News in brief: JDSU, Trikon and Giga Epitaxy
Kiwan leaves Trikon
Jihad Kiwan, the president and CEO of UK-based semiconductor manufacturing equipment supplier Trikon Technologies, has left the company.
John Macneil is to take over as acting CEO, and will be assisted by a new executive committee of the board including Nigel Wheeler and Richard Conn.
Macneil has been at Trikon for eight years and is currently the company’s chief technology officer.
Trikon chairman Chris Dobson said: “Jihad has been with us through a very challenging period of the semiconductor equipment cycle.”
JDSU appoints new operations executive
JDS Uniphase has appointed Debora Shoquist as its senior VP of operations.
The new position sees Shoquist take responsibility for manufacturing and operations aspects of all of the company’s optical communications products.
Shoquist was at Coherent Electro-Optics before joining JDSU, and at Hewlett-Packard prior to that. She will report to CEO Kevin Kennedy.
“Debora’s proven abilities to integrate and consolidate operations, reduce costs and efficiently manage the supply chain is precisely what we need,” said Kennedy.
Giga Epitaxy goes for liquid solution
Taiwanese epiwafer producer Giga Epitaxy Technology (GET) is to introduce LED epiwafers grown by liquid phase epitaxy.
GET plans to start production of both single-hetero and double-hetero structures for red LEDs in July this year. Production capacity is expected to reach 20,000 square inches per month.
GET already makes wafers for microwave devices and laser diode applications, and the latest move represents the company’s third product line.
