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In brief: Nichia, RFMD, Sirenza and Freescale

Nichia ups LED production, RFMD acquires Silicon Wave, Freescale appoints a new CEO, and Sirenza is awarded a patent.
Nichia increases LED production capacity
Nichia Corporation aims to double LED production capacity at its Tatsumi manufacturing site in an attempt to counter Asian competition, according to Japanese newspaper, Nihon Keizai Shimbun.

Nichia currently has a 70% share of the global market for LEDs. However, it believes by increasing production it can be more competitive, and increase its share of lower-end markets, such as LEDs for lighting cell phone keypads.

The company will construct a six-storey building, costing ¥4 billion ($360 million), and install manufacturing equipment worth ¥20-30 billion, says the report.

RFMD completes Silicon Wave acquisition
RF Micro Devices (RFMD), a provider of radio frequency ICs for wireless applications, has completed its acquisition of Bluetooth specialist Silicon Wave.

The acquisition of Silicon Wave expands RFMD s product portfolio, complementing its handset sales.

Commenting on the acquisition, Frank Morese, vice president of RFMD’s wireless connectivity business, said: “We believe our combined strengths and unique technology place us in an extremely strong position to capture growth in the explosive Bluetooth market. Industry research forecasts Bluetooth will grow more than six-fold over the next three years.”

Freescale appoints ex-IBM executive Mayer as CEO
Freescale Semiconductor, Motorola’s chip subsidiary that is expected to be spun-off later this year, has named Michel Mayer as its new chairman and CEO. The appointment takes effect immediately.

Mayer will head a $4.9 billion global chip design operation, with design, manufacturing and sales operations in more than 25 countries.

“Michel Mayer has a unique combination of operational experience, leadership skills, customer focus and technical expertise to make him the ideal choice,” said Ed Zander, chairman and CEO of Motorola.

Sirenza awarded amplifier patent
Sirenza Microdivices, a fabless designer and supplier of RF components, has been awarded a US patent (# 6,727,762) entitled “Direct coupled distributed amplifier.”

“This invention combines active analog techniques with a microwave distributed approach. The result is a multi-stage, direct-coupled distributed topology that can provide high gain, and multi-decade frequency operation,” said Kevin Kobayashi, senior director of advanced design at the company.

Joseph Johnson, Sirenza s chief technical officer, added: “Amplifiers that provide multi-decade performance are key components for several defense customers as well as electronic equipment manufacturers.”

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