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To: The Ox who wrote (3481)7/9/2001 9:04:09 PM
From: J Fieb  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 4808
 
Micheal H., Here is a nice article by EMKR on VCSELs...

compoundsemiconductor.net

From Compound Semiconductor Magazine Volume 7 No. 5 (June 2001)

Oxide VCSELs rise to the challenge

With the latest developments in oxide confinement further boosting performance, VCSELs are looking in good shape to keep pace with the rapid advances in high-speed fiber-optics, writes Ian Aeby of Emcore's Optical Device Division.

In only a decade or so, vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) have moved from a technological curiosity to a critical component in powering high-performance, low-cost optical fiber data communications equipment. One key reason is that the highly competitive nature of the global communications market has led to continual technological advances in the fiber-optics arena.

One such advance is the switch from VCSELs fabricated using ion implantation to so-called oxide-confined VCSELs. These devices are fabricated with a high aluminum content buried layer, which is subsequently oxidized under conditions of high temperature and high humidity to form the device aperture. Oxide VCSEL devices, which are now commercially available, operate at higher speeds and have lower threshold currents than ion-implanted VCSELs.

Another factor driving technological advances in this field is a simultaneous trend towards higher data communications speeds, which has increased the demand for low-cost, high-speed optical interconnects. Examples include the new 2X Gigabit Ethernet and 2X Fibre Channel standards; the new OC-192 very-short-reach (VSR) interconnect designed for low-cost intra-office applications; and the InfiniBand architecture, which has the potential to substantially improve overall data throughput in servers.

A radical step

VCSELs are revolutionary compound semiconductor microlaser diodes. The device emits light vertically from the surface of a fabricated wafer in a direction perpendicular to the p-n junction. The first VCSELs were made by combining bulk active regions with metal mirrors. Subsequently, other approaches were tried including dielectric mirrors, semiconductor distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) mirrors and air-semiconductor DBR mirrors. Approaches to current confinement include ion-implanted gain-guided lasers, etched air-post lasers, selective etched air-confined lasers, native-oxide-confined lasers and regrown buried heterostructure lasers.

VCSEL emission wavelengths can be tailored from visible to near-infrared by a simple materials modification in the laser cavity of the basic structure. The ability to manufacture these lasers using standard microelectronics fabrication methods allows chip-on-board integration of VCSELs with other components without requiring pre-packaging.

Advantages of VCSELs

VCSELs have a number of important advantages that have catapulted them to the distinctive position of being the technology of choice for a wide range of data communications products. With a low threshold of between 1 and 6 mA, VCSELs offer very efficient power conversion. They can deliver transmission speeds of between 1 and 10 Gbit/s (see figure 1), yet have a modulation swing of only 5–10 mA, which keeps power consumption low. The latest generation of VCSELs do not require hermetic packaging, yet typical mean lifetimes for well manufactured devices range from 10 to 100 years. At the same time, the circular, low-divergence output beams provided by VCSELs eliminate the need for corrective optics in most applications.

A key advantage of VCSELs relative to edge-emitting lasers is that each device can be probe-tested on the wafer before fabricating and packaging. This enables manufacturers to identify defective chips before subassemblies are produced. This allows VCSELs to generally offer much higher yields than edge-emitting lasers.

A VCSEL normally has both the cavity mirrors and the gain region grown by a single epitaxial step on a 50 or 75 mm diameter substrate. DBR mirrors are created by growing quarter-wavelength thick layers of semiconductors with alternating refractive indices. After growth, the next step is to fabricate the laser using processing steps that are analogous to integrated circuit manufacturing. The first volume applications of VCSELs almost universally used proton implantation to selectively destroy the epitaxial crystalline structure as part of the laser fabrication process. The damage that was incurred in this process made these devices more difficult to control than is desirable in a high-volume manufacturing process, and resulted in poor device-to-device uniformity. The process also led to high series resistance in the mirror layers, causing less efficient laser current injection into the active region.

Move to oxide confinement

The latest advancement is the development of oxide-confined VCSELs that offer significant performance improvements. Instead of using protons to define the active region, this approach uses a selective oxide layer (see figure 2). A layer of aluminum gallium arsenide with high aluminum content is laid down and a mesa is etched to expose high oxide layers. The wafer is heated, typically to 400–450 ¼C, and steam is introduced to initiate the oxidation process. Oxidation moves from the edges towards the center while the temperature and duration of the process control the width of the oxidized layer. The oxide layer provides both electrical insulation and a light-guiding effect, because the refractive index of aluminum oxide is lower than that of gallium arsenide. The lateral oxidation rate can be as high as micrometers per minute using GaAlAs layers as thin as tens of nanometers. Figure 3 shows a plan-view optical micrograph of the complete VCSEL, while figure 4 is an SEM shot of the central light-emitting region, surrounded by the ring contact.

The oxide-confined approach simultaneously increases the current injection efficiency and reduces series resistance. The result is a significant improvement in power conversion efficiency. The bottom line is high-speed performance – data rates of 2.5–10 Gbit/s can be achieved without compromising other properties. Threshold current, slope efficiency and output power all vary less than 5% from device to device. This allows the fabrication of highly uniform arrays, enabling multichannel, parallel optics applications.

Oxide VCSELs also exhibit improved temperature performance. The high slope efficiency of VCSELs produced by these methods provides a very low thermal budget, which aids module design. The advantages offered by oxide VCSELs enable low-cost, higher-speed LAN transceivers. VCSELs produced by oxide-confined methods were first introduced in November 1999, so this approach is now an established and mature technology that has demonstrated high manufacturability and reliability.

Use in 10 Gbit/s applications

Along with technological improvements, the applications supported by these optical devices have also seen some major developments. VCSELs have achieved a dominant position in the Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel transceiver market, primarily because LEDs encountered obstacles caused by their very wide beam emission and broad spectral emissions. As 10 Gbit/s standards emerge in both the Ethernet and Fibre Channel spaces, nearly all industry observers agree that VCSELs will continue to play a dominant role.

The real question is, which type of VCSEL implementation will the market turn to for 10 Gbit/s standards? Three competing implementations each stand a good chance and the odds are that all will co-exist at various stages of the product cycle. Parallel fiber approach has already been used in the first practical low-cost 10 Gbit/s solution to reach the market. On the other hand, wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) may be another contender in the emerging high-speed data communications markets. However, most industry observers believe that it will be some time before WDM technology migrates from public network applications, where high costs have historically been acceptable, to much more price-sensitive end-user applications. A serial 10 Gbit/s solution doesn't exist in commercial implementations yet. However, many industry experts expect it to emerge as the eventual winner because of its simplicity – a single laser transmitting down a single strand of fiber, combined with the use of time-division multiplexing (TDM).

Use in Ethernet and Fibre Channel

While these issues shake out, 2X and 4X Ethernet and Fibre Channel implementations are expected to make a significant impact. The key advantage is that there is typically enough margin built into backplanes and edge cards that the speed of existing switches and routers can be doubled simply by switching out the transceivers. Meanwhile, a new generation of parallel optical modules based on VCSEL technology is enabling dramatic improvements in central office (CO) and point of presence (POP) backplane interconnect solutions. Copper interconnects are unable to route data at the speeds required by the latest generation of edge switches used in public networks and customer premise equipment, while current high-speed optical links are too expensive and bulky. With 12 channels each operating at 2.5 Gbit/s over a dedicated fiber strand, the new parallel modules deliver 30 Gbit/s of capacity while using as little as 1.5 inches of board space.

Another important advantage of the new modules, which are just beginning to reach the market, is that they cost well under $1000, compared with $5000–$10 000 for the 10 Gbit/s modules that they are expected to replace.

New applications

Finally, we are just now seeing the emergence of a new class of high-speed VCSEL-based solutions: I/O products that are designed to make connections at distances of just a few meters, from microprocessor to disk drives and other peripherals, within switches and routers, etc. An interesting approach is the InfiniBand architecture, which is already supported by 215 members of the InfiniBand trade association. InfiniBand architecture's point-to-point linking technology will be used as the basis for an I/O fabric that will increase the aggregate data rate between servers and storage devices. More important, the I/O fabric of InfiniBand architecture will take on a role similar to that of traditional mainframe channel architecture that used point-to-point cabling technology to maximize overall I/O throughput by handling multiple I/O streams simultaneously. An innovative product in this space is Infineon Technologies' 12-channel parallel optical link (PAROLI), which is designed to connect telecommunications and data communications components and equipment for board-to-board or rack-to-rack applications.

VCSELs provide a sensible, cost-effective solution for speeding up the transmission of data in the near term while delivering the reliability that both customer premise equipment and public network applications require.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ian Aeby is at Emcore's Optical
Device Division (formerly MODE), Albuquerque, New Mexico.

© 2001 Compound Semiconductor Magazine. All rights reserved.

I think Vikas D., hopes that Iband takes over backplanes?



To: The Ox who wrote (3481)8/8/2001 5:24:11 PM
From: J Fieb  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 4808
 
Micheal, Here is how EMKR did last Q...How many companies can you name that have y over year growth and quarterly sequential growth?

Wednesday August 8, 5:09 pm Eastern Time
Press Release
EMCORE Announces Record Operating Profit and Sixth Consecutive Quarter of Record Revenues
SOMERSET, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 8, 2001--EMCORE Corporation (NASDAQ: EMKR - news), a leader in compound semiconductor technologies for global communications applications, today announced financial results for its fiscal third quarter ended June 30, 2001.

Revenues for the quarter ended June 30, 2001 reached a sixth consecutive record of $53 million, up 76% compared to revenues of $30 million for the corresponding quarter of fiscal 2000 and up 10% sequentially compared to revenues of $48 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2001. The increase in revenues is the direct result of new material technologies being introduced in the datacom and telecom markets to relieve data congestion and expand network capacity.

Gross profit for the quarter ended June 30, 2001 reached $22 million, an increase of 75% compared to $12 million for the corresponding quarter of fiscal 2000, and an increase of 12% sequentially compared to gross profit of $20 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2001. Gross margin percentages also increased sequentially from 40.9% in the prior quarter to 41.4% in the quarter ended June 30, 2001.

EMCORE also achieved its second consecutive quarter of increased operating income. Operating income for the quarter ended June 30, 2001 was $915,000, or $0.03 per share, excluding goodwill amortization, compared to operating income of $31,000, or $0.00 per share, excluding goodwill amortization, for the quarter ended March 31, 2001.

During the quarter, EMCORE expanded its optical device and fiber optic product lines and began commercial production of its 15 Gbps parallel optical interconnect for very short reach datacom and telecom networks, which marks the first offering from EMCORE's Fiber Optic group. The transceiver module from EMCORE exemplifies the new age of optical interconnects for switches and routers for datacom and telecom equipment manufacturers. EMCORE also recently announced the commercial availability of an 850 nm, 10 Gbps gallium arsenide (GaAs) photodetector to pair with EMCORE's 10 Gbps oxide Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL). This combination enables the Company to provide a matched solution for transmit and receive functionality.

Reuben F. Richards, Jr., President and CEO commented, ``We had an outstanding quarter with record revenue and record operating performance, which reflects the strength of and demand for the new products we have introduced in the past two fiscal quarters. By offering these innovative products, EMCORE is able to provide its customers with a single supply source for manufacturer-friendly solutions to the broadband communications markets.''

Mr. Richards added, ``We are successfully coping with the economic downturn affecting most areas of technology. Our goal now is to position ourselves to meet the challenges of the current economic environment and increase our market share in the critical broadband and fiberoptic segments. We have increased operational efficiencies that will allow us to take full advantage of any market opportunities. We believe that our diversified product portfolio helps us in this challenging environment. Although sales in some product lines have decreased, other product lines have increased both in terms of dollar amount and market share. We feel market demand is sufficient to continue to grow our business as we execute against our product opportunities.''

General and administrative expenses decreased approximately $500,000 from the prior quarter due to cost control programs enacted during the quarter. Research and development expenses increased 16% from prior quarter as EMCORE finalizes the development and commercialization of new fiber optic products, including long wavelength VCSELs (vertical cavity surface emitting lasers), optical subassemblies and modules. Excluding non-recurring items and goodwill amortization, net loss for the quarter decreased 39% sequentially to $1.7 million or $(0.05) per share, compared to a net loss of $2.8 million, or $(0.08) per share for the quarter ended March 31, 2001.

Recent Developments and Highlights of the Quarter:

On August 6, 2001, EMCORE announced the commercial production of its new 15 Gbps parallel optical interconnect for high-speed data links, very short reach OC-192 optical links, and board-to-board and shelf-to-shelf high-speed interconnects for optical backplanes. The modules perform logic-to-light and light-to-logic conversions for data transmission over multimode fiber ribbon cable, at a wavelength of 850nm and a power consumption of typically just 2 watts for the pair. EMCORE also announced the development of a VSR transponder that is pluggable and compliant with the industry-wide 300 pin multi-source agreement and with the Optical Internetworking Forum's Implementation Agreements for SERDES-framer interface (SFI-4) and VSR OC-192 interfaces. The transponder is anticipated to be in commercial production in September 2001.

On August 2, 2001, EMCORE sold its minority ownership position in the Uniroyal Optoelectronics, LLC joint venture to Uniroyal Technology Corporation, (NMS: UTCI) and received 2.0 million shares of UTCI common stock as consideration for the transaction. EMCORE will continue to be an important vendor of MOCVD equipment to Uniroyal Optoelectronics, LLC. EMCORE will report a gain on the transaction in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2001.

On May 7, 2001, EMCORE completed the private placement of $175 million aggregate principal amount of 5% convertible subordinated notes due 2006. The notes are convertible into EMCORE common stock at a conversion price of $48.76 per share. The Company is using the proceeds from this offering for general corporate purposes, including capital expenditures, working capital, funding its joint venture and research and development. In addition, the Company may use a portion of the proceeds of the offering to strategically acquire or invest in complementary businesses, products or technology, either directly or through its joint venture.

Blaze Network Products and Cognet MicroSystems, a division of Intel, selected EMCORE's Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing (CWDM) VCSELs for high-speed data communications. With these VCSELs, Blaze plans to be the first to market with the smallest pluggable 10 Gigabit transceiver in the industry. Cognet will use the short wavelength VCSELs for extending the reach of multimode fibers.

EMCORE expanded its production technology offerings with the addition of the Enterprise 300LDM for datacom and telecom applications and the Enterprise 450 series for wireless communications and solid state lighting applications. These new tools serve as the enabling technology for EMCORE's electronic materials and optical device product offerings and will enhance the Company's ability to significantly improve device-manufacturing economics. The tools decrease the cost of ownership by maximizing the efficiency of material usage, reducing cycle times and achieving materials quality that enables next generation devices.

EMCORE's Electronic Materials Division achieved two significant milestones as a high volume supplier of HBT and pHEMT transistor materials for high-speed wireless communications. EMCORE reported the shipment of a record 15,000 6-inch HBT and pHEMT transistor wafers in a 12-month period. The Electronic Materials Division also earned the prestigious QS-9000 certification for its wafer manufacturing activities based on its commitment to quality products and services.

As announced earlier, EMCORE will discuss results on a conference call to be held August 9, 2001, at 9:00 a.m. ET. To participate in the call, local and international callers can dial (719)-457-2657. A replay will be available beginning 12:00 p.m. ET on August 9, 2001 until 12:00 a.m. ET on August 13, 2001. The replay number is 888-203-1112, passcode: ``792085''.

The conference call will also be available via the Internet by accessing the EMCORE web site at www.emcore.com. Please go to the web site at least fifteen minutes prior to the call to register, download and install any necessary audio software. A replay of the conference call will also be available via the EMCORE web site.

EMCORE Corporation offers a versatile portfolio of compound semiconductor products for the rapidly expanding broadband and wireless communications and solid-state lighting markets. The Company's integrated solutions philosophy embodies state of the art technology, material science expertise and a shared vision of our customer's goals and objectives to be leaders and pioneers in the rapidly growing world of compound semiconductors. EMCORE's solutions include: optical components for high speed data and telecommunications; solar cells for global satellite communications; electronic materials for high bandwidth communications systems, such as Internet access and wireless telephones; MOCVD tools for the growth of GaAs, AlGaAs, InP, InGaP, InGaAlP, InGaAsP, GaN, InGaN, AlGaN, and SiC epitaxial materials used in numerous applications, including data and telecommunications modules, cellular telephones, solar cells and high brightness LEDs. For further information about EMCORE, visit emcore.com.

The information provided herein may include forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 relating to future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Words such as ``expects,'' ``anticipates,'' ``intends,'' ``plans,'' believes,`` and ''estimates,`` and variations of these words and similar expressions, identify these forward looking statements. Actual operating results may differ materially from such forward-looking statements and are subject to certain risks, including risks arising from: cancellations, rescheduling or delays in product shipments; manufacturing capacity constraints; lengthy sales and qualification cycles; difficulties in the production process; changes in semiconductor industry growth, increased competition, delays in developing and commercializing new products, and other factors described in EMCORE's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and EMCORE does not assume any obligation to update the reasons why actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.

EMCORE CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in thousands, except per share data)
(unaudited)

Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended
June 30, June 30,

2001 2000 2001 2000

Revenues:
Systems-related $ 38,949 $ 17,561 $ 98,209 $ 42,908
Materials-related 13,941 12,462 42,652 27,541

Total revenues 52,890 30,023 140,861 70,449

Cost of revenues 30,990 17,537 82,852 41,304

Gross profit 21,900 12,486 58,009 29,145

Operating expenses:
Selling, general and
administrative 7,096 5,919 21,631 15,914
Goodwill amortization 155 1,098 992 3,294
Research and development 13,889 5,984 39,066 15,354

Total operating expenses 21,140 13,001 61,689 34,562

Operating income 760 (515) (3,680) (5,417)

Total other expense (income) (2,657) 945 (2,281) 6,908

Net loss $(1,897) $(1,460) $(5,961) $(12,325)

Per share data:

Net loss per basic and
diluted share $ (0.06) $ (0.04) $ (0.17) $ (0.41)

Weighted average basic and
diluted shares outstanding
used in per share data
calculations 34,452 33,058 34,256 30,164

Operations excluding
goodwill amortization:

Operating income (loss) $ 915 $ 583 $(2,688) $ (2,123)
Net loss $(1,742) $ (362) $(4,969) $ (9,031)
Net loss per basic and
diluted share $ (0.05) $ (0.01) $ (0.15) $ (0.30)

EMCORE CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands, except per share data)

At June 30, At September 30,
2001 2000
(unaudited)
ASSETS

Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents $ 81,717 $ 50,849
Marketable securities 77,914 50,896
Accounts receivable, net 48,010 20,574
Inventories, net 53,232 30,724
Prepaid expenses and other
current assets 5,878 1,829

Total current assets 266,751 154,872

Property, plant and equipment, net 139,391 69,701
Goodwill, net 2,841 734
Investments in unconsolidated
affiliates 13,255 17,015
Other assets, net 10,913 1,580

Total assets $ 433,151 $ 243,902

LIABILITIES & SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

Current liabilities:
Accounts payable $ 24,441 $ 16,512
Accrued expenses 12,780 6,083
Advanced billings 13,677 20,278
Other current liabilities 405 412

Total current liabilities 51,303 43,285

Convertible subordinated debt 175,000 -
Other liabilities 1,627 1,295

Total liabilities 227,930 44,580

Shareholders' Equity:
Common stock, no par value 321,445 314,780
Accumulated deficit (115,177) (108,864)
Other equity (1,047) (6,594)

Total shareholders' equity 205,221 199,322

Total liabilities & shareholders'
equity $ 433,151 $ 243,902

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