News in brief: Semiconductor market, Soitec
Market estimates are:
2002 - $141 million
2003 - $155 million (10.1 percent growth)
2004 - $181 million (16.8 percent growth)
2005 - $192 million (5.8 percent growth)
2006 - $205 million (7 percent growth)
SIA expects the market for discrete components, including power transistors and RF solutions for wireless consumer products, to grow by 7.3 percent to $13.2 billion in 2003 and by 12.1 percent to $14.9 billion in 2004.
Sales of optoelectronic components, including laser devices, image sensors, and various communication devices, will increase 22 percent to $8.3 billion in 2003, and by 15 percent to $9.5 billion in 2004, says the SIA.
Soitec files for reissue of US patent covering Smart Cut process
Soitec, the leading manufacturer of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers, has announced that French research organization CEA (Atomic Energy Commission) has taken the necessary steps to file for a reissue of US patent no. 5,374,564. Licensed exclusively to Soitec, this patent forms the basis of Soitec s comprehensive Smart Cut technology portfolio.
The patent was the subject of a legal row between Soitec and its competitor, Silicon Genesis. In April 2002, a jury found that a number of the patent s claims were invalid.
If granted, the reissued patent will include revised claims that will clarify the enablement of the process using hydrogen or helium ions in the implantation step to achieve layer transfer - a key step in the Smart Cut process. These claims, which will profit from the same priority date as that of the current patent, will provide additional protection for the Smart Cut process.
