Sumitomo Chemical Sets Up Compound Semiconductor Material Companies

24-Feb-2003

Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. (Sumitomo) today announced that it has established two new companies to strengthen its MO epitaxial (MOEPI) wafer business in Japan and the U.S. With this move, the Company has positioned itself strategically for better response to versatile demand in the foreign and domestic compound semiconductor markets.

Sumitomo's MOEPI wafers are a key ingredient in the manufacture of compound semiconductors and are formed, with the aid of organometallics, as a thin film deposited on a substrate of gallium arsenide (GaAs) or other such material. Sumitomo Chemical has grown its compound semiconductor materials business to include MO (organometallics), high-purity gallium and MOEPI wafers. Placing increased emphasis on ist MOEPI wafer segment, the Company developed equipment for high-capacity production of large diameter wafers and installed this proprietary machinery at its Chiba Works in Japan. The upgraded facilities are designed to meet future growth in demand. The company also recognizes a need for more rapid product development and commercialization, as markets for cellular phones and other mobile communications expand and customers' MOEPI wafer needs diversify. With this in mind, Sumitomo Chemical recently stepped up operations in this area by creating the two new companies in Japan and the U.S., both leading markets for MOEPI wafers.

The establishment of these companies shows Sumitomo's commitment to providing flexible and well-timed responses to the changing needs of customers in each market, a commitment the Company will underpin by synergetically linking technologies developed in the Japan and U.S. markets.

https://www.chemeurope.com/en/news/20785/sumitomo-chemical-sets-up-compound-semiconductor-material-companies.html