In brief: Evans Analytical, Cree, Sanyo, AXT
Evans buying spree
Evans Analytical Group (EAG), the Californian company that offers a range of surface analysis and materials characterization services, has further broadened its scope with a new round of acquisitions.
The Sunnyvale-based firm now owns glow-discharge mass spectrometry (GDMS) specialist Shiva Technologies, the X-ray and secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) analysis company Cascade Scientific, and Nano Science, a technical sales and customer service operation in Japan.
GDMS is a useful technique for depth-profiling of trace elements in metal or semiconductor materials, while X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and SIMS are standard analytical techniques in semiconductor processing.
Cree does global deal
In a deal that should help to increase the market penetration of its Schottky diodes, SiC-based LED and microelectronic component maker Cree has signed a global distribution agreement with Digi-Key.
The US-based distributor now stocks Cree Schottky diodes rated from 300 V to 1200 V and 1 A to 20 A.
Sanyo boosts GaN laser power
Reports in Japan suggest that Sanyo "“ one of the world s leading laser chip manufacturers - has developed a 200 mW blue laser diode based on GaN.
If produced commercially, such a device could drastically increase the writing speed of high-definition DVD recorders.
According to Nikkei.net, the Japanese company will commercialize the high-power laser by the end of 2007.
Sanyo already holds a market-leading position in the manufacture of red laser diodes for current DVD recorders, with an estimated market share of around 40 per cent.
AXT adds $3.6 million share sale
Recovering GaAs substrate supplier AXT raised an additional $3.6 million in its latest share offering, thanks to the exercise of an over-allotment option.
The Fremont, CA, company has already raised net proceeds of $24.2 million through the basic share offering, which was underwritten by Needham and Company.
And at the recent Needham and Company investor conference, AXT estimated that it now had a 12 per cent share of the market for semi-insulating GaAs substrates, up from just 5 per cent at its lowest ebb back in early 2005.
