Peregrine Semiconductor Expands European Operations and Opens New Facility
CompoundSemi News StaffMarch 17, 2010...Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation of San Diego, California USA, a supplier of RF CMOS and mixed-signal ICs, has reportedly expanded its European design and manufacturing operations. Peregrine also announced the opening of a new facility in Aix-en-Provence, France. Peregrine Semiconductor Europe (PSE) operations include RF integrated circuit (RFIC) design and engineering at its design center in Aix-en-Provence, France; IC wafer manufacturing from wafer foundry Sapphicon in Australia and UMC in Taiwan; assembly and packaging from Hybritech Composants Microelectroniques (HCM) France; and back-end testing at partner Rood Microtec in Germany.
According to the company, PSE will focus on developing new RFIC products to better support specific European design requirements and provide design services for Peregrine’s next-generation UltraCMOS RFIC portfolio sold worldwide. The company points out that its UltraCMOS delivers significant performance advantages over competing processes such as GaAs, SiGe BiCMOS and bulk silicon CMOS.
Phase-locked loop frequency synthesizers (PLLs) are the first devices originating at the European facilities.
The European Space Agency has reportedly qualified Peregrine’s PLLs for adoption into their space satellite programs. The company's PLLs are already used in other satellite programs including: Globalstar, ExoMars, Glonass and Gallileo.
“We are extremely pleased to be expanding our commitment to a country, and a region, which have been instrumental to the worldwide adoption of UltraCMOS™ silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) as the IC process technology of choice for RF designs,” commented Jim Cable, CEO and president of parent-company Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation.
Company News Release EMPA orders AIXTRON 2-inch Black Magic Carbon Nanotube Deposition Tool
CompoundSemi News StaffMarch 17, 2010...Aixtron reports that Eidgenössische Materialprüfungs- und Forschungsanstalt (EMPA) of Switzerland has ordered its Black Magic carbon nanotube (CNT) deposition system. Aixtron says it received the order in the third quarter 2009 and the system will be delivered in the first quarter 2010 with the 1x2 inch wafer configuration. EMPA, the interdisciplinary research and services institution for material sciences and technology development, will reportedly employ the new system to produce several different nano-carbon materials.
Dr. Stefan Egger commented, “We were looking for a flexible system that could give us the means to reliably synthesize a range of different types of carbon nanomaterials. Furthermore, it was essential that it is easy to operate and reliable with good efficiency. Overall, the Aixtron Black Magic system ticks all the boxes and seems to be an ideal match to our requirements.”
“These applications require a system with great flexibility, which can easily be used by different researchers from several research groups,” added Dr. Egger. “These are needed for very different topics such as miniaturized X-ray sources which demand MWCNT field emitters. It will also be used to create single- and double-walled CNTs and graphene for sensors and other devices as well as composite materials incorporating carbon nanotubes and fibers.”
Aixtron News Release RFMD Produces Multi-junction Solar Photovoltaic Cell Using Six-Inch GaAs Wafer Fab
CompoundSemi News StaffMarch 15, 2010...As part of an ongoing collaboration with the NREL, RFMD, a company most known for its gallium arsenide (GaAs)-based radio frequency components, reports that it has successfully manufactured what it claims is the first photovoltaic cell made using high-volume six-inch gallium arsenide (GaAs) machinery. The photovoltaic (PV) cell was manufactured in RFMD's existing high-volume, six-inch GaAs wafer fabrication facilities in Greensboro, North Carolina USA. RFMD says that the manufacturing was done with no fabrication equipment modifications.
On July 1, 2009 RFMD announced it had entered into a cooperative agreement with the NREL to develop a commercially viable and high volume process to produce compound semiconductor-based multijunction PV cells.
The fabrication is part of the Foundation Phase of the project in which RFMD will establish its ability to manufacture the solar cells. The next phase will be the the Technology Demonstration Phase in which RFMD will leverage the NREL's intellectual property to produce the cells. Then in the final, Production Readiness Phase, RFMD's six-inch fabs will demonstrate production of high-performance PV cells with high yields, high reliability, high reproducibility and low cost.
NREL Director Dan Arvizu said, "NREL's collaboration with RFMD demonstrates our commitment to developing the best technologies for renewable energy and aligning with the most capable partners to commercialize and deploy each technology. We applaud RFMD's successful achievement of this first technical performance milestone."
RFMD News Release First Solar Sells 30 MW Solar Photovoltaic Power Project
CompoundSemi News StaffMarch 15, 2010...First Solar, Inc. of Tempe, Arizona USA, reports that it has sold a 30 megawatt (AC) photovoltaic solar power project to Southern Company and Turner Renewable Energy. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
The Cimarron I Solar Project is adjacent to the Vermejo Park Ranch in northern New Mexico. First Solar developed the project and is providing engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services.
First Solar will also provide operation and maintenance services under a 25-year contract. The facility will supply power to approximately 9,000 homes, or 18,000 residents, and displace over 45,000 tons of CO2 per year. First Solar says that construction of the solar project will begin this month, with completion and commercial operation expected by year end 2010. First Solar expects to employ about 500,000 of its cadmium telluride (CdTe)-based thin-film photovoltaic modules in the project and it estimates that the projected will create over 200 jobs at construction peak.
"The Cimarron I project is yet another example of First Solar's capability to realize utility-scale solar projects," said Rob Gillette, First Solar chief executive officer. "Combining the required technology, manufacturing, project development and EPC expertise enables First Solar to be a leader in sustainable energy development."
First Solar News Release Aixtron Shows Strong Growth in 2009
CompoundSemi News StaffMarch 10, 2010...Aixtron grew substantially in 2009 despite the recession.
The company's net income nearly doubled with an increase of 95 percent, going from EUR23.0 m in 2008 to EUR44.8m in 2009.
Aixtron's revenues grew some 10 percent in 2009 reaching EUR302.9m compared to EUR274.4m the previous year. Gross profit increased 19 percent for the year from EUR112.9m to EUR134.7m.
The company had an increase of 48 percent in the equipment order intake for the year from EUR250.8m to EUR370.1m.
The company's order backlog also nearly doubled with an increase of 98 percent, going from EUR105m in 2008 to EUR203.8m in 2009.
The management board will propose to change the company from an AG company to an SE company at the March 18 board meeting.
Paul Hyland, President & Chief Executive Officer at Aixtron cited the increasingly international nature of the business as the reason for the SE conversion.
Hyland commented, “...fiscal year 2009 has turned out to be one of the best years in the Company’s history. The forward looking decisions we made more than 5 years ago, namely to re-engineer our system technology into configurable modules and the decision to re-engineer our manufacturing processes and supply chain structure have played a decisive part in our ability to react quickly and profitably to the rapid and positive changes in 2009 market conditions. "
The company announced a guidance of Euros 600m to Euros 650m for 2010.
(As of March 10, 1 Euro= 1.3657 U.S. Dollars)
Aixtron 2009 Final Year-end Financial Results First Solar Sells 30 MW Solar Photovoltaic Power Project
CompoundSemi News StaffMarch 15, 2010...First Solar, Inc. of Tempe, Arizona USA, reports that it has sold a 30 megawatt (AC) photovoltaic solar power project to Southern Company and Turner Renewable Energy. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
The Cimarron I Solar Project is adjacent to the Vermejo Park Ranch in northern New Mexico. First Solar developed the project and is providing engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services.
First Solar will also provide operation and maintenance services under a 25-year contract. The facility will supply power to approximately 9,000 homes, or 18,000 residents, and displace over 45,000 tons of CO2 per year. First Solar says that construction of the solar project will begin this month, with completion and commercial operation expected by year end 2010. First Solar expects to employ about 500,000 of its cadmium telluride (CdTe)-based thin-film photovoltaic modules in the project and it estimates that the projected will create over 200 jobs at construction peak.
"The Cimarron I project is yet another example of First Solar's capability to realize utility-scale solar projects," said Rob Gillette, First Solar chief executive officer. "Combining the required technology, manufacturing, project development and EPC expertise enables First Solar to be a leader in sustainable energy development."
First Solar News Release First Solar to Provide 300 MW to PG&E from Desert Sunlight Project
CompoundSemi News StaffMarch 10, 2010...First Solar of Tempe, Arizona USA, announced a photovoltaic power purchase agreement to supply Pacific Gas and Electric Company electricity from a 300 megawatt (AC) photovoltaic solar power facility. First Solar is reportedly developing the solar power facility in Southern California. According to First Solar, the Desert Sunlight project, to be located near Desert Center in eastern Riverside County, Calif., will have a total capacity of 550 megawatts, enough to power approximately 160,000 area homes or provide power for 480,000 residents. The other 250 MW portion of the project is already under contract to Southern California Edison (SCE). First Solar's power purchase agreements with PG&E and SCE are subject to the approval of the California Public Utilities Commission.
First Solar will build the Desert Sunlight project using its cadmium telluride CdTe thin-film photovoltaic solar modules and provide its project development, engineering, procurement, and construction capabilities. Construction on the project is expected to start by the end of 2010, and completion is planned for as early as 2013. First Solar says that the project will create approximately 430 construction jobs. The project's permit application has been fast tracked by the Bureau of Land Management.
"First Solar is one of the few companies that has all the capabilities required to realize very large, utility-scale solar projects like Desert Sunlight, which are important in helping our customers and California reach the state's renewable energy goals," said Rob Gillette, First Solar chief executive officer.
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