Even though fellow LED industry player Rubicon (RBCN -6.8%) is tanking due to its Q1/Q2 warning,...

This news story has 1 comment:

Register or Login to rate comments »

billkennedy Comments (4)
 
Rubicon is a <$50KK player in Al2O3, amongst many players worldwide as Al2O3 reaches further commoditization. They are a relative novice at 6" while Japanese GaN co's have been using large quantities of 6" for over 5 years now. Meanwhile, 2" substrates are the norm for many, many Asian MOCVD growers, especially Chinese start-ups. Al2O3 substrate costs is a given HBLED GaN die is very minor, even in 2" formats.

To compare Cree to Rubicon, is essentially nonsensical. Cree is a billion $ player and ranks in the Big 5 of HBLED GaN industry. Yes Cree uses Al2O3 in their HBLED production (in addition to SiC), there is still poor comparison.

The other misconstruction here is that MOCVD is a high production technique for III-V Compound Semiconductors, not just HBLEDs. MOCVD is a much broader technology than just "LEDs", and Cree is more than just "LEDs", even though on RF, Analog and other devices made with MOCVD technology, it has lost much ground compared to its competitors in these markets which have garnered reputable market share comparatively.

To bundle Rubicon Al2O3 substrates, Cree and Veeco into one "LED" formula, I think, is somewhat of a misstatement.
3 May 2012, 01:53 AM Reply Like