Thanx for saving me the trouble of typing out the sidebar. For those who didn't subscribe to the magazine, here is what's written about CREE in the article Tapping the Wireless Market
Cree Research (CREE) is now the largest silicon carbide maker in the world. TriQuint Semiconductor (TQNT), Anadigics (ANAD), Kopn (KOPN), and RF Micro Devices (RFMD) are all top gallium arsenide makers. ........
Silicon carbide (SiC) devices made by Cree can withstand extremely high temperatures. This also allows SiC to detect and emit short wavelength light, making the fabrication of blue light emitting diodes possible. Blue lasers can carry much more data than more common red lasers.
SiC can withstand more than eight time the electric field of Si or GaAs without breaking down. This makes SiC suitable for high-voltage, high-power devices such as diodes, power transistors, power thyristors and surge suppressors, as well as high power microwave devices.
SiC devices can also be placed very close together, allowing high packing density in integrated circuits.
Heat flows faster through SiC than other semiconductors. At room temperature, SiC is abetter conductor than any metal. This means that SiC devices can function at higher power levels because they can dissipate the generated heat. SiC devices can also operate at high frequencies (RF and microwave) because electrons travel at high rates through the compound.
Cree makes wafers and devices from SiC only. These are used in liquid crystal display (CD) backlighting, indicator lamps and full-color light-emitting diode (LED) displays. Cree also uses its SiC to produce unique gemstones.
Cree took in $60.05 million in revenues during fiscal 1999 and $42.53 million in 1998. Earnings jumped to $12.7 million in fiscal 1999 versus $6.27 million in 1998. The main source of the revenues increase: SiC high brightness LEDs and wafers. |
