GaAs IC 市场之分析与预测

Abstract

One of the great success-failure-success stories of the semiconductor era involves the gallium arsenide integrated circuit. As a laser or light-emitting device, gallium arsenide, or compounds like gallium arsenide phosphide, enjoyed steady growth. But the story was different with the IC-and very uneven. Depending on their product orientation and emphasis, some GaAs companies saw relatively steady growth; some suffered steep declines, then recovered; and some died.

GaAs field-effect transistors first appeared in the late 1950s and 1960s. Even before then, scientists and engineers regarded GaAs as the technology of the future because of its high electron mobility, thus high-frequency operation and high switching speed, its resistance to radiation and its light emission.

All through the 1970s, large companies were moving the technology from research into commercialization. In the United States, companies like the Rockwell Science Center, Bell Labs, RCA, Hughes, Westinghouse, TRW and most defense operations had GaAs labs. In Japan, Fujitsu, NEC and Toshiba made GaAs amplifiers. Almost every major R&D center in the United States, Europe and Japan had a GaAs effort.

The emphasis was on discrete transistors, most of which found their way into power circuits or low-noise front ends in commercial communications and satellite receivers. They were replacing silicon transistors and going into frequency ranges that silicon couldn't reach.

In the 1970s and more powerfully in the 1980s, the efforts went into integration, starting with tens of transistors on a chip, then moving up. In the early- to mid-1980s, when most of today's GaAs leaders and several failures started, there was enough interest and venture capital to make a commercial GaAs industry, not just a military-contracts business.

Some of those contracts were by no means trivial. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency had great interest in the future of GaAs. Some of Darpa's research contracts ran upward of $10 million.

The new GaAs companies moved in two separate streams: high-speed switching and high-frequency communications. The two streams had two main and separate targets: supercomputers and military, the latter largely concerned with radar applications and communications. Within each stream, there was further division, as some companies aimed at greater integration and others focused on greater speed.

All streams grew into rivers until two events stanched the flow. The fall of the supercomputer business slammed the digital-IC business, and the fall of the Berlin Wall and Soviet Union slammed the military analog-IC business.

This report is intended to provide guidance to individuals and companies directly or indirectly connected with the development of the GaAs device market. Most importantly, it will give a balanced and independent perspective on the subject.

It is prepared for:

• GaAs IC and Wafer Suppliers
• GaAs IC and Wafer Users
• Foundry Services

This report investigates the technology trends, applications, and market developments of GaAs ICs. U.S., Japanese, and European applications such as telecom, computers, defense, consumers, are reviewed. This report will provide the reader with an in-depth understanding of the technological and market factors determining the evolution of GaAs ICs.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 Executive Summary

• 2.1 Summary of Major Issues
• 2.2 Summary of Market Forecast

Chapter 3 Technology Issues

• 3.1 GaAs Devices
  • 3.1.1 FETs
  • 3.1.2 HEMTs
  • 3.1.3 HBT
• 3.2 Comparison of Logic Structures
  • 3.2.1 Buffered FET Logic
  • 3.2.2 FET Logic
  • 3.2.3 Capacitively Enhanced Logic
  • 3.2.4 Direct-Coupled FET Logic
  • 3.2.5 Source-Coupled FET Logic
• 3.3 Material Issues
• 3.3.1 Wafer Production
• 3.3.2 Etch Pit Densities
• 3.4 Equipment
  • 3.4.1 Implanters
  • 3.4.2 Lithography
  • 3.4.3 Etching
  • 3.4.4 Deposition
  • 3.4.5 Rapid Thermal Processing
• 3.5 Packaging
• 3.5.1 Package Types
• 3.5.2 Bonding
• 3.6 Testing
• 3.7 Design

Chapter 4 Applications for GaAs ICs

• 4.1 Introduction
  • 4.1.1 The Trend Toward Higher Frequencies
  • 4.1.2 Transition from Analog to Digital Modulation
  • 4.1.3 Discrete Components and Silicon-Based ICs
• 4.2 Markets
  • 4.2.1 Telecommunications Systems
  • 4.2.2 Television Systems
  • 4.2.3 Computing
  • 4.2.4 Data Communications
  • 4.2.5 Automotive
  • 4.2.6 Automated Test Equipment
  • 4.2.7 Military

Chapter 5 IC Supplier and End-User Issues

• 5.1 Introduction
• 5.2 Competing Against Silicon
• 5.3 Competing Against The Japanese
• 5.4 Taiwan's Market Momentum
• 5.5 Korea's Market Momentum
• 5.6 Wafer Sizes
• 5.7 Competing Against SiGe
  • 5.7.1 Introduction
  • 5.7.2 Technology
    • 5.7.2.1 Strained Silicon
    • 5.7.2.2 Device Manufacturing
  • 5.7.3 Applications
  • 5.7.3.1 OC-192
  • 5.7.3.2 OC-768
  • 5.7.3.3 Bluetooth
  • 5.7.3.4 Cellular

Chapter 6 Market Forecast

• 6.1 Driving Forces
• 6.2 Market Forecast Assumptions
• 6.3 GaAs IC Market Forecast
• 6.4 SiGe IC Market Forecast
• 6.5 End Application Market

Chapter 7 Profile of GaAs IC Manufacturers

LIST OF TABLES

• 5.1 Cost Comparison for GaAs Structures
• 6.1 Worldwide Merchant GaAs IC Market Forecast By Device Type
• 6.2 Worldwide Merchant Market Forecast By Geographical Region
• 6.3 Worldwide Merchant Market Forecast By Application
• 6.4 Market Shares of U.S. Merchant Participants

LIST OF FIGURES

• 3.1 Schematic of GaAs MESFET
• 3.2 Schematic of GaAs HEMT Device
• 3.3 Schematic of GaAs HBT Device
• 3.4 Schematic of GaAs HBT Device
• 3.5 Symbolic Representations of Various GaAs Transistor Type
• 3.6 Schematic of BFL Logic Gate
• 3.7 Schematic of FETL Logic Gate
• 3.8 Schematic of CEL Logic Gate
• 3.9 Schematic of DCFL Logic Gate
• 3.10 Schematic of SCFL Logic Gate
• 3.11 Full wafer EPD mapping of LEC and VGF wafers
• 3.12 Mesoscopic EL2 mapping of LEC and VGF wafers
• 3.13 pHEMT MMIC Process Flow Chart
• 3.14 0.15 Micron 3MI Process Cross Section
• 3.15 InGaP HBT Process
• 5.1 Comparison of Die Costs of Si and GaAs
• 5.2 Strained Silicon Germanium Technology
• 5.3 Performance Versus Germanium Content
• 5.4 Bulk Versus SOI Strain Method
• 6.1 Worldwide Merchant GaAs IC Market Forecast By Device Type
• 6.2 Worldwide GaAs Merchant Market Forecast By Geographical Region
• 6.3 Worldwide GaAs Merchant Market Forecast By Application
• 6.4 Worldwide SiGe Market Forecast