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To: ratan lal who wrote (1818)	2/4/2000 1:34:00 PM
From: Guy Gordon	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 10714

I do not know how good Cree's patent coverage is world-wide. But you should remember that Cree does not "own" SiC. Anybody can make it. What Cree has is expertise. They are several years ahead of their competitors in making electronics quality SiC boules. They are ready to move to 3" boules this year, and have 4" boules in the works for the future. For comparison, the Si industry is moving from 8" to 12" boules. Remember that efficiency goes up as the square of the diameter. A 2" wafer has only 1/16'th the area of an 8" wafer. SiC is a wonderful material, but CREE is only as good as it's management. If management does not expand its markets fast enough, other technologies will overtake them. Always remember, Cree does not own one single thing that would force customers to come to them. Yes, the own 90% of the SiC market. But not of the Blue LED market. All of the other uses people mention for SiC are potential only. There are other perfectly good technologies for making Blue LED's, RF chips, and even artificial gemstones. This talk of Cree becoming a Gorilla is nonsense. People who think Cree has a lock on Blue LED's or Blue Lasers are fooling themselves. That said, I think Cree is a wonderful technology company with great growth prospects. I'm just trying to emphasize that Cree is only as good as its management. SiC is not magic.