Growing Customer Demand and Projected Market Growth Lead Foundry to Add to its Installed Manufacturing Base

PHOENIX, Nov. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- To address growing market demand for its compound semiconductor epitaxial deposition services, used primarily in making high-frequency ICs for wireless communication applications, Sumika Electronic Materials is installing an additional Aixtron 2600 G3 epi reactor to its foundry operation in Phoenix.

"Our capacity expansion is in response to the steadily increasing demand we're seeing for our GaAs (gallium arsenide) epi wafer services from producers of HBT (heterojunction bipolar transistors) devices and other microelectronics requiring compound semiconductor materials," said Ken Campman, general manager of Sumika Electronic Materials' epi operations. "These customers are ramping up their orders for epi wafers that meet their needs for repeatability and stability, especially in terms of gain performance - a key requirement in processing advanced HBT devices."

Market research firm Strategy Analytics estimates the worldwide semi-insulating GaAs epitaxial substrate market, merchant and captive, to be 21.1 million square inches in 2009, growing to 26.6 million square inches in 2013 for a projected CAGR of 6 percent.

The Aixtron tool can be easily integrated into Sumika's existing installed base, which includes several other 2600 G3 systems as well as other epi reactors from multiple equipment suppliers.

Sumika's 150 mm epi foundry in Phoenix has been in operation since the company's formation in 2003. In addition to serving the market for compound semiconductor ICs, the foundry also provides III-V epi services for customers making discrete semiconductor components, pHEMTs (pseudomorphic high electron-mobility transistors), LEDs (light-emitting diodes), and solar cells for CPV (concentrated photovoltaic) systems.

About Sumika Electronic Materials

Founded in 2003, Sumika Electronic Materials, Inc. is a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd. At its headquarters in Phoenix, Sumika operates a compound semiconductor epi foundry that complements Sumitomo Chemical's facility in Japan. Sumika also handles distribution and customer service for Sumitomo Chemical's photoresists and super engineering polymers in the U.S. market.

SOURCE Sumika Electronic Materials, Inc.

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