Emerging compound technologies & markets

AbstractWill compound equipment suppliers emerge into new business models? Veeco’s recent publicity over its new ‘Integration Center’ suggests an industry restlessness and need to adapt to new trends. Will compound fabs look to new approaches? Their future may embrace the silicon outsourcing attitude and an emergence of a fabless compound community. Only handfuls of those are currently identifiable with InPhi Corp, Quake Technologies, Sirenza Microdevices, Endwave, Multilink and RF Solutions in the US and in Europe ACCO SA, Plextek and ThreeFive Photonics (hopefully about to emerge from Chapter 11). Finally, will compound device makers be able to adapt to mass production which will be required for some developing applications, the most obvious the forecast LED revolution? Alternately can they be cost-effective for niche sectors such as terahertz