AXT Acquires GaAs line from Hitachi Metals
AXT, a manufacturer of compound semiconductor substrates, has acquired highly automated processing and cleaning equipment for GaAs substrates from Hitachi Metals.
The production line includes automated equipment for wax mounting/demounting, edge grinding, wafer sawing, polishing and cleaning. In addition, AXT has licensed from Hitachi Metals associated technical information and applicable patents intended to enable AXT to use the equipment in full production.
The equipment has been uninstalled in Japan and shipped to AXT's production facility in Beijing, China where it is currently being installed. SCIOCS, the related spin-off from Hitachi Metals, will assist in the installation and optimisation process. This production line is ideally suited for 4in and 6in GaAs and InP manufacturing processes and AXT intends to supply such GaAs substrates to SCIOCS and other customers.
"This acquisition comes at a time when AXT is making a concerted effort to invest in automated manufacturing equipment to increase sales of its InP substrates and 6in semi-insulating GaAs substrates," said Morris Young, AXT's chief executive officer. "We plan to leverage the automation and manufacturing technology acquired to further enhance our product quality and consistency. We are highly appreciative of the multi-faceted partnership between the two companies."
The terms of the acquisition are not being disclosed. However, it is not expected to have a meaningful impact on the cost of operations going forward.
