Abstract: | Merchant epiwafer companies are a classic example of spotting an unfulfilled need and then setting about satisfying it. Such companies are peculiar to III-Vs but as far as I am aware have no precedent in mainstream silicon. However, a new Canadian company called SiGe Microsystems looks set to change that. As the name suggests, this start-up is offering custom SiGe epiwafers and it is growing them on the revolutionary Leybold UHV-CVD system which was initially developed for IBM. I spoke to one of the founding members of the company, Derek Houghton, someone well-known for his contributions to both III-Vs and Si with some unique perspectives on the future of SiGe and GaAs. |