Technical Insight
Things to Watch 2001
Things to Watch in 2001 Our annual list of Things to Watch covers a wide range of issues related to compound semiconductors, starting with an investigation of the effect of the recent stock market turmoil on the demand for GaAs ICs and fiber-optic components. Although LEDs are not expected to penetrate the general lighting market for many years, such applications present many near-term challenges. In the GaAs industry, we take a look at the extensive activity in Taiwan, which is intimately linked to a rise in the number of foundries. We also investigate the current shortage of GaAs wafers, and the growing popularity of enhancement-mode HEMTs. Several topics related to fiber-optic components are discussed. Indium phosphide is one of the platforms that will be used to facilitate the integration of optical and electronic functions, a focus for all the leading companies in the industry. The continued proliferation of 10 Gb/s networks and standards, such as 10 Gigabit Ethernet, is intertwined with a growing demand for VCSEL transceivers. Looking further ahead, terrestrial concentrator systems using GaAs solar cells could open up a whole new market for compound semiconductors. What Else is Going On? Plenty. Among the other topics we could have included are the emergence of fiber-optic devices such as tunable lasers, 40 Gb/s components and optical amplifiersthe market for these latter components is discussed on page 23 of this issue. In the LED field, patent lawsuits continue to fly between the major nitride-based LED manufacturers and, as described on page 8, Rohm has now joined the fray. Meanwhile, the prices of these products looks set to fall, which will help the penetration of new markets. In our HEMTs vs. HBTs article, we touch on the subject of the continued shift of power amplifier products for handsets from RFICs to highly integrated modules. All these are important subjects that we plan to return to during the coming year. In the meantime, here s our list of "Things to Watch" for 2001: 1 More Growth in Communications p. 47 2 High Brightness LEDs for Lighting p. 50 3 GaAs in Taiwan p. 56 4 Convergence of Optics and Electronics p. 60 5 Indium Phosphide Planar Integrated Optics Comes of Age Contributed by Jens Noeckel, Tom Pierson and Jane Zucker of Nanovation Technologies p. 61 6 GaAs Foundries p. 66 7 10 Gigabit/Second Communication Systems p. 69 8 Enhancement-mode HEMTs vs. HBTs p. 74 9 The Supply Chain 1: Wafer Shortages p. 77 10 Explosive Market Growth for VCSELs p. 78 Contributed by Dale Murray of ElectroniCast 11 Compound Semiconductor Solar Cells for Electric Power Generation p. 82 Contributed by Sarah Kurtz and Robert McConnell of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory 12 The Supply Chain 2: Metalorganic Sources p. 84
