News in brief: LED production, Sony and Unaxis
LED production ramps in Asia
Production of LEDs in Asia appears to be continuing its recent upward trend, with reports of three companies increasing output in the second quarter of the year.
Taiwan-based Epistar and Formosa Epitaxy are both increasing blue LED production significantly, according to a report on the DigiTimes.com news service.
It says that Epistar is set to double monthly capacity of blue LED chips to 120 million units, with plans to install six new MOCVD machines this year. One of the machines will come online in the second quarter.
Meanwhile, Formosa Epitaxy is reportedly increasing its own output from 40 million units per month to 60 million. Capacity is said to be booked until May with increasing demand from Korean cell phone manufacturers.
Nichia is also said to be constructing another building for LED production in Anan, reports the Nihon Shimbun Keizai.
Sony develops Blu-ray disc mass production
Sony has developed technology that will enable mass production of read-only Blu-ray discs, reports the Nihon Shimbun Keizai.
The firm is said to be able to produce about one disc every five seconds, potentially bringing down the production costs of the format close to that of DVDs.
While rewritable Blu-ray discs for recording television broadcasts are already available, the read-only format is required for distribution of films.
Unaxis consolidates semiconductor operation
Switzerland-based Unaxis has restructured to consolidate all of its semiconductor activities into a distinct business segment. The new segment consists of three divisions: wafer processing; assembly and packaging; and display technology.
The wafer processing division will develop etching and deposition systems for chip production, and was formerly known as the semiconductor front-end division.
Assembly and packaging activities incorporate the former semiconductor back-end division, and includes equipment and processes used in chip assembly.
