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market segment. The only competitor left now is VPEC.” So what impact will IQE’s muscle have on the compound semiconductor industry? The company can now just as easily perform MOCVD processes as it can MBE, supplying the necessary wafer for whatever device.
As Higham points out: “Being so strong in both epitaxial deposition techniques could give the business the necessary critical mass to capture even more market share. They’ll be seen as the proverbial one-stop shop, this is not something I would have predicted.”
But Anwar does not expect businesses will see the epiwafer market as an IQE monopoly. “IQE’s strategy has always been to acquire a company but then run that business as it was,” he says. “For example, MBE Technology retained the good relationships it had with its suppliers and customers, I am assuming that the same will take place with Kopin.”
But will IQE’s successes in grabbing MBE epiwafer market, largely to fabricate pHEMT switches, prove short-lived as the likes of SkyWorks and RFMD trade the technology in for SOI. Ultimately, RFMD’s MBE sale signalled the firm’s preference for the SOI handset switch. Not so. As Higham emphasises, some companies, such as TriQuint, are sticking with pHEMT for switches.
“Our studies show that the biggest decline in pHEMT has taken place already,” he says. “Yes, we’re anticipating slower growth than we will see for the MOCVD segment, but still some growth. Lots of equipment is installed and it wouldn’t make sense to abandon this.”
Indeed, Anwar believes components makers will continue to use both SOI and pHEMT switches for the foreseeable future, selecting which technology is best for a specific application and market. Still, MOCVD-made HBT devices is where the action will be.
Multi-mode, multi-band wireless handsets now require broadband performance, a demand that will only fuel the growth of compound semiconductor technologies, rather than silicon-based devices.
“RFMD recently bought Amalfi to hedge its bets and meet a demand for silicon-based power amplifiers,” says Anwar. “But as you go to higher and higher frequencies and more linearity, that plays to the advantage of compound semiconductor technologies.”
© 2013 Angel Business Communications. Permission required.
January / February 2013
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