Skyworks converting GaAs HBT fab to 6-inches
Skyworks has already started the conversion of its internal gallium arsenid heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) fabrication plant in Newbury Park, CA, from 4-inch to 6-inch wafers.
Also, to complement its internal manufacturing capabilities at its GaAs HBT power amplifier fab in Newbury Park and its GaAs PHEMT switch fab in Woburn, MA, Skyworks is also expanding partnerships with several foundries in Taiwan. The firm has exported ‘copy exact' processes of mature GaAs technology to these foundries, in addition to leveraging their capabilities for specialty processes.Skyworks says that this hybrid expansion model requires no additional ‘bricks and mortar', will cost substantially less than building a new stand-alone facility, and allows the firm to meet the surge in demand with a high degree of flexibility.
The steps are designed to expand Skyworks' gross margins while maximising its return on invested capital.Skyworks has stated that the demand for its products is being fueled by new customers and the growing need for 3G multimode front-end architectures in handsets. Third generation (3G) cellular phones, which contain increasingly complex transmit modules and provide an incremental market opportunity measured in the billions of dollars annually, are forecasted to represent the majority of the more than 1.2 billion mobile phones that will ship in 2009 as consumers move to more feature-rich, multi-band devices.