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Editorial: RFMD Lives Up to Its Leading Edge Tradition
... If you're one of those who STILL thinks that compound semi devices for electronic applications aren't yet on a par with what the silicon world produces, you must be in the wired set, not wireless. Sure, we're not driving computers, except for optical mice and in some displays, but...
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October 9, 2006...Kyma Technologies of Raleigh, North Carolina USA, reported that the US Army
has selected the company for Phase I funding under the Army’s Small Business
Technology Transfer Research (STTR) program. According to Kyma, the STTR effort’s
ultimate goal will be will be establishing a cost effective supply of non-polar
GaN that can be utilized in military and commercial applications. The company
said it will focus on gaining a better understanding of its current approaches
to making non-polar GaN substrates and also explore new approaches.
GaN experts have theorized that non-polar GaN can improve efficiencies and
performance of optoelectronic and nitride electronics if researchers can find
a cost effective method of producing lower defect density non-polar GaN. LEDs
are among the devices that might benefit from a low defect density non-polar
GaN substrate. So far such performance benefits remain unproven. Dr. Shuji Nakamura
and his team of researchers at University of California Santa Barbara made the
first non-polar and semi-polar LEDs. However the researchers did not see the
expected performance gains from the non-polar GaN. The reason that Dr. Nakamura
cited for the lower than expected performance was that they were not able to
grow the non-polar and semi-polar GaN with low enough defect densities to see
performance gains. (Ref: May
24, 2006 Coverage).
Kyma said its engineers will work with an academic research group headed by
professor Mark Johnson of North Carolina State University (NCSU) and professor
April Brown of Duke University. The company stated that professor Johnson’s
group has already investigated the electrical and structural properties of its
GaN materials, and professor Johnson’s group has also reportedly worked
with Kyma on novel approaches to manufacturing non-polar GaN. Professor Brown
will reportedly extend her current programs in advanced epitaxial growth and
characterization of non-polar GaN materials to Kyma’s low defect density
substrates.
Kyma co-founder and CTO Drew Hanser commented, “This program enables
us to accelerate the development of non-polar GaN materials with ultra-low dislocation
densities and zero stacking faults. Kyma’s non-polar GaN offers a range
of new possibilities in terms of device design and the potential to enable better
device performance across several different semiconductor device types, including
field effect transistors, heterojunction bipolar transistors, and visible and
ultraviolet emitters and detectors.”
Kyma president and CEO Keith Evans added, “Support on this U.S. Army
STTR is an important contribution to our overall effort to provide our customers
with a full suite of best-in-class crystalline GaN and AlN materials and services.
Non-polar GaN represents an exciting addition to our growing product line because
of its strong potential to impact a broad range of military and commercial applications.”
Company
News Release. In addition to the Army funding, Kyma has won funding from
the Department of Energy for research into green LEDs and GaN production (Ref:
Aug..
23 Coverage), and it has also won funding from the US Air Force for research
into GaN field effect transistors (FETs) on native GaN substrates. (Ref: Aug.
8 Coverage). JDSU and Emcore Sue Optium for Patent Infringement
Scott McMahanOctober 4, 2006...JDS Uniphase and Emcore Corporation have reportedly filed a patent lawsuit against competitor, Optium,
according to an article
only appearing in Light Reading. As Light Reading points out, the suit was filed just before Optium’s
Initial Public Offering (IPO). Optium filed its initial S-1 form with the SEC
on June 29. The patent lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the Western
District of Pennsylvania, on September 11, 2006. It concerns US patents 6,282,003
(the ‘003 patent) and 6,490,071 (the ‘071 patent), both entitled,
"Method and Apparatus for Optimizing SBS [Stimulated Brillouin Scattering]
Performance in an Optical Communication System Using at Least Two Phase Modulation
Tones." The complaint alleges that Optium violated both patents by making
and selling its Prisma II 1550nm transmitters.
According to Light Reading, part of the controversy surrounding the patent
litigation may stem from the fact that several JDSU executives left JDSU to work
for Optium. Optium’s CEO, Eitan Gertel, and senior VP of engineering,
Mark Colyar both came from JDSU. While both patents were originally owned by JDSU, they were transferred to Emcore when Emcore bought JDSU’s CATV
business in May of 2005. (Ref: Coverage).
JDSU originally filed both patents in February 1998. The ‘003 patent was
awarded in August 2001, and the ‘071 patent was awarded in December of
2002. The ‘003 patent describe a phase modulation method at two modulation
tones. The goal of the modulation method for both patents is to provide a more
stable and reliable signal despite drift.
Microsemi Awarded Contract to Develop SiC Power Products for Military Avionics
CompoundSemi News StaffOctober 4, 2006...The Power Products Group of Microsemi Corporation (formerly Advanced Power
Technology based in Fort Bend, Oregon USA) has been awarded a $1.8 million R&D
contract to develop silicon carbide (SiC) based power products for USA military avionics. The
funding comes as part of the recently passed Fiscal Year 2007 Defense Appropriations
Act. According to Microsemi, the funding award comes on the heels of a complimentary contract
with Northrop Grumman earlier in the year in which Microsemi is to provide leading edge SiC products to Northrupt Grumman. (Ref: Coverage).
Microsemi points out that SiC based devices bring several advantages in avionics
applications, including: increased reliability, extended battlespace coverage,
point-of-use power conversion, and reduced size and cooling requirements. Furthermore,
Microsemi says that SiC plays a key role in expanding bandwidth
and high duty (power) operation required by the increasingly networked battlefield.
Oregon U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith, announced the news of the funding
Friday. Senator Wyden commented that, "This commitment reaffirms the status of
Central Oregon as a haven for high technology research, development, and production,
particularly as it relates to aerospace applications." He added,
"APT, now Microsemi, has been a Central Oregon leader, both in terms of
its commitment to its employees, and its commitment to the nation, developing
new technology of vital importance to maintaining a strong defense.”
Microsemi
News Release Strategies Unlimited Predicts Increasing Use of High Performance Substrates for GaN Devices
CompoundSemi News StaffOctober 4, 2006...Strategies Unlimited has come out with a new report which examines the market
for advanced substrates for GaN-based devices. In the latest report, SU predicts
that increasing demands for blue laser diodes, UV-LEDs and high-power, high
frequency devices will require increased use advanced substrate such
as gallium nitride or aluminum nitride. Only high performance substrates offer the
lattice matching and thermal management characteristics to produce high performance
devices at high yield. Content continues for LIGHTimes SecondPage members... JDS Uniphase Goes Ahead with 1-8 Reverse Stock Split Oct. 16thOctober 2, 2006...JDS Uniphase, now headquartered in Milpitas, California USA, has elected to go ahead with
an unusual move that significantly boosts the publicized price of its stock, which is traded
on the USA's Nasdaq exchange, under the symbol "JDSU". On October
16th, JDSU stockholders will receive one new share of JDSU common stock for
every eight shares held. JDSU shares have been trading around the $2/share mark
for some time. As of the reverse split, those shares will be closer to $17/share.
Details of how the transfers will take effect are in the Sept. 21 company
news release. The board of directors of JDSU, the company which was once a major force in the compoundsemi industry, approved the reverse stock
split last December in the range of 1-8 through 1-10. TriQuint's Sawtek Operation Rebranded
CompoundSemi News StaffOctober 2, 2006...TriQuint Semiconductor of Hilsboro, Oregon USA, reports that its Sawtek
operation based in Orlando, Florida USA, will be rebranded under the corporate name, TriQuint Semiconductor. TriQuint Semiconductor, now a diverse vertically integrated supplier of high-performance communication modules and components to the wireless, base station, and military marketplace, will present to TQ customers at all levels one overall corporate identity. Sawtek, a company originally named for its expertise in SAW (surface acoustic wave) filter technology, was acquired by TriQuint in 2001 to expand TriQuint’s range of radio
frequency (RF) module and component products and was subsequently run as a wholly-owned subsidiary of TQ corporate, whose primary operations are in Oregon and Texas.(Ref:
July 2001 Coverage). TriQuint's Orlando, Florida operation, which now employs over 350 people, provides signal filtering solutions
for all mobile phone standards including: CDMA, GSM/EDGE and Wideband CDMA.
The Orlando product line includes high-volume, high frequency bulk acoustic wave (BAW) filters
for a variety of civilian and military applications, plus SAW filtering for
WLAN, WiMAX, Bluetooth, GPS, cable TV set-top box (STB) and network radio/base
stations. TriQuint’s SAW products from both its Orlando, and Costa Rica
facilities are added to the company’s gallium arsenide (GaAs) power amplifiers
and switches to make what the company claims are the smallest and most advanced
modules, which link handset antennae and silicon-based transceivers. According to TriQuint VP Brian P. Balut, “TriQuint tailored its acquisition strategy in the late 1990s and early 2000s to create a vertically-integrated company that could effectively compete globally. By adding Sawtek’s expertise to leading-edge GaAs technology TriQuint put together key elements for next-generation phone and data card modules. Our success, with a 40% revenue growth rate year over year last quarter, has validated that strategy.” TriQuint
News Release Filtronic to Focus on Compound Semiconductors After Wireless Infrastructure Business Sale
CompoundSemi News StaffOctober 2, 2006...Filtronic reported that the priority for its board is to focus on the Compound
Semiconductors, Defense Electronics, and Point to Point activity. The company’s
new focus comes after the approval of the sale of its Wireless Infrastructure
business to Powerwave Technologies. Filtronic said that its Compound Semiconductors
and Point to Point activities are in line with expectations. However, the company
indicated that its defense electronics business recovery is proceeding slower
than expected. Filtronic also announced plans to scale back its activities after
selling its wireless infrastructure business. Furthermore, the company said
it expects operating losses as the group is developed and reshaped.
Not all the predictions for the company’s future are bad. The company
expects revenue growth during the current fiscal year from its compound semiconductor
activities, and its point to point activities are already increasing in revenue
with strong customer demand foreseen over the second half of the fiscal year.
(Ref: Annual General Meeting
Statement). The company will go ahead with plans to use the money from the
sale to expand the capacity of its GaAs facility in south London. (Ref: June
12 Coverage). Anadigics Reaches Shipping Milestone of 750 Million Units
CompoundSemi News StaffOctober 2, 2006...Anadigics reported that it has exceeded 750 million units shipped of its radio
frequency (RF) products. The company’s products include handsets, smart
phones, data cards, WLAN notebook computers, CATV set-top boxes, and CATV infrastructure.
The company is known for its High-Efficiency-at-Lower-Power (HELP) power amplifiers,
CATV integrated tuners, and WLAN front-end ICs (FEICs). "We are extremely
proud of this milestone, which demonstrates how technology leadership can be
leveraged into product leadership," said Dr. Bami Bastani, President
& CEO of Anadigics. "Whether it's a mobile handset using our HELP
power amplifiers to achieve longer talk-time or CATV set-top box using our active
splitters and multiple tuners to enable advanced PVR functionality, Anadigics'
differentiated solutions are enabling manufacturers to evolve their products
and meet the growing demands of tech-savvy consumers." Company
News Release WLAN and WiMAX GaAs Market Will Reach Close to One-Fourth of Total GaAs Market by 2010, Strategy Analytics Says
CompoundSemi News StaffSeptember 28, 2006...Strategy Analytics of Boston, Massachusetts USA, predicts that the WLAN and
WiMAX gallium arsenide (GaAs) device market will command 23 percent of the total
GaAs market by 2010. Strategy Analytics points out that RF modules require GaAs
for high frequency, efficiency, and linearity. The most recent Strategy Analytics
reports on the WiMAX and WLAN markets entitled, “GaAs Device Demand from
WLAN Market: 2005-2010” and “WiMAX Market Forecast: 2005-2010,”
contend that GaAs device demand from these two applications will grow significantly
with overall demand approaching $1 billion by 2010. SA predicts that by 2010,
GaAs demand for WiMAX and WLAN will be second only to demand from the cellular
handset markets. SA also predicts that GaAs demand for specific RF module functions
will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 69 percent between now and 2010.
Despite this the GaAs market for WiMAX will still be in the early stages, SA
contends. SA further points out that the WLAN market continues to grow and is
moving to higher frequencies and multi-mode and multi-band architectures. These
architectures tend to require the linearity, efficiency and high frequency capabilities
that GaAs offers.
“In terms of GaAs demand, the WiMAX and WLAN markets will emulate the
cellular handset market,” noted Asif Anwar, Director of the Strategy Analytics
GaAs and Compound Semiconductor Technologies service. “Without expecting
all-GaAs solutions, we do predict that amplifiers and switches will be the primary
market for GaAs technology, with silicon technologies dominating the transceiver
and baseband markets.”
“The adoption of MIMO and 802.11n, which require multiple PAs, transceivers
and more complex front-end modules, will have a big impact on GaAs demand,”
added Chris Taylor, Director of the Strategy Analytics RF & Wireless Components
service. “While WiMAX will still be in an early stage of rollout in
2010, certification of WiMAX equipment has started and coverage areas have begun
to expand beyond basic trials, providing a real target market for GaAs suppliers.”
Strategy
Analytics News Release Our news features are reported
by the CompoundSemi News staff writers.
For submissions or content suggestions, you can contact us using
editor -at - compoundsemi.com
For more information and to reserve promotion space contact
Info7 -at - compoundsemi.com
or call +1 (512) 257-9888
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Commentary & Perspective...
RFMD Lives Up to Its Leading Edge Tradition
October 4, 2006...If you're one of those who STILL thinks that compound semi devices for electronic
applications aren't yet on a par with what the silicon world produces, you must
be in the wired set, not wireless. Sure, we're not driving computers, except
for optical mice and in some displays, but hey, computers are no longer ruling
the world. Handheld devices are! (Also generically known as cellphones, mobile
devices, personal digital assistants, etc...) From maxi's to mini's, through
desktops to luggables to laptops, we're evolved now to handhelds, which most
people seem to really like because they're so... mobile. They can be
slipped into your pocket or purse like a wallet. They plop easily into and out
of the little tray with your keys at the airport security stations. You can
hook them up to all sorts of things, especially earpieces for hands free/safe
use, and their digital capabilities provide you with everything from that PowerPoint
presentation at the next meeting to emails, photography and the ability to make
lunch. Well, they're not really auto-chefs yet, but they can remind you where
and when to go to lunch... and with whom.
And guess what? About half the real estate in most handhelds is now made of
compound semi materials. And guess what else? One company, RF Micro Devices,
is in half of all cellphones now, shipping about 1 to 2 million GaAs parts per
day. That's I billion (collectively) parts shipped per year! RF
Micro Devices, or RFMD for short, is one of the mainstay companies in our beloved
compound semi industry. It was one of the first to be included in my model CS/SSL
Stock Portfolio, about which I routinely report. Rather than provide the usual
roundup of all 13 in the portfolio, since the stock performance of all have
remained fairly flat since my September
update, I thought you might enjoy an overall update about one of the more
outstanding portfolio performers, RFMD. Now at an impressive 3,000 employees,
I've known of, tracked, and respected this company since its inception, which
is why it's in the portfolio. To me, RFMD is ideally typical of the entrepreneurial
spirit that has always been the backbone of the compound semi industry.
Based in Greensboro, North Carolina, that USA state that's knee-deep in outstanding
leading edge compound semi technology, RFMD was cofounded in 1991 by William
J. Pratt, Powell Seymour, and Jerry Neal. While you can read much of their history
in Jerry's book, Fire in the
Belly, what I remember most about RFMD's roots was that they were into
commercial rollouts of GaAs parts from the get go, when most of the industry
was surviving on DoD handouts. Around that timeframe, TRW was winding up their
precedent-setting MBE-based work on the historic MIMIC program for the USA's
Department of Defense (DOD), where we taxpayers paid through the nose for early
deployment of HBT and HEMT MMICs (monolithic microwave integrated circuits).
TRW, which has since become part of the even more huge military contractor,
Northrop Grumman (the company that pioneered SiC, by the way), was hoarding
their results and simply wasn't sharing with the commercial world. At
the time this was a no-no at DOD. (At one point, the head of DARPA, Craig Fields,
got fired for mentioning "dual use". Go figure.) At any rate, RFMD
was recruited behind the DOD scenes by proponents of the dual use concept. Dual use, which
lowers the overall cost of manufacturing... duh!. RFMD aimed to spin out the commercial
results of TRW's MBE-based MMICs, a program overseen at TRW by my old friend,
Dwight Streit. I'm sure Jerry's book clarifies the official side of the story.
The question everyone asked at the time was: Can MBE (vs. MOCVD) epiwafer
tools produce the high volume output needed to truly commercialize HBTs?
15 years later, all one has to do is look at RFMD's track record. RFMD began
fabbing HBTs based on a license from TRW in 1997. The first portion of the tech
transfer gave RFMD the ability to grow epitaxial layers suitable for fabrication
of HBTs using beryllium as the p-dopant for the HBT base layer. When
made into devices, these did not fail for greater than 106 hours at 125°C junction
temperature. The second portion of the technology was the fabrication processes
necessary to successfully fabricate working devices. Prior to TRW developing
the MBE process capable of producing reliable devices, AlGaAs HBTs were predominantly
produced using MOCVD because MBE grown, Be doped HBTs had, according to RFMD,
"abysmal reliability." In the late 1990s RFMD fought the perception
that AlGaAs was unreliable and this continued with the onset of MOCVD grown
InGaP. According to RFMD, InGaP had two distinct advantages over MOCVD grown
AlGaAs. The first was because of the band structure, the temperature coefficient
of beta was much lower, making the performance of HBTs fabricated on InGaP much
less temperature dependent. The second was that carbon used as the base dopant
did not poison InGaP; So, diffusion of carbon did not participate in device failure
as it had in MOCVD AlGaAs. InGaP-based, MOCVD grown HBTs had up to two orders
of magnitude better reliability than MOCVD grown AlGaAs.
Most of the industry assumed that these advantages applied to RFMD's MBE grown,
Be doped AlGaAs HBT devices as well. RFMD was pushed by customers to look
at InGaP, and they responded by doing so. The company is now on their fourth
generation of MBE-based AlGaAs HBTs, and they are finishing the final qualification
of their second generation of MOCVD-based InGaP HBTs. They report reliability,
gain, efficiency, ruggedness and temperature performance data on both technologies
and say that "there is evidently no clear and obvious winner between them."
RFMD continues to match them as appropriate for each application consistent
with what they call Optimum Technology Matching. RFMD remains committed
to MBE because they say it can produce much better AlGaAs HBTs and pHEMT layers for power amplifiers and switch products than MOCVD. For this reason, they remain committed to MOCVD as the epitaxial
growth technology of choice for their InGaP HBTs. If there is a clear winner
between MBE and MOCVD, they're unaware of it and believe that both epitaxial
growth technologies are suitable where appropriate. They diplomatically underscore
that, "to simplify the discussion to attempt to declare a winner denies
us of the richness of the capabilities available from both."
RFMD has often had an edge over their competitors, primarily because of their
steady focus on RF (as in the real meaning of RF... radio frequency) devices
and the company obviously believes in the future of handheld communications
while depending heavily on today's proven, lower cost solutions. In a discussion
with Brent Wilkins, RFMD's director of marketing, I was reminded that their
edge is really their version of EDGE. EDGE is an acronym for "Enhanced
Data rates for GSM Evolution". RFMD's EDGE products are like the workhorse
of the cellphone business. If you don't already know about it (and want to),
you can read all about EDGE on a site called 3G Americas via this
link and about the GSM interface standard, of which EDGE is a part, via
GSM World. In a nutshell,
EDGE speeds things up and is the largest volume installed product line out there,
because it's reliable and costs less. That's what all that MBE-based technology,
via TRW... and the USA taxpayers... was all about. Reliable, low cost commercial
communication components. Everyone likes cheap, but only if it works!
As Brent underscores, EDGE is here and now. It plays a key role in the overall
GSM network, which is the largest worldwide network. RFMD is the leader in EDGE
radio solutions with over 50 million chipsets shipped to date. When I asked
him what's changed over the years when trying to convince cellphone makers to
accept compound semi parts, Brent (who's been there/sold that for decades)
said... "Ten years ago it was a battle. Now they're expected."
Speaking of expectations and getting the inside edge on that next great compound
combo, RFMD's gallium nitride (GaN) for electronic apps is starting to take
off. Earlier this summer, (ref:
news release) RFMD introduced and began sampling their first family of GaN
high-power transistors to top-tier cellular infrastructure and WiMAX base station
customers . This first GaN out the door represents RFMD's successful achievement
of an ability to produce a baseline 0.5um GaN high-power transistor process.
Having converted much of their 4 inch GaAs capacity to 6 inch at their Greensboro,
North Carolina headquarters plant, RFMD now has applied the smaller manufacturing
line, previously used for back-end processes such as metallization and lithography,
to 3 inch GaN-on-SiC without the need for costly redevelopment. RFMD also gained
GaN expertise with the acquisition of RF Nitro in 2001 (ref: Coverage). RFMD's Jeff Shealy (formerly of RF Nitro) will
be giving an update at IOP's upcoming Key
Conference during CS Week (Nov.
13th, Session 4) in San Antonio. RFMD is now looking to compete in the high-end
cellular sector for final-stage, linearized amplifiers. The new family of GaN
HEMT transistors features nine different products. Transistors for cellular
applications include four HEMTs, the most powerful being a 120 W device, and
on the WiMAX front, RFMD launched 50 W products for both the 2.5 and 3.5 GHz
frequency bands. RFMD feels the time is now for GaN microelectronics, and that
GaN provides RFMD with a technology roadmap toward developing and producing
next-generation power products to meet the stringent cost goals that the wireless
infrastructure market demands.
One of the reasons RFMD has been so successful is because it stays exceptionally
well-connected, not only via its product lines ("connected"...
get it?) but via its people. Bill Pratt, RFMD's co-founder, CTO, and chairman
of their board of directors, also serves with Keith Evans on Kyma's
board of directors. Kyma is one of the most promising GaN and AlN substrate
suppliers, and... not-so-coincidently, it is also located in North Carolina. My good
friend Keith Evans (who got his start improving MBE reactors
when with the Air Force) is probably the most well connected wide bandgap
expert in the compound semi industry. Bill Pratt's HBT patents are legendary
and his personality and influence are a tribute to our industry. RFMD has also been
well connected with the silicon shakers and movers. As recently announced, (ref:
Our Coverage). RFMD is selling its interest in silicon-based Jazz Semiconductor
(originally a spinout of Conexant along with Skyworks, which, coincidentally
is now a competitor to RFMD). RFMD will continue to supply Jazz with EDGE
transceivers. Jazz is soon to be a wholly owned subsidiary of Acquicor, a company
formed by none other than apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. And those are the
kind of connections (and "coincidences") that will likely provide
RFMD even more of a leading edge in the future. If you have news or
views to share about the compound semiconductor, LED or solid
state lighting industries
contact our Publisher, Tom Griffiths
His direct tel in Austin is +1-512-257-9888
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