anyone help please, just wondered your views on iqe, do you reckon its looking good for next week, anyone leaving money in over the weekend and monday ??

i'm in at 21.65, drew the profs through the day, and left some in at the end for tuesday.

News


IQE plc Partners with AmberWave for World's First High-Volume Production of 200mm Strained Silicon Epiwafers

Leading epiwafer foundry, IQE, strikes a strategic partnership agreement with U.S.-based, advanced semiconductor IP leader AmberWave.

IQE Silicon Compounds Ltd (IQE-SC), a wholly owned subsidiary of IQE plc (LSE: IQE.L) the world's leading outsource manufacturer of specialist epitaxial wafers and services, is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with U.S.-based AmberWave Systems Corporation for the World's first high-volume production of epiwafers based on AmberWave's proprietary (epsilon)MOSTM strained silicon technology.

Under the terms of the agreement, IQE-SC has become the first licensee of AmberWave's strained silicon technology for the production of 150mm and 200mm wafers. AmberWave's worldwide device licensee base will have immediate access to IQE's wafers for use in next-generation digital, wireless and optoelectronic applications.

The partnership addresses the silicon industry's key challenge of minimizing capital expenditure while simultaneously increasing speed and reducing power in commercial silicon integrated circuits (ICs). Historically, as foundries, IDMs and fabless organizations become limited by the constraints of silicon technology, the industry is forced to build new fabs at the next-generation process node (gate length). According to Pathfinder Research, this endeavor cost in excess of $62 billion in 2000. AmberWave's strained silicon technology uses the cost-effective silicon infrastructure already in place throughout the industry, so no additional capital investment is necessary. Working together, AmberWave and IQE plc offer the silicon industry immediate and cost-effective access to epiwafers that will increase speed and reduce power in conventional CMOS, enabling tremendous advancements in digital, wireless and optoelectronic applications.

Dr. Drew Nelson, President and CEO of IQE plc, commented, "We are excited to be working with AmberWave to roll out commercial product-based on AmberWave's strained silicon platform. As the strained silicon pioneer, AmberWave has developed and patented a new roadmap for the silicon industry that enhances CMOS performance without changing the existing silicon infrastructure. This is the solution the industry has been searching for, and we're thrilled to work with AmberWave to deliver it."

IQE-SC will utilize AmberWave's technology to produce production quantities of strained silicon wafers that are suitable for high-volume, highly integrated applications, such as today's microprocessors and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Growing the kinds of silicon germanium (SiGe) graded layers required to produce strained silicon typically poses two problems: 1) defect propagation into the strained silicon layer and 2) surface crosshatch. AmberWave has overcome these problems by incorporating its intellectual property and know-how into the production process. Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) in conjunction with epitaxy is one of the patented techniques that makes grading of the epitaxial layer for strained silicon generations, possible now and in the future.

"IQE's Silicon Compounds division is Europe's first fully flexible, dedicated outsource service for silicon-based epitaxial structures, and is an ideal partner for us because it takes our intellectual property position and moves it into global high-volume production," said Mark Wolf, President and CEO of AmberWave Systems. "Working together, we are committed to providing the global semiconductor industry with a new silicon roadmap that will speed past the constraints of current silicon technology."

Steve Byars, Managing Director of IQE Silicon Compounds sees the strategic partnership with AmberWave as a significant endorsement of IQE's role as the leading global outsource supplier of advanced epitaxial structures. "As epitaxial technologies continue to emerge as a dominant processing step for next generation silicon-based devices, IQE is well positioned to bring its vast epiwafer expertise in III-V compounds to the mainstream silicon industry".

"In short, the unique patented AmberWave process for strained silicon on SiGe further points towards epitaxial processes playing an increasingly important role in future electronic and optoelectronic devices. Perhaps of even more significance, is that this partnership between AmberWave and IQE demonstrates how businesses are strongly leveraging their IP by embracing the benefits of outsourcing."

AmberWave's (epsilon)MOSTM strained silicon technology leverages many years of advanced materials development at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as well as the process, device and circuit experience of AmberWave's brilliant technical team. With five issued patents and roughly 100 patent applications pending, AmberWave's strained silicon technology eliminates the surface quality and defect problems that plague other strained silicon technologies. A silicon layer is grown on top of a graded silicon germanium layer, which is itself grown on top of a normal silicon substrate. This thin, top layer of silicon will modify its lattice structure to conform to the top-most silicon germanium layer, becoming stretched or strained and increasing the mobility of electrons and holes in the material. (epsilon)MOSdevices have already exhibited electron and hole mobility enhancement factors of between 1.5 and 2.2 over conventional silicon.

An article relating to the AmberWave (epsilon)MOSTM technology and the partnership with IQE will appear in European Semiconductor scheduled to be published on 18th March.

IQE Silicon Compounds Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of IQE plc (LSE: IQE.L, NASDAQ EUROPE: IQEP), the leading global outsource supplier of advanced epiwafers to the Semiconductor Industry with manufacturing operations in the U.K. and U.S.A. The Silicon Compounds division was established in November 2000 at a brownfield site in Cardiff, U.K. to offer Europe's first fully flexible, dedicated outsource services for silicon-based epitaxial structures. In addition to the range of state-of-the-art ASM CVD epitaxial structure deposition reactors, the facility in Cardiff includes a class 1 cleanroom equipped with the very latest in wafer preparation and characterization tools. The Silicon Compounds business unit focuses on providing a high-quality, sub-contract epitaxial deposition service, specializing in high-technology inter-layer epitaxial films, principally for Silicon Germanium (SiGe) and high-end Bi-CMOS semiconductor processes. More information on the company and its technology can be found at www.iqep.com.

Based in Salem, NH, AmberWave Systems Corporation is a privately held, venture-financed company that is redefining the silicon roadmap. Launching from its strained silicon eMOS platform, AmberWave propels its partners beyond the constraints of current silicon technology to leverage its innovative roadmap for both today and tomorrow. Led by a team of engineers and executives combining more than 95 man years of expertise developing silicon germanium (SiGe) technology with strategic business know-how, AmberWave is well-positioned to redefine the silicon roadmap and open the door for future generations of wireless, electronic and optical applications. With strong financial support from Adams Capital, Arch Venture Partners, TeleSoft Partners, Dow Chemical and The Hillman Company, AmberWave has received almost $50 million in funding. More information on the company and its technology can be found at www.amberwave.com.



Media Contacts:

IQE plc
Chris Meadows
Telephone: (44) 2920-839-400
Fax: (44) 2920-839-401
E-mail: cmeadows@iqep.com
AmberWave Systems Corp
Mark A Wolf
13 Garabedian Drive
Salem, NH 03079
Telephone: (603) 870-8700
Fax: (603) 898-9499




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Copyright 2002, IQE

I cashed in first thing this morning at 20.83p when I saw the first bit of red on the share price, which was annoying as I watched them peak out at 22.75p last Friday but I decided to hang on for more. This meant on my holding I lost 400 - 500 for missing out on the higher price. A good lesson here about not being to greedy.
I felt better though as the day went on and I saw the red get redder!!

just depends if you think if they will be more blue days than red as you know how fast this can move when it does could prove costly to trade but each to their own (-:

HT.

I am proven wrong today as IQE is up 17.5%.
Maybe I should have stcuk with the original plan of holding this stock for the medium to long term......
Well done to all you bravehearts who held on yesterday during the profit taking spree!

you live and learn you live and learn

HT.

International Quantum Epitaxy Plc - IQE looked as if it was still on the up to 22p this morning but has made a quantum leap south and gains in the last 10 trading sessions has all but disappeared.

Any thoughts anyone.

All I know is they're transferring to the AIM index but I don't know why this would impact their share value so much.

Could be that there has been heavy profit taking with the Bears thinking that September is time to store some fat for hibernation. Transferring to AIM shouldn't be the reason why there has been almost twice the volume of sells (4,661,636) than buys (2,890,161).

looks like a takeover candidate to me

What make you come to that conclusion tiku?

good results from both TI and Altera - should help this stock tomorrow

another set of good results from RF Microdevices - should all help chip stocks in general