Technical Insight
First CS-MAX show draws large audience (Headline News)
A new conference series for the compound semiconductor industry got off to a successful start when the inaugural Compound Semiconductor Manufacturing Expo (CS-MAX) was held on July 911, 2001 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, MA. Over 850 people attended the three-day event, which included 95 papers in the Technical Program and over 100 companies in the Exhibit. CS-MAX, which is organized by the staff of this magazine, is intended to fill the role that Semicon West and similar events play for the silicon industry. "We want to provide an annual showcase for the compound semiconductor industry," said Marie Meyer, chairman of CS-MAX 2001 and managing editor of Compound Semiconductor. "While there are already plenty of technical conferences in our industry, most concentrate on a single material system and most follow the traditional academic model and therefore tend to be very researchy . CS-MAX is designed to provide a forum for ideas about improving high-volume manufacturing of all types of compound semiconductor devices." The larger-than-expected turnout could be seen as a sign that interest in compound semiconductors is continuing to grow, despite the sharp slowdown in the economy. "Cut-backs in travel budgets reduced the number of attendees from some of the most well-established companies in the industry," said Meyer, "but an unexpectedly large number of new start-ups attended. Given what is going on in the markets right now, we were very pleased with the turn-out, and we think it bodes well for future years." Conversations with many of the exhibitors confirmed the impression that start-ups are responsible for a large percentage of the current capital equipment spending, with bigger companies delaying further expansion of fab capacity until economic conditions improve. CS-MAX is planned as an annual event from now on. The dates and location for the 2002 show will be announced in September.
