mar-keted portfolio of solar energy solu-tions. In return, GE will provide itspower plant expertise to enhancedevelopment of Solar Frontier’s CIStechnology for use in utility-scaleinstallations.Solar Frontier says that GE testing

and benchmarking determined thatits modules offered a combinationof performance and efficiency thatmeets the established standards ofGE’s global brand.

“By teaming up with a billion-dol-lar global industry leader, SolarFrontier demonstrates that thesolar market has matured to sup-port large-scale players,” says SolarFrontier’s president & CEO ShigeakiKameda. The modules will be partof GE’s utility-scale solar projects.The contract will ensure that itscustomers have a reliable supply ofthin-film solar modules for largeground-mount and roof-top instal-lations.“Our modules have been proven

in field tests since 2003, and wewill have gigawatt-scale productiononline by next year,” says Kameda.“For a stable, mature solar market,we have to combine reliable panelswith reliable supply chains,” he adds.

The modules will be made at SolarFrontier’s automated productionplant in Miyazaki, Japan, which wasopened at the beginning of October.Starting operation next year, it isscheduled to become the world’slargest PV factory (at 900MW)when the third phase of productioncomes online later in the year. The agreement with Solar Frontier

was included in GE’s announcementof an expanded portfolio of highlydifferentiated solar solutions thataim to establish GE as the “globalleader in the renewable energyspace”, offering both leading tech-nology and “the unique bankabilitythat comes with one of the world’sleading brands.” www.gepower.com

Solar Frontier enters global CISmodule supply agreement with GE GE to provide power plant expertise to enhance Solar Frontier’s CIStechnology for utility-scale installations

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Solar Frontier, a subsidiary ofJapanese energy business ShowaShell Sekiyu K.K. that makes copperindium gallium sulfur selenium(CIGSSe, or CIS) thin-film photo-voltaic cells, has agreed to jointlydevelop thin-film solar cell technol-ogy devised by IBM based on copper, zinc, tin, sulfur, and selenium(CZTS). The research will mainlytake place at IBM’s Thomas J. Watson Research Center in YorktownHeights, NY, USA. Similar to Solar Frontier, DelSolar

Co Ltd of Hsinchu Science-BasedIndustrial Park, Taiwan (a subsidiaryof Delta Electronics) also recently(in late September) partnered withIBM in developing the technology.In February, IBM announced

record efficiency of 9.6% for CZTS-based solar cells, up 40% onprevious CZTS solar cells. The newjoint development aims to coupleIBM’s research with Solar Frontier’sthin-film development and manufacturing capabilities to createa cost-competitive solar technologythat is inexpensive and uses earth-abundant (indium-free) materials. CZTS-based technology uses

materials that avoid heavy metalsand are readily available at a lowercost. By virtue of these materials,the goal of the project is to createnext-generation solar technologythat lowers the cost of producingelectricity, enabling solar energy tobecome a ubiquitous alternative tocarbon-based energy sources. Solar Frontier currently has two

manufacturing facilities in Miyazaki,Japan. A third plant with annualcapacity of 900MW will becomeoperational in 2011, making it theworld’s largest PV production facilityand bringing Solar Frontier’s totalcapacity to 1GW (expected to bethe world’s largest CIS PV capacity). “Solar Frontier’s extensive experi-

ence in the R&D of CIS thin-filmphotovoltaic technologies has delivered numerous conversion

efficiency breakthroughs that haveresulted in world-class records,”says the firm’s chief technologyofficer Satoru Kuriyagawa. “We areinterested in exploring CZTS for itsevolutionary compatibility with ourCIS thin-film technology. The goalsof the project correspond with SolarFrontier’s mission to combine botheconomical and ecological solarenergy solutions,” he adds. “Solar Frontier is one of the

world’s leading experts in CIS-based thin-film solar panels,” saysT.C. Chen, VP of science & technol-ogy IBM Research. “Adding SolarFrontier’s deep expertise in thin-film-based solar device technologyto this project will strengthen thecollaborative effort we began in this area with [process equipmentmaker] Tokyo Ohka Kogyo Co Ltd[in mid-2008] for developingchemistry and tooling expertise;and more recently adding DelSolar’ssolar module and manufacturingexpertise,” he adds. “This team willsignificantly increase our ability tocreate CZTS photovoltaic technol-ogy that achieves sustainable grid parity.” www.ibm.com www.solar-frontier.com

Solar Frontier to co-develop IBM’s CZTS solar cellsCZTS explored for evolutionary compatibility with CIGSSe

Microscope image of the CTZS cell from IBM.

IBM co-developingCZTS with DelSolar In September IBM also signed anagreement with Taiwan’s DelSolarCo Ltd to jointly develop CZTSthin-film photovoltaic cells, lever-aging DelSolar’s expertise in PVtechnology and processing (seeOctober/December issue, page 84). “This agreement is a significant

step in the progress of our effortto create efficient solar cellsusing earth-abundant materialswith novel processes,” said T.C.Chen, VP of Science and Technol-ogy at IBM Research at the time.“This new collaboration betweenDelSolar, TOK [Tokyo OhkaKogyo Company Ltd], and IBMnow puts us firmly on the path tocommercially viable technologiesand processes for solar cells thatcould bring us closer to grid parity,”he added. “DelSolar is pleased to combine

forces with IBM and TOK for thejoint-development of the game-changing technologies to enablegrid-parity PV products,” saidDelSolar’s chairman & CEO R.C. Liang.

Researchers from Meijo and Nagoyauniversities have used free-standinggallium nitride (GaN) substrates to

create nitride semiconductor solar cells withhigher open-circuit voltage and fill-factorcompared with devices grown on sapphire[Yosuke Kuwahara et al, Appl. Phys. Express,vol3, p111001, 2010]. One well-known effect of using free-standing

GaN substrates to create nitride semiconductordevices is improved material quality, reducingparasitic resistance effects. Such devices canalso use ‘vertical’ conduction arrangementswith n- and p-electrodes on the top and bottomof the chip, rather than the ‘horizontal’arrangement needed with insulating sapphire,where the two electrodes have to be on theconducting nitride side of the component.In theory, gallium indium nitride (GaInN)

semiconductors should be able to cover therange of solar photons from infrared 1.9mmwavelengths (0.65eV) with InN up to 365nmnear-ultraviolet with GaN (3.4eV). In reality,GaInN is difficult to grow with large In molarfraction.The researchers tested devices with In

~10%. The devices that were produced hadphotoluminescence peaks around the violetwavelength 390nm. Unfortunately, this onlycovers a small part of the solar power spectrum. Moreefficient solar cells have bandgaps in the range 1–2eVthat can pick up photons from the visible range wherethe spectrum peaks.The short-wavelength nitride solar cells produced by

Meijo/Nagoya are thus not ideal for the spectrum ofsolar radiation. Hence the conversion efficiencies seenare limited to a few percent. In August, Texas Techresearchers reported nitride solar cells on sapphirewith higher In molar fractions of ~35%, giving longerwavelength coverage, that had conversion efficienciesup to 3.03% when subjected to 30-sun illumination(www.semiconductor-today.com/news_items/2010/AUG/TEXAS_240810.htm). Meijo/Nagoya produced two devices grown in the

(0001) ‘c-plane’ direction (Figure 1): one on an undoped

GaN-on-sapphire layer, the other on free-standing GaN.The researchers found that using free-standing GaNreduced dislocation densities from ~109/cm3 on sapphire to ~107/cm2 with the free-standing material.The growth technique was MOCVD.The n-type layers were 2mm thick, and the undoped

GaInN were 250nm. The p-GaN layers had carrier concentrations of 3.6x1018/cm3. The thickness was100nm on the free-standing GaN and 50nm on thesapphire substrate. The researchers estimated that92% of sunlight with photon energies above the GaInNbandgap could be absorbed in the GaInN layer.Ohmic semi-transparent p-contacts consisting of

nickel-gold were deposited and annealed. The transparency was found to be about 67% for 370nm wavelengths. The n-contacts consisted of

Technology focus: Photovoltaics


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Figure 1. (a) GaInN-based solar cell with thick u-Ga0.89In0.11N(250nm) layer on sapphire substrate covered with low-temperature-deposited (LT) buffer layer and (b) GaInN-based solar cell with thicku-Ga0.90In0.10N (250 nm) layer on free-standing GaN substrate.

Japanese researchers boost nitride PV energy conversion efficiencyfrom 0.98% to 1.41% by switching from sapphire to GaN substrate.

Free-standing GaN substrateimproves nitride solar cell

titanium-aluminum-titanium-gold. For the free-standingGaN one could apply the contact to the back-surface,since the material was n-type conducting (with a carrier concentration of 4.5x1018/cm3). The use of aback-contact allows a vertical conduction scheme.Since sapphire is insulating, for the comparison devicea separate horizontal conductive structure was needed.Neither device had anti-reflective coatings to improvephoton collection.A variety of material characterizations were carried

out: x-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electronmicroscopy (TEM) and microscopic photoluminescence.The external quantum efficiency (EQE) was calculatedusing the photocurrent under excitation by a xenonlamp in a spectroscope. From the x-ray diffraction study, the researchers

determined that the In molar fraction for the GaInNlayers was 0.10 and 0.11 for the free-standing GaNand sapphire devices, respectively. It was also foundthat the GaInN layer crystal structure were lesstwisted, tilted and dislocated on the free-standing GaN.The devices were tested for photovoltaic power

generation in a solar simulator with an air mass indexof AM1.5 and 1.5-sun intensity at room temperature(Table 1). The open-circuit current with the free-stand-ing GaN device is described as ‘low’, with the sapphiredevice having a slightly higher value. The researchersthink this could be due to the thicker p-GaN layer used(100nm) for the free-standing device, making it harderfor the light to get through to the active GaInN layer.Although both devices have a maximum EQE of 55%

at 370nm, the free-standing GaN device has a lower

total EQE due to absorption in the p-GaN layer below365nm. The researchers estimate the internal quan-tum efficiency (IQE) at 82%, close to the theoreticalmaximum of 92%.The free-standing GaN device did perform better in

terms of open-circuit voltage (1.4x) and fill factor (1.2x).The fill factor expresses the maximum output power as afraction of the product of Voc and Isc. These higher valuesare attributed to the better-quality material growth thatwas enabled by use of a free-standing GaN substrate. New Energy and Industrial Technology Development

Organization Project, Research and Development onInnovative Solar Cells provided partial support for theresearch. ■http://apex.jsap.jp/link?APEX/3/111001 Author: Mike Cooke

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Device Sapphire GaN performance substrate substrate

Maximum EQE (%) 55 55EL peak wavelength (nm) 394 388Rsh (Ω-cm2) 3.47x103 2.33x104

Rs (Ω-cm2) 1.39x102 1.38x102

Jsc (mA/cm2) 1.82 1.59Voc (V) 1.62 2.23Fill factor (%) 52 61Conversion efficiency (%) 0.98 1.41

Table 1. Performance characteristics of nitride-based solar cells on sapphire and GaN substrates.Rs = series resistance; Rsh = shunt resistance.

Transistors with high-mobilityindium arsenide (InAs) channelshave been built on insulating

silicon dioxide (SiO2) layers on siliconsubstrates by using layer transfertechniques [Hyunhyub Ko et al,Nature, vol468, p289, 2010]. The participating institutions wereUniversity of California Berkeley,Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,Taiwan’s National Tsing Hua Universityand University of New Mexico.InAs transistors with a gate length

of 0.5μm built using this techniqueachieved ‘on’ currents of 1.4mA/μmwith source–drain (VDS) and gate (VGS)voltages of 1V. The researchersdescribe this ‘on’ current value as‘impressive’. The on/off current ratiowas 104.The researchers believe that similar

layer transfer techniques could beused to put other materials on SiO2/Si substrates to give a range of‘X-on-insulator’ (XOI) devices. The InAs layers were first grown on

gallium antimonide (GaSb) substratesusing molecular beam epitaxy (MBE).The InAs was grown on a previouslayer of aluminum gallium antimonide(Al0.2Ga0.8Sb), also deposited using MBE. The InAs layer was then transferred

to silicon in a number of steps (Figure 1). The InAs isfirst formed into nano-ribbon strips using lithographicpolymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) patterning and citricacid/hydrogen peroxide etching. The AlGaSb underlayer was then etched using

ammonium hydroxide solution to release the InAsnano-ribbons. A 2mm-thick polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS) elastomer substrate was used to detach theInAs from the AlGaSb/GaSb and then stamp it onto theSiO2/Si substrate. The SiO2 was thermally grown onthe silicon.The thickness control of the InAs is provided by the

epitaxial growth process, while the length and widthare determined using lithography. The researchers also

experimented with structures where two layers ofwires — one 18nm thick and the other 48nm thick —were laid one on top of the other (Figure 1 d, e). The overlay capability is seen as offering capacity for

‘generic heterogeneous and/or hierarchical assemblyof crystalline semiconducting materials’, including‘fabrication of both p- and n-type transistors on thesame chip for complementary electronics based on theoptimal III–V semiconductors’.Measurements with atomic force microscopy suggested

a surface roughness of less than 1nm. High-resolutiontransmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) was alsoused to characterize interfaces between the variousmaterials used.

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Figure 1. Fabrication scheme for ultra-thin InAs XOI (a), and AFMimages (b–e).

On-currents of 1.4mA/μm have been achieved in indium arsenidetransistors on insulator on silicon substrates.

Developing layer transfer formixing compounds with silicon

Technology focus: Compounds on silicon


103

Two types of transistor were built to test the electronicproperties of the InAs material. One construction usedthe silicon substrate as a back-gate and nickel metal assource/drain contacts to the InAs channel. A more complex top-gate structure used a zirconium

dioxide gate dielectric and nickel gate contact, againwith nickel source/drain contacts (Figure 2). Zirconiumdioxide (ZrO2) has a high dielectric constant (~20)compared with SiO2’s 3.9. A thermal process at 350°Cfor 1 minute improved the device performance, creating a 1nm-thick InAsOx passivation layer on theInAs ribbons.The on/off current ratio for the top-gate device was

104, while the sub-threshold swing (SS=dVGS/d(logIDS))was 150mV/dec (one device registered 107mV/dec).InAs and InGaAs quantum well FETs have typical SSvalues of ~70mV/dec and 75mV/dec, respectively. Low values of SS are needed for a sharp switchbetween ‘off’ and ‘on’. Commercial logic devices havetypical SS values of ~70mV/dec. Standard siliconCMOS technology has a fundamental lower limit of60mV/dec, although alternate channel materialsand/or different structures such as tunnel devicescould reduce this. The peak transconductance of theInAs transistor was 1.6mS/μm at VDS = 0.5V.The researchers comment: ‘The devices reported

here use a relatively thick gate dielectric, which couldbe scaled down in the future to further improve thegate electrostatic control and the SS characteristics.’Using the interface trapping density as a fitting

parameter in their device model, the researchersobtained a Dit value of 1011/cm2/eV for the InAsOx passivated device, a 60x improvement over unpassi-

vated transistors. More accurate extraction of Dit usingCV (capacitance–voltage) measurements is difficult innarrow-bandgap materials such as InAs compared withsilicon-based structures.The back-gate device was used to study the field-effect

mobility for various thicknesses of InAs. For layers less18nm the mobility increases approximately linearlyand then saturates to a value of 5500cm2/V-s. Thesecompared well with simulations performed by theresearchers to ‘demonstrate the effectiveness of theXOI platform as a clean and predictable material system for exploring high-performance devices whilehighlighting the critical role of quantum confinementand surface contributions in the transport properties ofInAs, even at relatively large thicknesses’. The measured saturated field-effect mobility for the

back-gate device is around half the comparable figuresfor InGaAs and InAs quantum well structures of10,000cm2/V-s and 13,200cm2/V-s, respectively. Field-effect mobilities tend to be lower than bulk valuesdue to device and surface state mobility-reducing contributions that are not present in Hall-effect meas-urements on bulk material (InAs ~40,000cm2/V-s). As future research projects, the team is considering

using similar layer transfer techniques with other compound semiconductor materials and developingtechniques to scale up the process for use with larger-diameter 200mm and even 300mm silicon substrates. ■http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature09541The author Mike Cooke is a freelance technology journalist who has worked in the semiconductor andadvanced technology sectors since 1997.

Figure 2. Top-gated InAs XOI FET schematic and transfer (a) and output (b) performance characteristics. The InAs thickness is ~18nm, the ZrO2 is ~8nm. The gate length was 0.5μm (width ~320nm = 0.32μm).

Soraa Inc of Goleta CA,USA has published per-formance details of record

high-efficiency blue laser diodes(LDs) built on non-c-plane gallium nitride (GaN) semicon-ductors substrates [James W.Raring et al, Appl. Phys.Express, vol3, p112101, 2010].The company has also devel-oped true-green laser diodes forwhich it expects ‘substantialperformance improvements’ inthe coming months.Soraa works on developing

III-nitride semiconductors,‘focusing on disruptive energy-saving solutions’. The firm wasfounded in 2008 (as parentcompany to Kaai Inc) by the University of CaliforniaSanta Barbara (UCSB) professors Shuji Nakamura,Steve DenBaars and Jim Speck,whose names appear on theSoraa paper.Light emission from indium gallium nitride (InGaN)

devices power an increasing number of applications,including biomedical instrumentation and therapies,imaging, reprographics, scientific research, defense,security, data storage, and projection displays. The present commercial InGaN technology uses c-plane

substrates that suffer from polarization electric fields,mainly arising from piezoelectric strain effects. Thesefields tend to reduce the overlap between the electronand hole carriers, reducing their chances of recombin-ing as suitable photons. By working with other orienta-tions of the nitride crystal structure it is hoped toreduce the polarization fields and thus increase recom-bination and hence the efficiency of light-emittingdevices. Non-c-plane {2021} orientations were usedby Sumitomo in 2009 to extend laser diode perform-ance into the true-green region of the spectrum(520–570nm), with pulsed lasing at 531nm and continuous wave (CW) lasing at 520nm.

The Soraa report is rather coy about the device struc-ture and does not give any details about particularnitride orientations used. Possibly the company wantsto keep this useful information to itself for commercialadvantage and is perhaps indicative that sampledevices will be available from Soraa in the near future.The multi quantum well (MQW) laser structures weregrown on free-standing GaN substrates with ‘selectedorientations’, using ‘conventional’ processing technol-ogy. Some clues to the structures would no doubtemerge from a search and study of UCSB’s recentwork. The epitaxial MQW structures were formed into laser

cavities measuring 600μm and 900μm in length andwith widths in the range 1.5–2.5μm. The laser diodeshad surface ridge architectures, aiming at a single lateral mode. The epitaxial material was processed further to apply metal for contact pads, and the resultwas then singulated, mounted and assembled into

Technology focus: Lasers


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Figure 1. CW light-output vs current and voltage (LIV) characteristics of single-mode blue-emitting laser diode. Inset: lasing spectrum at 447nm.

University of California Santa Barbara spin-off Soraa achieves recordwall-plug efficiency of 23% for a blue laser diode emitting at 447nm.

Non-polar nitride boost to blueand true-green laser diode

–

Technology focus: Lasers


105

standard transistor outline (TO)can packages.The researchers are claiming

the highest CW wall-plug effi-ciency (WPE) and light outputpower values ‘reported to date’for blue laser diodes emitting at447nm wavelengths (Figure 1).One device with a 900μm cavityhad kink-free operation up to750mW, and powers in excess of800mW were achieved. Thepeak WPE for this device was22% at 200mW. A 600μm cavitydevice achieved a WPE of 23.2%at 180mW. These results beat aprevious achievement of 18%WPE by Osram Opto Semicon-ductors of Regensburg, Germanyfor a c-plane device reportedearlier this year.The threshold current/voltage

values for the 900μm and600μm Soraa devices were45mA/3.8V and 30mA/3.8V,respectively. The correspondingslope efficiencies were 1.55W/A and 1.62W/A. Themeasurements were carried out at case temperaturesof 25°C.Further testing involved varying the temperature of

600μm devices. The threshold current temperaturecharacteristic (T0) was130K, which falls in the‘typical’ range of125–140K that Soraahas for its other devices.(High values of T0 aredesirable.) The WPE wasmore than 20% at100mW and more than22% at 180mW at allcase temperatures in the range 10–70°C. The highest peak WPEachieved was 23.6% at a case temperature of50°C and 200mW output power. Operating lifetimes of five devices were determined

by operating at 40°C for more than 2000 hours with60mW output power. Using a linear extrapolation ofthe operating current increase needed to maintain60mW output, the mean lifetime was ~10,000 hours,with a spread of 8000–23,300 hours.A true-green laser diode emitting at about 521nm

was also presented (Figure 2). Since producing true-green LDs is still very challenging, it is no surprise

to see WPE values an order of magnitude less in size.At 20°C, the threshold current and voltage were130mA and 7.3V, respectively. The peak WPE is givenas 1.92%. The slope efficiency was more than 0.3W/A,and output powers of more than 60mW were reached.By varying the temperature, the T0 value was deter-mined to be 160–180K in pulsed operation (avoidingself-heating effects). Lifetime measurements arereported to be ‘underway’.Although the true-green device does not match the

performance under CW conditions of 2.3% WPE at50mW output power by Osram Opto on c-plane GaN,the researchers contrast the 15-year development with their own 15 months on non-c-plane material‘with substantial performance improvements expectedin the months to come’. For both blue and true-green devices, the full-width

at half maximum (FWHM) of the spectral envelopedwas about 1nm. The FWHM divergence angles in the ‘slow’ (due to width of active region) and ‘fast’ (due to epitaxial layer thickness of active region) axisdirections were 9–12° and 15–18°, respectively, forthe blue devices. The true-green device had the sameslow-axis range, but a slightly tighter fast-axis range of 13–17°. ■www.soraa.com http://apex.jsap.jp/link?APEX/3/112101 The author Mike Cooke is a freelance technology journalist who has worked in the semiconductor andadvanced technology sectors since 1997.

Figure 2. CW–LIV characteristics at case temperatures of 10–70°C of a green-emitting laser diode. Inset: lasing spectrum at 521nm at case temperature of 20°C.

A 600mm cavitydevice achieved awall-plug efficiency of23.2% at 180mW.These results beat aprevious achievementof 18% WPE by OsramOpto Semiconductorsof Regensburg,Germany for a c-plane device

Multi-quantum wells (MQWs) built of indiumgallium nitride (InGaN) semiconductors arewidely used to produce short-wavelength

visible light from green through blue to ultraviolet.Researchers would like to fill out the red end of the visible spectrum. In principle, this could be achievedwith higher indium content in the InGaN material.However, with higher indium content there is a tendencyto clump into higher In and lower In regions, ratherthan having a homogeneous In distribution. Researchers from Singapore’s Institute of Materials

Research and Engineering (part of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, A*STAR), and theSingapore–MIT Alliance at National University of Singapore, have been using this clumping effect to create quantum dots (QDs) with suitable longer-wavelength yellow emission properties [C. B. So et al,J. Appl. Phys., vol108, p093501, 2010]. The researchersalso developed an aluminum nitride (AlN) cappinglayer technique to protect the dots from the high-temperature thermal processing needed to create thep-contact of LED devices. The researchers grew three types of three-period

MQW sample on c-plane sapphire using MOCVD. Thebarrier material consisted of GaN. The wells consistedof two InGaN layers — a 1nm ‘wetting layer’ and a2nm layer with higher trimethyl-indium (TMIn) flowrate (and hence In content). The purpose of the wetting layer is to reduce the strain for subsequentquantum dot growth. The trimethyl-gallium (TMGa)flow rate was the same in both cases. The growth temperature was 725°C.The well growth was interrupted between the layers

in two of the sample types (samples B and C) to allowindium-rich quantum dots to form where TMIn flowedunder ammonia-rich conditions (the nitrogen source)for 30 seconds (Figure 1). In the case of sample C, a ~1.2nm AlN layer was inserted between the wellsand the GaN barrier. The aim of using the AlN layer was to reduce

degradation of the QDs under further growth, throughindium out-diffusion for example. Also the high-temperature anneals for p-contact activation was aconcern. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) morphologystudies were used to understand the various growth

processes and to develop improved samples.Once the MQWs had been grown, a 10nm GaN capping

layer was applied. The B and C material was used tocreate LEDs (samples X and Y) by adding p-AlGaN(25% Al) and p-GaN as the electron-blocking layer andp-contact, respectively. The magnesium doping wasactivated with a 20 minute anneal at 825°C in-situ inthe growth chamber. Transmission electron microscopy(TEM) was used to understand the impact of thisprocess on the samples. It was found that the annealtends to shrink the QDs, but there was less of animpact in samples with AlN between the wells and thebarriers.Photoluminescence studies on the QD samples with-

out p-contact layers were carried out and it was foundthat a simulation anneal at 820°C blue-shifted the

Technology focus: LEDs


106

Figure 1. Schematic representation of energy band profileof strained AlN/InGaN QDs/InGaN/GaN quantum well.

InGaN quantum dots in wells yield yellow emission: AlN cap layerused to prevent indium out-diffusion during doping activation anneal.

Singapore researchers createamber light for nitride LEDs

emission from B (without AlN caps) butred-shifted that from C(with AlN). The effect ofannealing is out-diffusionof the high indium content of the dots.Without the AlN cap, theindium can diffuse alsoout of the well into thesurrounding barrierregion. However, withthe cap, the indium isconfined to the wellregion, creating longer-wavelength-emittingmaterial there (red-shift).In the case of sample Bwithout cap, the effectof wider indium diffusioncreates a lower indiumcontent in the well layers

and also allows strain relaxation, reducing piezoelectricpolarization fields. Both these factors would tend toproduce a blue-shift. (Piezoelectric fields tend to createa red-shift in InGaN MQWs grown in the c-direction.) Electroluminescence studies on the LED structures

showed the devices to be yellow emitting, with broademission bands covering wavelengths 500–680nm for sample X (without AlN caps) and 550–750nm forsample Y (with AlN). The dominant peaks of the samplesblue-shifted with increasing current (30mA to 70mA):from 582nm to 562nm for sample X; and from 668nmto 658nm for sample Y. The smaller shift in sample Y istaken by the researchers as suggesting that the effectof piezoelectric fields is smaller in LED Y. Thus, it is believed that the AlN cap also reduced the

strain between the InGaN well and GaN barrier for thesecond and third periods of the structure. This reducesthe amount of polarization charge at interfaces andhence also the polarization electric fields in the structure. ■http://link.aip.org/link/JAPIAU/v108/i9/p093501/s1Author: Mike Cooke

With the cap, theindium is confined tothe well region, creatinglonger-wavelength-emitting material there(red-shift)... The AlNcap also reduced thestrain between theInGaN well and GaNbarrier for the secondand third periods of the structure. Thisreduces the amount ofpolarization charge atinterfaces and hencealso the polarizationelectric fields in thestructure



107

Figure 2. Current-dependent EL spectra (left) and plots (right) of the light-output power and peak emissionwavelength of LEDs as a function of injection current, for LEDs X (top) and Y (bottom).

Researchers in France have developed a mono-lithic nitride semiconductor system for creatingand converting blue-violet light into green-yellow

[B. Damilano et al, J. Appl. Phys., vol108, p073115,2010]. By creating a suitable balance of the directblue-violet and converted green-yellow light, it is possible to create quasi pure-green and even whiteemission. Normally white light-emitting diodes are produced by

covering a blue or violet LED with a yellow phosphormaterial such as cerium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG:Ce). A number of techniques have beenproposed to avoid the complication and cost of addingsuch phosphor layers.The approach of the researchers from Centre de

Recherche sur l’Hétéro-Epitaxie et ses Applications(CRHEA) — which is part of France’s Centre National dela Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) organization — is touse gallium indium nitride (GaInN) multiple quantumwells (MQWs) for both photon emission and conversion.The nitride layers of the color conversion portion of

the device (Figure 1) were grown by MOCVD on c-planesapphire. The non-intentionally-doped (nid) GaN bufferlayer was 6.6μm. The green-yellow MQW color convertor (nid) consisted

of a 20-period structure with 3.1nm GaInN wells and20nm GaN barriers. The last nid GaN barrier layer wassomewhat thicker at 300nm. Photoluminescenceexperiments on the structure showed that its perform-ance was not uniform across the wafer. Near the flatportion of the wafer edge, the emission wavelengthwas around 500nm (blue-green), but this increased to580nm (yellow) at the opposite side.The blue-violet light-emitting layers were grown by

MBE. The researchers report that a first attempt usingMOCVD to grow the active layers was not successful,presumably due to the high temperatures (>900°C)‘annealing’/disrupting the previous color converter layers.The n-GaN (silicon doped) layer was 2.2mm grown at

820°C. The active layer was a 5-period MQW with theGaInN well layers grown at 570°C and the GaN barriersat 800°C. The nitride layers were completed with p-type (magnesium doping) layers consisting of a20nm Al0.1Ga0.9N electron-blocking layer and a GaN

layer grown at 760°C. The emission wavelength variedbetween 405nm at the center of the wafer to 450nm at the edge — these fall within the violet range(380–450nm), bordering on blue (440–490nm). This epitaxial material was used to create LEDs

through normal methods: photolithography, dry(plasma) etch and contact metal deposition. The p contacts were non-transparent nickel-gold, whichreflected some light back through the color conversionstructure.



108

Figure 1. Structure of the device, consisting of a blueLED grown on top of 20-period green-yellowemitting GaInN/GaN MQWs.

GaInN quantum wells have been used to both create and convertblue-violet light to longer-wavelength green-yellow colors.

Nitride wells tune in togreen and white

Although variations in deviceproperties are not desired in acommercial environment, theresearchers used their non-uniformities to study a spread ofcharacteristics. In one group,the active layer emission wave-length (pump) was fixed at430nm (as determined fromdevices without color convertersgrown using the same condi-tions) — i.e. devices were takenat a fixed radius from the centerof the wafer. In another group,the color converter wavelengthwas fixed at 520nm by takingdevices at a fixed distance fromthe flat edge of the wafer.At 20mA continuous injection

current with a fixed pump wave-length (430nm), it was foundthat the secondary peak fromcolor conversion reduces by afactor of ~30 as the wavelengthincreased from 500nm to580nm. With a fixed color con-version wavelength (520nm) atthe same injection current, the shorter wavelengthpump of 405nm had a conversion peak ~10x that of apump with 450nm.With the 520nm color converter, it was found that the

chromaticity coordinates changed from quasi pure-blue(0.168, 0.615) to quasi pure-green (0.148, 0.166) inthe move from a 405nm to a 450nm pump. It was alsopossible to find ‘white’light-emitting deviceson the wafer with apump wavelength of406nm and a converter wavelength of 565nm:chromaticity coordinateswere (0.328, 0.351);correlated color temper-ature was 5683K; andcolor rendering index(CRI) was 41.6. Theresearchers say that thiscorresponds to mid-morning/mid-afternoon light. The CRI could be improved (100 is the usual target),the researchers suggest, by increasing the full width athalf maximum (FWHM) of the yellow peak, realized byusing GaInN color converter QWs emitting at differentwavelengths, instead of having identical QWs. Variation of the light output with current was also

studied using a device with a 408nm (violet) pump and529nm (green) converter. Up to 60mA the chromaticity

coordinates stayed approximately constant at around(0.218, 0.498); at 100mA, this shifted to (0.201, 0.429),indicating an increase in the blue component. Theresearchers interpret the shift as being mainly due toJoule heating effects at larger currents. It is found thatthe ‘blue’ component red-shifts to 409.3nm at 100mA,which is an effect associated with bandgap narrowingdue to heating. The absorption of the light converterdecreases with longer pump wavelengths, reducing the green emission. The observed decrease in greenemission (~20%) is larger than expected (~14%) —the researchers suspect that the internal quantum effi-ciency of the converter MQWs also decreases due toheating effects.The green peak wavelength of the pump/converter

set-up is far more stable compared with LEDs designedto emit green light (Figure 2). Standard LEDs producedusing a 520nm converter MQW structure had a blue-shift of 12.7nm over the range 10–50mA,although this is larger than for some reported devices.The pump/converter combination saw a blue–shift ofonly 1nm in the range 10–100mA.The researchers suggest that the pumped devices

could also produce green light without the large efficiency droops seen in traditional devices — if all the blue photons could be converted to green, thenlarge output power devices would result. ■http://link.aip.org/link/JAPIAU/v108/i7/p073115/s1Author: Mike Cooke.

The pumped devicescould also producegreen light without thelarge efficiency droopsseen in traditionaldevices — if all the bluephotons could beconverted to green,then large output powerdevices would result



109

Figure 2. Variation in electroluminescence peak wavelength versus currentfor standard green LEDs (triangles, diamonds, circles) and for green peak ofLED with nitride MQW light converter (squares).

Researchers at National Chiao-Tung University (NCTU)and Epistar Corp have used

quantum wells with varying thicknessto reduce ‘efficiency droop’ effects inindium gallium nitride (InGaN) blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) [C. H. Wang et al, Appl. Phys. Lett.,vol97, p181101, 2010].Nitride semiconductors are the

dominant material for making devicesemitting light with shorter wave-lengths (<540nm) of green, blue, violet and ultra-violet. These deviceswork at high efficiency at relativelylow current but, as the currentincreases, the efficiency tends to falloff for various reasons, particularlywith the longer-wavelength region(green). Overcoming this problemwould enable lower-cost LED lightinginstallations to work with less powerconsumption. Multi-quantum well structures with InGaN wells and

barriers of GaN (or sometimes InGaN with a differentcomposition) are used to create light emission, withone side injecting holes and the other electrons. It hasbeen found that, while the electrons travel across thestructure fairly evenly (or overshooting into the p-contact/hole source region), the holes tend to beconcentrated near the p-injection contact. By making the wells wider towards the p-contact,

the NCTU/Epistar group hoped to improve the holeconcentration across the active region. The hole carrierlifetime in thicker wells tends to be longer, allowing alarger proportion to move on to the next well. The researchers grew their nitride LED structures

using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition(MOCVD) on c-plane sapphire. The base for the MQWstructures was a 4nm GaN nucleation layer followed bya 4μm n-GaN buffer. On top of this, a superlattice was constructed using

10x InGaN/GaN pairs. The graded-thickness MQW(GQW) structure consisted of InGaN (In molar fraction15%) quantum wells with 10nm GaN barriers. The wellthicknesses were 1.5, 1.8, 2.1, 2.4, 2.7 and 3nm, as

determined by the growth time. A reference LED withconstant thickness wells was also produced with a wellthickness of 2.25nm, a value that makes the activevolume equal for the graded and ungraded structures.The p-contact layers consisted of an electron-blocking

layer of 20nm AlGaN (15% Al) and 200nm of p-GaN.These epitaxial structures with transparent indium tinoxide (ITO) contact layers applied were formed into300μm x 300μm LED mesas. Nickel-gold was appliedfor the contact pads.The electroluminescent (EL) testing of the devices

showed the GQW device to be red-shifted relative tothe reference up to 100A/cm2 current density (Figure 1).Also, the width of the emission line is wider. However,over this energy range the blue-shift with increasingcurrent is greater in the GQW device, so that the emis-sion wavelengths of the two devices are approximatelyequal at 100A/cm2. Normally, LED blue-shift is attributed to band-filling

effects making the energy difference between electronand hole levels greater (and hence increasing therecombination photon energy). Also, charge screeningeffects can play a role. These effects arise from thequantum-confined Stark effect (QCSE), where



110

Figure 1. Average wavelength and FWHM as a function of current density forreference and GQW LEDs.

Taiwan researchers investigate graded well thickness to improveLED efficiency.

Varying wells to combat LED efficiency droop



111

piezoelectric polarization fields aredeveloped from the strained nature ofthe wells. Increases in the full-width athalf maximum (FWHM) of emissionsare often attributed to band filling andself-heating.For the GQW devices, based on

simulations, the researchers believethat the increased blue-shift is due tomore recombination occurring in thenarrower wells as the current densityincreases. Since the wells emit atsomewhat different wavelengths, thesymmetry of the spectral peak givesinformation about the balance ofrecombination across the structure. The asymmetry factor (AsF = FWHM

divided by twice the distance from thelow wavelength intersect to the peak,giving 1 for a symmetric peak) for theregular LED changed from 1.04 to0.98 as the current increased from adensity of 1A/cm2 to 100A/cm2. The GQW deviceschange from 1.05 to 0.89 over the same range. Thelow AsF value shows increased contribution from theblue-end and decreased contribution from the red endof the spectral distribution.The researchers comment: ‘These enormous changes

in wavelength and linewidth might make the design ofthe GQW concept impractical for lighting applications.’ Future work for the group could include grading the

indium content of the wells to compensate somewhatfor these undesired effects. This could be done byreducing the indium content of the wider wells.The researchers also measured the effect on effi-

ciency droop (Figure 2). The light output power of the

GQW was 24.3mW, compared with 18.0mW for thereference device, at 20A/cm2. It was also found thatgrading increases the point at which the efficiencydroop starts (30A/cm2 vs 2A/cm2 in the reference) andreduces the fall off after that point (16% drop frompeak at 200A/cm2 vs 32%).The researchers suggest that the improved hole dis-

tribution and consequent reduction of Auger effectsthat kick in at high carrier concentrations lead to betterrecombination rates into photons rather than othermechanisms. ■http://link.aip.org/link/APPLAB/v97/i18/p181101/s1www.epistar.com.tw/about-e.htmAuthor: Mike Cooke


free at


Figure 2. Comparison of normalized EL efficiency and light output power (L)curves vs current density.

The Smart Lighting EngineeringResearch Center (ERC) atRensselaer Polytechnic Institute

(RPI) in Troy, NY and III-nitride mat-erials provider Kyma Technologies Incof Raleigh, NC, USA have used non-standard crystal growth directions tocreate a nitride semiconductor light-emitting diode with a polarizationintensity ratio of 0.77 [Shi You et al,Appl. Phys. Express, vol3, p102103,2010]. The researchers commentthat this polarization intensity ratio is,to their knowledge, “the highest valueobtained in top surface emission ofany AlGaInN LED for wavelengthslonger than 500nm from planar surface emission”.Polarized LEDs could be used to

make more efficient back-light unitsfor liquid-crystal displays (LCDs).Nematic-phase liquid-crystal displaysuse polarized light to create images.The liquid-crystal material is putbetween a pair of polarizers. By varying the configuration of the liquid-crystal structure under an appliedelectric field, the light’s polarizationcan be shifted, thus modulating thetransmission. If this set-up is drivenby unpolarized light, then more than half the source’spower is thrown away by the first polarizer.In the past couple of years, a number of research

groups have been investigating nitride semiconductorLEDs grown in crystal directions different from theusual c-direction to improve performance, in particularto avoid wavelength shifts in the output light with drivecurrent arising from the electric polarization fields thatare directed in the c-direction in these structures. LEDs grown in non-polar and semi-polar directions alsoproduce linearly polarized light. The Rensselaer Polytechnic and Kyma researchers used

gallium nitride (GaN) substrates that were 5mm x 10mmrectangular slices cut from free-standing bulk wafers(50mm diameter, up to 7mm thick) grown in the c-direction using hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE).

The study used substrates with surface m- and a-planes with off-cut angle less than 0.2°. Chemo-mechanical polishing was used to reduce the surfaceroughness to less than 0.5nm root-mean-square (rms)on both sides. The light-emitting diode structures were grown using

metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD).The multi-quantum well (MQW) light-emitting activeregions consisted of five or eight pairs of indium gallium nitride (InGaN) wells and GaN barriers. The indium fraction and well/barrier thicknesses were

determined by combining information from x-ray diffraction (XRD) and high-resolution transmissionelectron microscopy (HR-TEM). The well thicknesseswere in the range 3–4nm and the barriers were20–25nm. The residual roughness of the MQW layers



112

Figure 1. (a) Polarization-resolved EL spectra of m-plane LED at 20mA.Emission polarized along the c-axis peaks with maximum intensity at 491nm,while emission polarized along the a-axis has an intensity peak at 505nm. (b) EL intensity as a function of polarization angle together with interpolationof both main perpendicular components. At 0° and 180°, the polarizer is along the c-axis, and at 90° it is along the a-axis.

A record polarization intensity ratio of 0.77 has been achieved for top surface emission from >500nm-wavelength AlGaInN LEDs.

Polarized LED from RPI and Kymapromises more efficient displays

was determined by atomic forcemicroscopy (AFM) — in the a-samples the value was1.23.0nm rms and in the m-samples it was 0.20.5nm rms. The n-type injection region was

grown first on the substrate andconsisted of 1μm of silicon-doped GaN. This was followedby the MQW sequence.Photoluminescence (PL) studies

show the m-plane MQW struc-tures to have a polarization ratiothat is about 30% higher thanthat for the a-plane samples.The researchers comment thatcurrent theory does not predictthis, and suggest that the higher roughness values of thea-structures could be due torelaxation of the anisotropicstrain effects and confinementthat are thought to affect mainlythe polarization of the outputlight through shifts and splittingof the valence band structure.The electroluminescence (EL)

of one of the m-plane MQWstructures was studied by adding a 15nm AlGaN electron-blocking layer and 120nm p-GaN injectionlayer to complete it into an LED. The polarization components along a- and c-axes were measured at aninjection current of 20mA over a range of wavelengths(Figure 1). The light polarization

with the electric fieldparallel to the a-direc-tion had a peak at505nm (blue-green),while the c-polarizationwas much smaller(about 13% of the a-peak) and centered ata shorter wavelength491nm. This shorterwavelength indicates an energy transitionincrease of ~70meV inthis direction. Theoreti-cal predictions based onsplitting due to straineffects would give40meV. The discrepancycould be due to quantum confinementeffects.

The team expects that higher polarization could beachieved with proper packaging and suppression of die edge emission. The angular dependence of thepolarization also fits the assumption of two intensitiescoming from separate components parallel to the a- and c-directions. The random contribution from lightinternally scattered within the LED is described asbeing ‘very low’. The researchers hope that moving tolonger wavelengths (e.g. green at ~530nm or deepgreen at ~550nm) could increase the polarizationratio, particularly for m-plane structures. The effect of linear polarizers on the emissions

from standard c-plane and m-plane LEDs were alsocompared (Figure 2). The c-plane emission wasreduced by 57.7%, while the loss for the m-plane LEDwas only 25.4%. The use of polarized light from m-plane LEDs could

enhance the output efficiency of polarized systems,potentially reducing power consumption. In the case of the 0.77 polarized light created in their latest experiments, the researchers say that the same polarized output power could be achieved with 44%less input light power, compared with a standard c-plane LED. ■http://apex.jsap.jp/link?APEX/3/102103 http://smartlighting.rpi.edu www.kymatech.com Author: Mike Cooke

The use of polarizedlight from m-planeLEDs could enhance the output efficiency of polarized systems,potentially reducingpower consumption. In the case of the 0.77polarized light createdin their latestexperiments, theresearchers say thatthe same polarizedoutput power could beachieved with 44%less input light power,compared with astandard c-plane LED



113

Figure 2. EL spectra of (a) c- and (b) m-plane LEDs with and without polarizer.

The materials indium and gallium have a growingrange of applications. Although both are widelyused in compound semiconductor devices, the

use of indium extends greatly beyond this sphere. In fact, the most widespread use of indium is in ITO(indium tin oxide) transparent conducting layers, asapplied in flat-panel displays, touch screens, smart-phones, high-efficiency solar panels and high-efficiency,long-life LED lighting (both for LCD back-lights and, in the future, more general applications). Also some of these applications are dependent on

indium and gallium semiconductor technology to workat all. For the emission of long-wavelength light, i.e.red-orange-yellow (ROY), various combinations ofindium gallium arsenic and phosphorous (InGaAsP) areused. The shorter wavelengths — green, blue, violetand beyond — are covered by indium gallium nitride(InGaN) compound semiconductors. Aluminum (Al) (another group III metal) also has uses

in both regimes (particularly for high-brightness ROYlight emission in the forms AlGaAs and AlInGaP), but isnot a concern in supply terms, being relatively easy toextract in large quantities from bauxite. The purpose ofaluminum is generally to shorten the wavelengththrough widening the bandgap of semiconductor layers,and also for barriers in quantum well structures. Indium and gallium also find use in light absorption/

solar cell active layers, both in the combinationsalready mentioned (high efficiency, but high cost) and inthe lower-cost copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS)form [Mike Cooke, Semiconductor Today, vol4, issue 3,p88, April/May 2009]. At present, the greatest demand for high-brightness

LEDs (HB-LEDs) is for those used as backlights in LCDTVs/displays (marketed as ‘LED TV’ by manufacturers),replacing more traditional technologies such as cold-cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs). The switchoveris allowing LCD manufacturers to produce thinner panels that operate on a lower energy budget. Otheradvantages include a brighter display, better contrastand cooler running.

The LEDs used in such units can be ‘white’ or ‘RGB’.The ‘white’ flavor refers to a blue InGaN LED with ayellow phosphor material such as cerium-dopedyttrium aluminum garnet (Ce:YAG) that produces anapproximation to white. The ‘RGB’ option is moreexpensive, but gives a better-quality result. RGB LEDsystems use combinations of separate red, green andblue LEDs to achieve a full-color result with truerblacks, whites and color rendering performance (colorgamut). Market research firm Display Search believes that

more than 50% of LCD TVs will be LED-backlit next year.In 2014, they will account for more than 80% of shipments on the market researcher’s most recentassessment (Figure 1). By 2014, another researcher, Strategies Unlimited,

puts the HB-LED market at $19bn, representing a 30%compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over 2009[High-Brightness LED: Market Review and Forecast 2010].For particular applications, such as signs/displays andillumination, the expected CAGRs are even higher(61% and 45%, respectively). For more general illumination and signage, further attractions of HB-LEDsinclude lower power consumption and longer operatinglifetimes (up to 50,000 hours, versus 10,000 hours forcompact fluorescent or 2000 hours for incandescent).

Raw material pricing However, such new LED production activity feedsdemand back down the supply chain and puts pressureon raw material prices. Many semiconductor producersare used to being able to beat down materials pricesbecause substances such as silicon are as common asmuck (or at least rock and sand). With HB-LEDs thesituation is different — practically all devices use thevery rare metals indium and gallium. However, evenhere Taiwanese manufacturers have been able to bargain until recently. A big change in the balance of power has come from

“competitors backed by huge corporations, such asSamsung and LG, much better positioned to absorb

Market focus: Materials


114

As orders have picked up from the 2008-2009 financial crisis, strain has beenput on compound semiconductor raw material supplies. Now, China may beplanning stockpiles that could further restrict access to indium and gallium.Mike Cooke reports.

New demand puts tension intogallium/indium supply chain

higher material costs and toguarantee their supply in aconstrained market”, saysthe market research firmStrategy Analytics. In May,Strategy Analytics waswarning of a shortage ofkey semiconductor mater-ials in second-half 2010[‘Materials Shortage toRestrict Rampant LED Market’, Strategy Analytics,2010]. In the near-term, the firm

was predicting a 20% risein trimethyl-gallium (TMG)prices. This material is theprecursor source for Gaused most commonly in themetal-organic chemicalvapor deposition (MOCVD)process generally employedfor nitride semiconductorhetero-structuring. TMG prices have gone froma couple of dollars per gram to $10/g earlier this year,before settling to a more comfortable $3–4/g. The supply of the sapphire base wafer was also cited asbeing in short supply. These concerns come on top of those connected with

sharply increased demand coming recently from Chinafor MOCVD growth reactors [Mike Cooke, Semiconduc-tor Today, vol5, issue 7, p90, September 2010]. Other epitaxial techniques use liquid- or vapor-phase,

or even molecular beams, to produce semiconductorlayers. The source materials in these cases are muchsimpler, or even elemental species.

Metal-organic precursor suppliers expand A number of companies are currently rushing to meetthe TMG shortfall: AkzoNobel, Albemarle, Chemtura,Dow Electronic Materials and SAFC Hitech have all thisyear announced planned expansions of metal-organic(MO) capacity for group III metals (see news pages32–33 of this issue). Steven Entwistle, VP of the Strategy Analytics

Strategic Technologies Practice, commented in May:“Capacity expansions already in progress shouldrelieve these constraints by mid-2011. Until then, theaverage selling price (ASP) of high-brightness LEDsbased on gallium nitride should hold up well.” Dow in fact made two announcements, one this

November concerning breaking ground for a new facilityin Korea, and another in June covering more generalplans for expanded production of TMG. The companyhas been adding ‘significant TMG capacity’ to its

facilities in the USA to meet short-term demand. TheKorean facility is expected to come online in early 2011(probably Q2), aimed at meeting longer-term demand.At the end of the multi-phase plan, Dow says that itwill have a total TMG capacity of 60 (metric) tons/year.In future, the firm also expects that other metal-organicchemicals will be available from Korea. A Korea production site is convenient both for cus-

tomers in that country and also for other nations of theAsia-Pacific region such as Taiwan where much LCDand semiconductor production is carried out. Dow Electronic Materials is the biggest supplier of TMG toKorea and sees itself as the leading supplier of precursorsto the LED market as a whole and has patented precur-sor manufacturing processes and delivery technology. Expanded high-purity metal-organic capabilities are

also among the aims of a Korean investment by UScompany Albemarle,announced in September.The company presentlyproduces TMG in theUSA, and the new Koreafacility is expected to‘mirror’ this capability.The facility will beginwith TMG purification inearly 2011, adding inother capabilities throughnext year.

In August, the US company Chemtura signed a memorandum of understanding for a metal-organic



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Figure 1. Worldwide TV market by technology. Source: DisplaySearch QuarterlyAdvanced Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report, Q3, 2010.

AkzoNobel, Albemarle,Chemtura, DowElectronic Materialsand SAFC Hitech have all this yearannounced plannedexpansions of metal-organic capacity forgroup III metals

joint venture with Korean company UP Chemical. TheKorea-based JV would manufacture and sell high-puritymetal-organics such as trimethyl-aluminum (TMA),along with TMG (up to 30 ton/year TMG capacity isexpected). Supply is due to begin in December 2010,with a fully integrated manufacturing capability beingestablished at the Korean site for TMG and TMA in late2011. Again, the focus will be on supplying South Koreaand Asia-Pacific more generally, hoping to pick up onthe expected HB-LED bonanza. Chemtura also has a subsidiary based in Germany —

Chemtura Organometallics GmbH — where TMA production is to be added to an existing facility for producing diethyl-zinc (DEZ), which is a substance usedas a polymerization catalyst. The TMA product line willbecome operational in 2012, the company says. Netherlands-based AkzoNobel plans to double TMG

capacity at its Texas-based facility, with the new pro-duction volume becoming available in February 2011.“The capacity addition will further enhance AkzoNobel’sposition as the leading global producer of this material,”the firm says. This comes on top of the firm previouslyannouncing a doubling of its TMG production in May 2010.AkzoNobel also produces indium-, aluminum-, zinc-and magnesium-based metal-organics. The firm’s US operation had been under Chapter 11

bankruptcy protection since March 2009 due to the

global recession. Plans for reorganization have beenaccepted by the relevant court and the firm emergedfrom Chapter 11 protection in November 2010.SAFC Hitech was another company investing in

increased TMG production with $2m funding at its UKmanufacturing facility in Bromborough. Some moneyfor the project came from local government and devel-opment agencies. Again the immediate focus is support of HB-LED production.Now, at the beginning of December, SAFC Hitech too

has also announced a further expansion for the Asianmarket, this time at its plant in Kaohsiung, Taiwan (see news pages). The firm plans to build a dedicatedfacility for transfilling, technical service and productionof LED and silicon semiconductor precursors (to beoperational by late 2011). Another way to expand production has been followed

by Korea’s Lake LED Materials gaining investment fromprocess materials supplier ATMI, giving the US firm aminority interest. Lake LED Materials is a start-up withcapabilities for producing TMG (24 ton/year, according tohttp://english.etnews.co.kr/news/detail.html?id=201011040009), trimethyl-indium (TMI), TMA, triethyl-gallium (TEG), bis-cyclopentadienyl-magnesium(Cp2Mg), and other metal organics. ATMI says that itwill “help accelerate commercial LED materials intro-ductions, with select marketing and technology rights”.

Sources and costs of raw materials A large part of the high cost of these materials is down to the rarity of the source metals. In the past five years (Table 1), indium prices have ranged fromalmost $1000/kg down to less than $400/kg. Galliumhas been somewhat more stable, at around $500/kg.These are year-end figures and prices for indium havein some periods exceeded $1000/kg. The price fell dramatically following the 2008 economic crash, butimproving economic conditions subsequently pushedindium prices to about $600/kg in November 2010.In 2009, world primary production of gallium was

estimated to be 78 tons, down from the previous year’s111 tons [US Geological Survey, Mineral CommoditySummaries, January 2010]. The refined gallium estimate was 118 tons. This latter figure includes scraprecycling. Capacity figures are 184 tons for primaryproduction, 167 tons for refining, and 78 tons recycling.The USGS also gives refinery production figures forindium of 600 tons in 2009 (Table 2).The main source for gallium is from the aluminum ore

bauxite, where the USGS estimates the gallium contentof world deposits to be more than a billion kilograms.However, further deposits of gallium could be associatedwith zinc ores. These estimates assume a gallium concentration in bauxite of 50 parts per million. Theconcentration in zinc ore is the same. However, thismaterial can only be accessed if the deposit is eco-



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$/kg 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

IndiumIndium Corp 99.97% 946 918 795 685 500New York dealer 99.99% 961 815 637 519 390GalliumAverage for 99.9999% 538 443 530 579 480& 99.99999% US import

2008 2009e

Belgium 30 30Brazil 5 10Canada 45 50China 310 300Japan 65 60Korea, Republic of 75 85Peru 6 20Russia 12 12Other countries 25 30World total (rounded) 570 600

Table 1. Average year-end prices for In and Ga.Source: US Geological Survey, MineralCommodity Summaries, January 2010.

Table 2. World indium refinery production inmetric tons. Source: US Geological Survey,Mineral Commodity Summaries, January 2010.



117

nomic. This would dependboth on the viability of therespective ores for their primary product (aluminumor zinc) and on trace metalextraction capability. TheUSGS comments that only a small percentage of gallium in these ores is‘economically recoverable’. The main indium source is

sphalerite, a zinc sulfide ore.The indium concentration inthese deposits ranges from1ppm to 100ppm. Althoughindium occurs in higherconcentrations in some tin and tungsten vein stockwork deposits, thesesources are difficult toprocess for indium extrac-tion in an economic fashion. Another possibility has

been raised recently bySouth American Silver Corp.The firm has been perform-ing exploratory drilling atMalku Khota, Bolivia. The site has been qualifiedunder the CanadianNational Instrument 43-101mineral resource classificationas having an indicatedresource of 144.6 millionounces of silver and 845 tonof indium plus an inferred resource of 177.8 millionounces of silver and 968 ton of indium.The two best intercepts of this drilling with the minerals

at the site give indium contents of 2.7ppm (=grams/ton)and 1.4ppm. The figures for gallium are in fact higher,at 3.6ppm and 3.2ppm.The firm reports that it has carried out metallurgical

and process-related test work to refine leach recoverycharacteristics for silver and indium and associatedgold, copper, lead, zinc and gallium mineralization (see Figure 2). The Third Quarter President’s Messageand Project Update comments: “The test work to dateindicates the amenability of heap leaching and/ormilling of the mineralized material at Malku Khota.” In copper mining, leaching is used to dissolve the

desired material in a solvent, which is then subjectedto ‘electro-winning’ (i.e. electrolysis). South AmericanSilver sees this as a possibility for recovering indiumfrom its silver ore. Another possibility is to gather theindium as part of the silver refining process, similarlyto the techniques used in zinc smelting.

The firm says that it is “committed to upholding highenvironmental and social standards while focusing ondelivering the financial growth its shareholders expect”.The Altiplano region of Bolivia (where Malku Khota issituated) has been involved in large-scale mining sincethe Spanish conquest of the Incas (who knew of thesilver deposits). The traditionally highly exploited local population has

been exposed to the heavy-metal pollution that canarise from such operations. Some effort is presentlybeing made (not directly connected with South AmericanSilver’s explorations) by the French Institut de Recherchepour le Développement (IRD) public research instituteto assess the level and effect of pollution in the area[http://en.ird.fr/the-media-library/scientific-news-sheets/357-the-impact-of-mining-in-bolivia]. In terms of present sources for gallium and indium,

China figures prominently. For gallium the main pro-ducers are China, Germany, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine.China is also responsible for about half of the world’sproduction of indium (Table 2). Of US gallium imports

Figure 2. Metallurgy flow sheet for proposed acid-chloride leach process.

(29 tons in 2009), the USGS reports that 24% comesfrom Germany, 20% from Canada, 16% from China,and 12% from Ukraine, with 28% emanating from‘other’ sources. For indium (95 tons), the US is morereliant on China (40%), with the remainder from Japan(19%), Canada (18%), Belgium (7%) and ‘other’ (16%). While the US government

does not maintain stockpilesof either indium or gallium,other nations do. In particu-lar, Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation(JOGMEC) announced plansto set up stockpiles of 42 days worth of standardnational consumption ofthese metals in 2009. Koreaset up rare-metal stockpilesin 2006, and announcedplans to increase this activityin the period up to 2016.The US edition of China

Daily reported in November2010 (based in turn onShanghai Securities Newsreport involving ‘unnamedsources’) that indium andgallium were among tenrare metals that the State Bureau of MaterialReserve was considering for stockpiling to stabilizesupply and prices. At aboutthe same time, the

China Securities Journal reported moves by China’s Commerce Ministry to place stricter controls on rare-metal exports — a 2–3% cut in quotas per year,according to more ‘unnamed sources’.Such developments have raised concerns that China

is moving to withhold shipments of materials for political reasons. The 31 Japanese importers of rare-earth materials reported disruptions in shipmentsrecently in a Japanese finance ministry survey. In therecent case of rare-earth shipment disruptions inJapan and the USA, some suspect the shortages aredue to a territorial dispute (Japan) and a trade disagreement (USA) with China. The October shipmentsfrom China fell by 77% from the previous month’s volume. The Chinese government has denied such charges

and says that it would not use its near-monopoly inrare earths as a bargaining tool. China also points outthat it introduced the rare-earth restrictions in 2006 tominimize the harmful effects on the environment ofmining such materials. Indeed, pollution concerns haverestricted the amount of rare-earth extraction else-where in the world. In China, long-term unlicensed,indiscriminate extraction practices — in addition towasting national resources — have seriously damagedecosystems near mining operations. One alternative to aggressive increases in mining is

the recycling of waste that contains these materials. In May, the United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP) called for “rapid improvements in the recyclingrates of so-called ‘high-tech’ specialty metals likelithium, neodymium and gallium”[http://hqweb.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=624&ArticleID=6564&l=en&t=long].



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Mineralization at Malku Khota, Bolivia, showing sandstone rocks bearing indium and gallium deposits.

While the USgovernment doesnot maintainstockpiles of eitherindium or gallium,other nations do. In particular, JapanOil, Gas and MetalsNational Corpannounced plans toset up stockpiles of42 days worth ofstandard nationalconsumption ofthese metals in2009. Korea set uprare metalstockpiles in 2006,and announcedplans to increasethis activity in theperiod up to 2016

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suppliers’ directory

1 Bulk crystal source materials p120

2 Bulk crystal growth equipment p120

3 Substrates p120

4 Epiwafer foundry p121

5 Deposition materials p121

6 Deposition equipment p122

7 Wafer processing materials p122

8 Wafer processing equipment p123

9 Materials and metals p123

10 Gas & liquid handling equipment p123

11 Process monitoring and control p123

12 Inspection equipment p124

13 Characterization equipment p124

14 Chip test equipment p124

15 Assembly/packaging materials p124

16 Assembly/packaging equipment p124

17 Assembly/packaging foundry p124

18 Chip foundry p124

19 Facility equipment p124

20 Facility consumables p125

21 Computer hardware & software p125

22 Used equipment p125

23 Services p125

24 Consulting p125

25 Resources p125

1 Bulk crystal sourcematerials

Mining & Chemical Products Ltd 1-4, Nielson Road, Finedon Road Industrial Estate, Wellingborough, Northants NN8 4PE, UK Tel: +44 1933 220626 Fax: +44 1933 227814 www.MCP-group.com

Umicore Indium Products 50 Simms Avenue, Providence, RI 02902, USA Tel: +1 401 456 0800 Fax: +1 401 421 2419 www.thinfilmproducts.umicore.com

United Mineral & Chemical Corp 1100 Valley Brook Avenue, Lyndhurst, NJ 07071, USA Tel: +1 201 507 3300 Fax: +1 201 507 1506 www.umccorp.com

2 Bulk crystal growthequipment

MR Semicon Inc PO Box 91687, Albuquerque, NM 87199-1687, USA Tel: +1 505 899 8183 Fax: +1 505 899 8172 www.mrsemicon.com

3 Substrates

AXT Inc 4281 Technology Drive, Fremont, CA 94538, USA Tel: +1 510 438 4700Fax: +1 510 683 5901www.axt.com Supplies GaAs, InP, and Ge wafersusing VGF technology withmanufacturing facilities in Beijingand five joint ventures in Chinaproducing raw materials, includingGa, As, Ge, pBN, B2O3.

Crystal IS Inc70 Cohoes AvenueGreen Island, NY 12183, USATel: +1 518 271 7375Fax: +1 518 271 7394www.crystal-is.com

The Fox Group Inc 200 Voyageur Drive, Montreal, Quebec H9R 6A8, Canada Tel: +1 925 980 5645 Fax: +1 514 630 0227 www.thefoxgroupinc.com

Epistone Comp-Semi MaterialsInc 2371 Marion Ave., Fremont, CA 94539, USATel: +86 755 28968489Fax:+86 755 89724120www.epistone.com

Freiberger Compound Materials Am Junger Loewe Schacht 5, Freiberg, 09599, Germany Tel: +49 3731 280 0 Fax: +49 3731 280 106 www.fcm-germany.com

Index

To have your company listed in this directory, e-mail details (including categories) to [email protected]: advertisers receive a free listing. For all other companies, a charge is applicable.

Suppliers’ Directory


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Kyma Technologies Inc 8829 Midway West Road, Raleigh, NC, USA Tel: +1 919 789 8880 Fax: +1 919 789 8881 www.kymatech.com

Nikko Materials 125 North Price Road, Chandler, AZ, USA Tel: +1 480 732 9857 Fax: +1 480 899 0779 www.nikkomaterials.com

SiCrystal AGGuenther-Scharowsky-Str. 1D-91058 Erlangen, GermanyTel: +49 (0) 9131 / 73 33 97Fax: +49 (0) 9131 / 73 22 37www.sicrystal.de

sp3 Diamond Technologies2220 Martin Avenue, Santa Clara, CA 95050, USA Tel: +1 877 773 9940Fax: +1 408 492 0633www.sp3inc.com

Sumitomo ElectricSemiconductor Materials Inc 7230 NW Evergreen Parkway, Hillsboro, OR 97124, USA Tel: +1 503 693 3100 x207 Fax: +1 503 693 8275 www.sesmi.com

TECDIA Inc (see section 16 for full contact details)

III/V-ReclaimWald 10, 84568 Pleiskirchen, Germany Tel: +49 8728 911 093Fax: +49 8728 911 156www.35reclaim.deIII/V-Reclaim offers reclaim(recycling) of GaAs and InP wafers,removing all kinds of layers andstructures from customers’ wafers.All formats and sizes can behandled. The firm offers single-sideand double-side-polishing andready-to-use surface treatment.

Umicore Electro-Optic MaterialsWatertorenstraat 33, B-2250 Olen, BelgiumTel: +32-14 24 53 67Fax: +32-14 24 58 00www.substrates.umicore.com

Wafer Technology Ltd34 Maryland Road, Tongwell, Milton Keynes, Bucks, MK15 8HJ,UK Tel: +44 (0)1908 210444Fax: +44 (0)1908 210443www.wafertech.co.ukWafer Technology Ltd is a UK-based producer of III-V materials and epitaxy-ready substrates offeringthe widest product range in the business.

4 Epiwafer foundry

Spire Semiconductor LLC 25 Sagamore Park Drive, Hudson, NH 03051, USA Tel: +1 603 595 8900 Fax: +1 603 595 0975 www.spirecorp.com

Cambridge Chemical Company LtdUnit 5 Chesterton Mills, French’s Road, Cambridge CB4 3NP, UKTel: +44 (0)1223 352244Fax: +44 (0)1223 352444www.camchem.co.uk

The Fox Group Inc (see section 3 for full contact details)

Intelligent Epitaxy Technology Inc 1250 E Collins Blvd, Richardson, TX 75081-2401, USATel: +1 972 234 0068Fax: +1 972 234 0069www.intelliepi.com

IQE Cypress Drive, St Mellons, CardiffCF3 0EG, UK Tel: +44 29 2083 9400 Fax: +44 29 2083 9401 www.iqep.com

IQE is a leading global supplier ofadvanced epiwafers, with productscovering a diverse range ofapplications within the wireless,optoelectronic, photovoltaic andelectronic markets.

OMMIC 2, Chemin du Moulin B.P. 11, Limeil-Brevannes, 94453, France Tel: +33 1 45 10 67 31 Fax: +33 1 45 10 69 53 www.ommic.fr

Picogiga International S.A.S.Place Marcel Rebuffat, Parc deVillejust, 91971 Courtabouef, France Tel: +33 (0)1 69 31 61 30 Fax: +33 (0)1 69 31 61 79www.picogiga.com

SemiSouth Laboratories Inc 201 Research Boulevard, Starkville, MS 39759, USA Tel: +1 662 324 7607 Fax: +1 662 324 7997 www.semisouth.com

5 Depositionmaterials

Akzo Nobel High PurityMetalorganics 525 West Van Buren Street, Chicago, IL 60607, USA Tel: +1 312 544 7371 Fax: +1 312 544 7188 www.akzonobel-hpmo.com

Cambridge Chemical Company LtdUnit 5 Chesterton Mills, French’s Road, Cambridge CB4 3NP, UKTel: +44 (0)1223 352244Fax: +44 (0)1223 352444www.camchem.co.uk

Dow Electronic Materials 60 Willow Street, North Andover, MA 01845, USA Tel: +1 978 557 1700 Fax: +1 978 557 1701 www.metalorganics.com



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Matheson Tri-Gas6775 Central AvenueNewark, CA 94560, USATel: +1 510 793 2559Fax: +1 510 790 6241www.mathesontrigas.com

Mining & Chemical Products Ltd (see section 1 for full contact details)

Power + Energy Inc (see section 8 for full contact details)

Praxair Electronics 542 Route 303, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA Tel: +1 845 398 8242 Fax: +1 845 398 8304 www.praxair.com/electronics

SAFC HitechPower Road, Bromborough, Wirral, Merseyside CH62 3QF, UKTel: +44 151 334 2774Fax: +44 151 334 6422www.safchitech.com

Williams Advanced Materials2978 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14214, USATel: +1 716 837 1000Fax: +1 716 833 2926www.williams-adv.com

6 Depositionequipment

AIXTRON AGKaiserstrasse 98, 52134 Herzogenrath, Germany Tel: +49 241 89 09 0 Fax: +49 241 89 09 40 www.aixtron.com

AIXTRON is a leading provider ofdeposition equipment to thesemiconductor industry. AIXTRON’stechnology solutions (MOCVD, ALD,AVD®, CVD, OVPD) are used by adiverse range of customers worldwideto build advanced components for

electronic and optoelectronicapplications based on compound,silicon, or organic semiconductors.Several system configurations ofAIXTRON, Epigress, Genus orThomas Swan are available.

Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology North End, Yatton, Bristol, Avon BS49 4AP, UK Tel: +44 1934 837 000 Fax: +44 1934 837 001 www.oxford-instruments.co.uk We provideflexible toolsand processesfor precise materials deposition,etching and controlled nanostructuregrowth. Core technologies includeplasma and ion-beam depositionand etch and ALD.

Riber 31 rue Casimir Périer, BP 70083,95873 Bezons Cedex, France Tel: +33 (0) 1 39 96 65 00Fax: +33 (0) 1 39 47 45 62www.riber.com Riber is aleadingsupplier ofMBE products and related servicesfor the compound semiconductorindustry.

SVT Associates Inc7620 Executive Drive, Eden Prairie, MN 55344, USATel: +1 952 934 2100Fax: +1 952 934 2737www.svta.com

Temescal, a part ofFerrotec 4569-C LasPositas Rd, Livermore, CA 94551,USA Tel: +1 925 245 5817 Fax: +1 925 449-4096www.temescal.net

Temescal, the expert in metallizationsystems for the processing ofcompound semiconductor-basedsubstrates, provides the finestevaporation systems available.Multi-layer coatings of materialssuch as Ti, Pt, Au, Pd, Ag, NiCr, Al,Cr, Cu, Mo, Nb, SiO2, with highuniformity are guaranteed. Today theworld’s most sophisticated handsets,optical, wireless and telecomsystems rely on millions of devicesthat are made using Temescaldeposition systems and components.

Veeco Instruments Inc 100 Sunnyside Blvd., Woodbury, NY 11797, USA Tel: +1 516 677 0200 Fax: +1 516 714 1231 www.veeco.com

Veeco is a world-leading supplier ofcompound semiconductor equipment,and the only company offering bothMOCVD and MBE solutions. Withcomplementary AFM technology andthe industry’s most advanced ProcessIntegration Center, Veeco tools helpgrow and measure nanoscale devicesin worldwide LED/wireless, datastorage, semiconductor and scientificresearch markets—offering importantchoices, delivering ideal solutions.

7 Wafer processingmaterials

Air Products and Chemicals Inc 7201 Hamilton Blvd., Allentown, PA 18195, USA Tel: +1 610 481 4911 www.airproducts.com/compound

MicroChem Corp1254 Chestnut St. Newton, MA 02464, USA Tel: +1 617 965 5511Fax: +1 617 965 5818E-mail: [email protected]


Praxair Electronics (see section 5 for full contact details)



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8 Wafer processingequipment

EV GroupDI Erich Thallner Strasse 1, St. Florian/Inn, 4782, Austria Tel: +43 7712 5311 0 Fax: +43 7712 5311 4600 www.EVGroup.comTechnology andmarket leader forwafer processingequipment. Worldwide industry standards foraligned wafer bonding, resistprocessing for the MEMS, nano andsemiconductor industry.

Logitech LtdErskine Ferry Road, Old Kilpatrick, near Glasgow G60 5EU, Scotland, UKTel: +44 (0) 1389 875 444Fax: +44 (0) 1389 879 042www.logitech.uk.com

Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology (see section 6 for full contact details)


SAMCO International Inc 532 Weddell Drive, Sunnyvale, CA, USA Tel: +1 408 734 0459 Fax: +1 408 734 0961 www.samcointl.com

SPP Process TechnologySystems Ltd Imperial Park, Newport NP10 8UJ, Wales, UK Tel: +44 (0)1633 652400 Fax: +44 (0)1633 652405 www.spp-pts.com

Synova SACh. de la Dent d’Oche, 1024 Ecublens, SwitzerlandTel: +41 21 694 35 00Fax: +41 21 694 35 01www.synova.chTECDIA Inc (see section 16 for full contact details)

Tegal Corp 2201 S McDowell Boulevard, Petaluma, CA 94954, USA Tel: +1 707 763 5600 www.tegal.com

Veeco Instruments Inc (see section 6 for full contact details)

9 Materials & metals

Goodfellow Cambridge LtdErmine Business Park, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE29 6WR, UKTel: +44 (0) 1480 424800Fax: +44 (0) 1480 424900www.goodfellow.com

Goodfellow supplies smallquantities of metals and materialsfor research, development,prototyping and specialisedmanufacturing operations.


10 Gas and liquidhandling equipment

Air Products and Chemicals Inc (see section 7 for full contact details)

Cambridge Fluid Systems12 Trafalgar Way, Bar Hill, Cambridge CB3 8SQ, UK Tel: +44 (0)1954 786800 Fax: +44 (0)1954 786818 www.cambridge-fluid.com

CS CLEAN SYSTEMS AGFraunhoferstrasse 4, Ismaning, 85737, Germany Tel: +49 89 96 24 00 0 Fax: +49 89 96 24 00 122 www.cscleansystems.com

Power + Energy Inc 106 Railroad Drive, Ivyland,PA 18974, USATel: +1 215 942-4600Fax: +1 215 942-9300www.powerandenergy.com

SAES Pure Gas Inc 4175 Santa Fe Road, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401, USA Tel: +1 805 541 9299 Fax: +1 805 541 9399 www.saesgetters.com

11 Process monitoringand control

k-Space Associates Inc 3626 W. Liberty Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48103, USA Tel: +1 734 668 4644 Fax: +1 734 668 4663 www.k-space.com k-Space Associates Inc specializes inin-situ, real-time thin-film processmonitoring tools for MBE, MOCVD,PVD, and thermal evaporation.Applications and materials includethe research and production linemonitoring of compoundsemiconductor-based electronic,optoelectronic, and photovoltaicdevices.

KLA-Tencor One Technology Dr, 1-2221I, Milpitas, CA 95035, USA Tel: +1 408 875 3000 Fax: +1 408 875 4144www.kla-tencor.com

LayTec GmbH Seesener Str.10–13, 10709 Berlin, Germany Tel: +49 30 39 800 80 0 Fax: +49 30 3180 8237 www.laytec.de LayTec develops and manufacturesoptical in-situ and in-line metrologysystems for thin-film processeswith particular focus on compoundsemiconductor and photovoltaicapplications. Its know-how is basedon optical techniques: reflectometry,emissivity corrected pyrometry,curvature measurements andreflectance anisotropy spectroscopy.



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Optical Reference Systems Ltd OpTIC Technium, St Asaph Business Park, St Asaph, LL17 0JD, UKTel: +44 (0)1745 535 188Fax: +44 (0)1745 535 186www.ors-ltd.com

WEP (Ingenieurbüro Wolff für Elektronik- undProgrammentwicklungen) Bregstrasse 90, D-78120Furtwangen im Schwarzwald, GermanyTel: +49 7723 9197 0Fax: +49 7723 9197 22www.wepcontrol.com

12 Inspection equipment

Bruker AXS GmbH Oestliche Rheinbrueckenstrasse 49, Karlsruhe, 76187, Germany Tel: +49 (0)721 595 2888 Fax: +49 (0)721 595 4587 www.bruker-axs.de

13 Characterizationequipment

J.A. Woollam Co. Inc. 645 M Street Suite 102, Lincoln, NE 68508, USA Tel: +1 402 477 7501 Fax: +1 402 477 8214 www.jawoollam.com

Lake Shore Cryotronics Inc 575 McCorkle Boulevard, Westerville, OH 43082, USA Tel: +1 614 891 2244 Fax: +1 614 818 1600 www.lakeshore.com

14 Chip test equipment

Keithley Instruments Inc28775 Aurora Road, Cleveland, OH 44139, USA Tel: +1 440.248.0400 Fax: +1 440.248.6168 www.keithley.com

SUSS MicroTec Test Systems228 Suss Drive, Waterbury Center, VT 05677, USA Tel: +1 800 685 7877 Fax: +1 802 244 7853 www.suss.com

15 Assembly/packagingmaterials

ePAK International Inc 4926 Spicewood Springs Road, Austin, TX 78759, USA Tel: +1 512 231 8083 Fax: +1 512 231 8183 www.epak.com

Gel-Pak 31398 Huntwood Avenue, Hayward, CA 94544, USA Tel: +1 510 576 2220Fax: +1 510 576 2282www.gelpak.com

Williams Advanced Materials2978 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14214, USATel: +1 716 837 1000Fax: +1 716 833 2926www.williams-adv.com

16 Assembly/packagingequipment

Ismeca Europe Semiconductor SAHelvetie 283, La Chaux-de-Fonds, 2301, Switzerland Tel: +41 329257111 Fax: +41 329257115 www.ismeca.com

J P Sercel Associates Inc 220 Hackett Hill Road, Manchester, NH 03102, USA Tel: +1 603 518 3200 Fax: +1 603 518 3298 www.jpsalaser.com

Kulicke & Soffa Industries1005 Virginia Drive, Fort Washington, PA 19034, USA Tel: +1 215 784 6000Fax: +1 215 784 6001 www.kns.com

Palomar Technologies Inc 2728 Loker Avenue West, Carlsbad, CA 92010, USA Tel: +1 760 931 3600 Fax: +1 760 931 5191 www.PalomarTechnologies.com

TECDIA Inc 2700 Augustine Drive, Suite 110,Santa Clara, CA 95054, USATel: +1 408 748 0100Fax: +1 408 748 0111www.tecdia.com Tecdia is amanufacturer of single-layer chip capacitors, chip resistors, DC boards, bias-Ts,diamond scribing tools anddispensing nozzles.

17 Assembly/packagingfoundry

Quik-Pak10987 Via Frontera, San Diego, CA 92127, USA Tel: +1 858 674 4676 Fax: +1 8586 74 4681 www.quikicpak.com

18 Chip foundry

Compound SemiconductorTechnologies Ltd Block 7, Kelvin Campus, West of Scotland, Glasgow,Scotland G20 0TH, UK Tel: +44 141 579 3000 Fax: +44 141 579 3040 www.compoundsemi.co.uk

United Monolithic Semiconductors Route departementale 128, BP46, Orsay, 91401, France Tel: +33 1 69 33 04 72 Fax: +33 169 33 02 92 www.ums-gaas.com

19 Facility equipment

MEI, LLC3474 18th Avenue SE, Albany, OR 97322-7014, USA Tel: +1 541 917 3626Fax: +1 541 917 3623www.marlerenterprises.net

20 Facility consumablesW.L. Gore & Associates401 Airport Rd, Elkton, MD 21921-4236, USA Tel: +1 410 392 4440Fax: +1 410 506 8749www.gore.com

21 Computer hardware& software

Ansoft Corp4 Station Square, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, USATel: +1 412 261 3200 Fax: +1 412 471 9427 www.ansoft.com

Crosslight Software Inc121-3989 Henning Dr., Burnaby, BC, V5C 6P8, Canada Tel: +1 604 320 1704Fax: +1 604 320 1734www.crosslight.com

Semiconductor TechnologyResearch Inc10404 Patterson Ave., Suite 108,Richmond, VA 23238, USA

Tel: +1 804 740 8314Fax: +1 804 740 3814www.semitech.us

22 Used equipment

Class One Equipment Inc 5302 Snapfinger Woods Drive, Decatur, GA 30035, USATel: +1 770 808 8708Fax: +1 770 808 8308www.ClassOneEquipment.com

23 Services

Henry Butcher InternationalBrownlow House, 50–51 High Holborn, London WC1V 6EG, UK Tel: +44 (0)20 7405 8411 Fax: +44 (0)20 7405 9772 www.henrybutcher.com

M+W Zander Holding AGLotterbergstrasse 30, Stuttgart, Germany Tel: +49 711 8804 1141 Fax: +49 711 8804 1950 www.mw-zander.com


24 Consulting

WSR Optical Device Solutions P.O. Box 248, Flemington, NJ 08822, USA Tel: +1 908 428 4986 www.wsr-ods.com

25 Resources

SEMI Global Headquarters3081 Zanker Road, San Jose, CA 95134, USATel: +1 408 943 6900Fax: +1 408 428 9600www.semi.org

Yole Développement 45 rue Sainte Geneviève, 69006 Lyon, France Tel: +33 472 83 01 86www.yole.fr


free at www.semiconductor-today.com



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19–21 January 2011Lighting Japan: the 3rd LED/OLED LightingTechnology ExpoTokyo Big Sight, JapanE-mail: [email protected] www.lightingjapan.jp/english

22–27 January 2011SPIE Photonics West 2011 San Francisco, CA, USAhttp://spie.org/photonics-west.xml

25 January 2011 2nd International Conference on PV ModuleRecycling Madrid, Spain www.epia.org/events/upcoming-events

28–30 January 2011International Symposium on SemiconductorMaterials and Devices (ISSMD-2011) Vadodara, Gujarat, India E-mail: [email protected] www.ssmd.in

1–3 February 2011Transformations in Lighting: 2011 DOESolid-State Lighting R&D WorkshopSan Diego, CA, USA E-mail: [email protected] www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/ssl

16 February 2011 PHOTON’s 3rd Thin Film Conference San Francisco, CA, USAE-mail: [email protected] www.photon-expo.com/en

16–19 January 2011 2011 IEEE Radio & Wireless Symposium(RWS 2011) Renaissance Glendale, Phoenix, AZ, USAE-mail: [email protected]://rawcon.org

20–24 February 2011IEEE International Solid State CircuitsConference (ISSCC 2011) San Francisco, CA, USA E-mail: [email protected] http://128.100.10.145/isscc

22–24 February 2011 Strategies in Light 2011Santa Clara Convention Center, CA, USA E-mail: [email protected] www.strategiesinlight.com

22–24 February 2011SNEC PV POWER EXPO 2011Shanghai, ChinaE-mail: [email protected] www.snec.org.cn


126

event calendarIf you would like your event listed in Semiconductor Today’s Event Calendar,then please e-mail all details to the Editor at [email protected]

Aixtron AG 5AXT 84EV Group 59Evatec 43III/V-Reclaim 31IQE 41LayTec 39Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology 45Oxford Instruments–TDI 53

Plasma-Therm 11Riber 35SEMI 119Tecdia 27Temescal 63Veeco Instruments — MBE 9Veeco Instruments — MOCVD 2Wafer Technology 21

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27 February – 1 March 2011 Industry Strategy Symposium 2011 (ISSEurope 2011): ‘Europe – Exploiting itsStrengths’ Grenoble, France E-mail: [email protected] www.semi.org/isseurope

1–4 March 2011LED CHINA 2011 Guangzhou, China E-mail: [email protected]

6–10 March 2011OFC/NFOEC 2011 (Optical FiberCommunication Conference and Exhibition/National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference)Los Angeles Convention Center, CA, USAE-mail: [email protected] www.ofcnfoec.org

13–17 March 2011 OTST 2011: International Workshop onOptical Terahertz Science and Technology Santa Barbara, CA, USA E-mail: [email protected]://otst2011.itst.ucsb.edu

15–17 March 2011 LASER World of PHOTONICS CHINA Shanghai, New International Expo Centre (SNIEC), China E-mail: [email protected] www.world-of-photonics.net/en/laser-china/start

15–17 March 2011 SEMICON China 2011 Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC),China E-mail: [email protected]/scchina-en

20–23 March 2011Euro-MBE 2011: 16th European Molecular Beam EpitaxyWorkshop Alpe d’Huez, France E-mail: [email protected]://embe2011.neel.cnrs.fr

21–23 March 2011 SEMATECH Surface Preparation andCleaning Conference (SPCC 2011)Austin, TX, USA E-mail: [email protected] www.sematech.org/meetings/spcc

21–24 March 2011GOMACTech-11 (36th annual GovernmentMicrocircuit Applications and CriticalTechnology conference) Orlando, FL, USA E-mail: [email protected] www.gomactech.net

28 March 2011 3rd Thin Film Solar Summit Europe Berlin, Germany E-mail: [email protected]/europe

4–6 April 2011CPV-7 International Conference onConcentrating Photovoltaic SystemsLas Vegas, NV, USAE-mail: [email protected]

13–15 April 2011 11th Fiber Optics Expo (FOE 2011)Tokyo Big Sight, Japan E-mail: [email protected] www.foe.jp/en

14–15 April 20113rd Photovoltaics Thin-Film Week, including: — International Workshop on CIGS SolarCell Technology— 3rd Thin-Film Industry Forum (TIF 2011) Berlin, Germany E-mail: [email protected] www.solarpraxis.de/en/conferences

16 – 21 April 201154th Society of Vacuum Coaters AnnualTechnical Conference (2011 SVC TechCon) Chicago, IL, USA E-mail: [email protected]

18–20 April 2011 Semiconductor and Integrated Opto-Electronics Conference (SIOE’11) Cardiff University, Wales, UKAbstract deadline: 1 February 2011E-mail: [email protected]/research/pm/events/?page=sioe

18–21 April 2011SPIE Optics & OptoelectronicsPrague Congress Centre, Czech Republic E-mail: [email protected] http://spie.org/x25077.xml

Event Calendar


127

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Photo: Close-up of SolFocus concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) power unit.