Riber eyes organic LEDs with Addon acquisition
MBE machine supplier Riber has acquired fellow French company Addon. Addon makes components for both MBE machines and organic LED (OLED) display manufacturing.
“Some of the components supplied by Addon were not part of Riber’s components portfolio,” said Riber in a statement. “These components have become necessary in order to master the MBE epitaxy process in new areas.”
New areas that Riber specifically referred to include nitride-based epiwafers for microwave devices and blue-violet laser diodes, as well as ultra-thin oxide films for high-k insulators in future CMOS processes.
But the main reason for the acquisition appears to be the potential for exploiting Addon’s components that are used in OLED manufacturing. These components are similar to those used in MBE machines, and Riber said that the acquisition would allow it to diversify into what is regarded as a growth market.
Addon realized sales of €1.6 million in 2003, and is said to have been profitable for many years.
Riber also released its first-quarter results, for the period ending March 31 2004. It posted sales of €1.3 million, representing a 43% drop on the previous year. Only one MBE machine was sold during the quarter.
Riber’s order backlog made more positive reading, however. At €6.7 million, the figure is an increase on the prior quarter, and is due to orders for four Compact 21 machines.
