19 January 2015

IQE's wireless business unit renews long-term contract with major tier-1 customer

Epiwafer foundry and substrate maker IQE plc of Cardiff, Wales, UK has concluded the renegotiation of a long-term supply contract with an existing tier-1 customer for the supply of wafer products used in wireless applications.

The new supply contract guarantees IQE at least 75% of the customer’s demand for epiwafers produced using its metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) platform. It will also see an expansion in terms of additional products from its molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) platforms. IQE says that the contract renewel underlines the strength of the long-term customer relationship that it has developed.

Supply against the new contract will be fulfilled by IQE’s Wireless business unit from its North American facilities in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, as well as its manufacturing site in Taiwan.

Worth an estimated US$50m plus, the contract covers epiwafer products for radio frequency (RF) applications including power amplifiers (PAs), low noise amplifiers (LNAs) and switches used in smartphones, tablets, PCs and other connected devices.

“Wireless products continue to represent a key part of IQE's core business,” says IQE’s CEO & president Dr Drew Nelson. ”The renewal of our long-term supply contract with this important key tier-1 customer demonstrates a strong commitment to IQE,” he adds.

“This contract renewal, with additional market share, is a testament to the quality, and cost effectiveness of IQE’s wafer products, and to the best-in-class levels of service we are able to deliver,” comments Russ Wagner, head of IQE’s Wireless business unit. ”The size of the contract is also clearly indicative of the continuing robust demand for compound semiconductor solutions in the wireless industry, being further driven by the adoption of 4G/LTE and WiFi on a global scale.”

Tags: IQE

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