Monterey provides idyllic venue for combined events
Co-locating the Compound Semiconductor Manufacturing Expo (CS-MAX) and the IEEE Compound Semiconductor IC Symposium (CSICS) will ensure that, for the first time, the entire compound semiconductor supply chain is addressed in a single location. While the CSICS technical program focuses on device design, CS-MAX covers high-volume device manufacturing.
Both conferences will feature presentations from some of the key companies in the industry, including the market-leading GaAs manufacturers RF Micro Devices, Skyworks Solutions and TriQuint. The week-long series of events will run from Sunday 24 to Friday 29 October.
CSICS kicks off The IEEE symposium will begin on Sunday in traditional fashion, and will feature short courses on power amplifiers and high-speed data converters, and a primer course for those new to the compound semiconductor business.
First up on Monday is the CSICS plenary session, which will feature two presentations that touch on the future of wireless infrastructure. Bill Vassilakis from Powerwave Technologies will kick off the discussion with an overview of the evolution of wireless base station technologies. Later, a more detailed look at the recent progress made in GaN HEMTs for this market will be presented by Tashihide Kikkawa from Fujitsu Laboratories. CSICS technical sessions run through Wednesday with topics ranging from optical-system building blocks to advanced-silicon transceiver ICs.
While the main focus of CSICS will be the design of RF devices, issues relating to optoelectronics and LED manufacturing will also be catered for during the week. Presentations from Sony, Bookham Technology and Osram Opto Semiconductors will feature prominently in the CS-MAX schedule.
CS-MAX opens on Tuesday afternoon, and its plenary session will take place on Wednesday morning. This year s plenary features six talks that will cover the full spectrum of compound semiconductor manufacturing.
Plenary session The first three talks will focus on RF devices, starting with an overview of today s market and future prospects from Asif Anwar of the market research firm Strategy Analytics. Sam Lee, the CEO of GaAs foundry Global Communication Semiconductors, will then look at the manufacturing demands of wireless LAN communications; and Dave Reamer from Veeco s Compound Semiconductor division will round off the first half of the session with a look at the convergence of silicon and compound semiconductor manufacturing.
The second part of the CS-MAX plenary will concentrate on optoelectronic devices, beginning with a round-up of the latest trends in the HB-LED and semiconductor laser markets from Bob Steele of Strategies Unlimited. What promises to be one of the highlights of the week follows: Michiro Chiba s presentation on Sony s laser diode manufacturing operation. Chiba s talk will include a detailed discussion about all aspects of the Japanese company s laser diode production, including an insight into its plans for GaN-based blue/violet lasers as the demand for Blu-ray Disc optical-storage technology hots up. Following Chiba and rounding off the CS-MAX plenary will be Zeljko Spika, the head of InGaN production at Osram Opto Semiconductors, who will discuss the company s new HB-LED manufacturing facility.
Later on Wednesday the opto devices session will include an invited talk from Bookham Technology on the production of high-power laser diodes for industrial applications, while the LED session running in parallel will reflect the recent ramp-up of production in Asia with a presentation from Lumei Technology on LED manufacturing in China. A more technical focus follows, with a talk by Taiwan s Highlink Technology on enhancing the brightness of ITO GaN LEDs.
RF devices Another highlight of CS-MAX will undoubtedly be Thursday s sessions on RF devices, which feature an invited talk from Tom Rogers, the director of MBE operations at RF Micro Devices, on the volume manufacturing of HBT epiwafers. Now that GaAs is being increasingly challenged by SiGe in the RF sector, the second talk in this session promises to stir up plenty of debate: Jose Harrison from SiGe Semiconductors may ruffle a few feathers with his presentation on "debunking the myths surrounding process technology and cellular PAs".
Later, Neil Morris, chief technology officer at WJ Communications, will discuss the company s recent move into power devices for wireless infrastructure following its recent acquisition of EiC s GaAs fab. The emphasis will then switch to wide-bandgap devices, which are generally regarded as next-generation devices for base station power amplifiers. Edwin Piner will discuss Nitronex Corporation s plans to produce GaN HFET power transistors.
And that s just for starters. The remainder of the CS-MAX program will feature sessions that focus on many important high-volume manufacturing issues, including materials and substrates, epiwafer characterization techniques, epitaxy and back-end processing.
What with a discussion of the latest technical advances in device design at CSICS, plus the opportunity to find out about the latest products and services at the combined technology exhibition on Tuesday and Wednesday, the week promises to have something for everyone involved in the compound semiconductor industry.
• For more information about Compound Semiconductor Week, including registration details and the advanced technical program for both conferences, simply visit www.compoundsemiconductor.net/csmax.
