Aixtron sees first quarter sales drop 16%, sells second Tricent tool to IQE
Aixtron s new orders halved to 25 million euros ($23 million) from 52.3 million euros a year ago, leaving it with an order backlog of 118.2 million euros ($108.7 million) against 156.5 million euros ($144 million) a year ago.
IQE to install a second Tricent tool
IQE Silicon Compounds (IQE-SC), a wholly owned subsidiary of epiwafer vendor IQE, will install its second Aixtron Tricent MOCVD module to enable the development of strontium titanate (STO) template films on silicon wafers up to 300 mm in diameter. STO-based technology is being investigated for high-k dielectrics in the silicon industry and also for three-fives-on-silicon (TFOS), opening up new avenues for cost reductions in the compound semiconductor industry.
While IQE has used Aixtron s MOCVD tools for many years within the III-V compound semiconductor industry, the need to extend the epitaxial process into traditional silicon fabs has been limited until recently. In order to increase the functionality and performance of electronic devices, designers are moving away from the increasingly expensive reductions in device linewidths and instead, are turning towards materials re-engineering. IQE has built a powerful position as an outsource foundry in the established compound semiconductor market and in emerging silicon-based technologies such as STO for TFOS, SiGe and strained silicon.
Claus Ehrenbeck
Tel: +49 241 8909 444
E-mail: C.Ehrenbeck@aixtron.com
