Riber S.A.of Bezons,France,which manufactures molecular beam epitaxy(MBE)systems as well as evaporation sources and effusion cells,has received a major order for the modernization of the fleet of R&D and pilot production MBE systems used by GIE III-V Lab,the joint Alcatel-Lucent,Thales and CEA-Leti industrial research laboratory.
The order(included in Riber's backlog at end-December 2013)concerns the full refurbishment of a production system.Such modernization will help to increase III-V Lab's production capacity for optoelectronic and microelectronic components(destined for the telecoms and defense industries)while significantly extending the system's lifetime.
The new order represents Riber's biggest system upgrade project to-date,covering all functions and components of the MBE production system.The firm says that it also confirms its customer service strategy,which involves strengthening its technical and commercial organization and developing standard products for upgrading the installed base of production systems.
The mission of III-V Lab is to perform R&D on III-V semiconductor components,from basic research to product development,taking advantage of synergy between technologies developed for the different markets addressed by Thales and Alcatel-Lucent(e.g.telecoms,space,defence and security).
III-V Lab also has the capacity to produce and sell components(epitaxial wafers,processed wafers,modules)in small-to-medium quantities,as one of its main business development aims.Such capacity is particularly adapted to flexibly address the rapid evolution of the market,allowing partner companies(module or system manufacturers,including III-V Lab's parent companies Alcatel-Lucent and Thales)to have early access to the components.In a second step(depending on market evolution),if larger quantities are required,then the technology will be transferred to a partner company with larger production capacities.
