RFMD announces additional expansion of foundry services to include molecular beam epitaxial (MBE) products and services

GREENSBORO, USA: RF Micro Devices Inc. has further expanded its Foundry Services to deliver multiple molecular beam epitaxial (MBE) platforms, epitaxial characterization and epitaxial development structures, including specialty and high-volume, arsenic- and phosphorus-based processes.

RFMD's MBE Foundry Services offerings include working with customers to develop epitaxial structures and MBE growth conditions, delivery of epitaxial wafers grown to exact customer specifications, and developing epitaxial design of experiments (DOEs).

MBE Foundry Services will leverage the Company's expertise in high-volume manufacturing and experience in the development of several generations of epitaxial structures to support customers by delivering quality products with world-class cycle times.

Bob Van Buskirk, president of RFMD's Multi-Market Products Group, said: "We have the industry's fastest cycle times, and we expect to use that as a key performance discriminator in our MBE foundry service. We have one of the world's largest MBE production facilities and two of the world's largest compound semiconductor wafer fabrication facilities in operation, which enable us to deliver a flexible set of MBE-related products and services while driving shorter time-to-market."

Depending on a customer's development requirements, RFMD's MBE Foundry Services team will help design an epilayer structure and MBE process to optimize the performance of an existing epistructure. The team provides experience with growing and developing structures such as BiHEMTs, BiFETs, MOSFETs, VCELs and metamorphic, along with a range of material offerings on gallium arsenide (GaAs) substrates, including:

* Gallium arsenide (GaAs).
* Indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs).
* Aluminum gallium arsenide (AlGaAs).
* Indium gallium phosphide (InGaP).
* Aluminum indium phosphide (AlInP).

The announcement of MBE Foundry Services marks another significant step in RFMD's diversification strategy. RFMD will leverage its existing foundry experience in supporting MBE-based customers. "We are committed to growing our foundry services and have the installed capacity to meet our internal needs and the needs of our external foundry customers," said Bob Van Buskirk.

"RFMD's introduction of GaN-based foundry services in 2009 has provided a flexible business platform to launch MBE services this year," added Chris Santana, director of RFMD's MBE operations. "We now have all the aspects of a full-service, commercial turn-key foundry in place, including purchasing and IP agreements, work-flow procedures and web-based customer support processes, and we have tailored those commercial business processes and systems to our MBE-based service."

RFMD's MBE Foundry Services holds an additional distinct advantage in the industry with its ability to offer ultra-high vacuum (UHV) cleaning services. Wet cleaning capabilities include wet mechanical cleaning, wet bead blasting, acid wet chemical etch, base wet chemical etch, and other services on a variety of stainless steel, refractory metal and PBN ceramic parts.

Customers will gain access to a seasoned RFMD's Foundry Services support team with firsthand knowledge of foundry customers' expectations and requirements. RFMD's Foundry Services support team combines more than 50 years of foundry services experience, both as foundry customers and foundry suppliers.