RF Micro Devices

RF Micro Devices, commonly abbreviated RFMD or RF Micro, was an American semiconductor company specializing in radio-frequency components and systems for wireless and broadband communications. Founded in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1991 by former Analog Devices employees William J. Pratt, Powell T. Seymour, and Jerry D. Neal, the company initially concentrated on radio-frequency integrated circuits for commercial wireless products. Its technology portfolio centered on gallium arsenide heterojunction bipolar transistor technology, as well as GaAs MESFET, silicon, silicon-germanium, silicon-on-insulator, and later gallium nitride and CMOS technologies. RFMD became an important supplier to the rapidly expanding mobile-phone industry during the 1990s. It licensed GaAs HBT technology from TRW in 1992 and used TRW as a contract manufacturer until its own fabrication capability was established. The company’s early customers included Qualcomm, and by the end of the decade it had added major handset manufacturers such as Samsung, Nokia, and LG. Its GaAs power amplifiers and related front-end components helped mobile devices achieve the power efficiency and linearity required for cellular transmission. RFMD completed an initial public offering on NASDAQ in 1997 under the symbol RFMD and became one of the more visible publicly traded companies in the RF semiconductor sector. The company expanded beyond handset power amplifiers into antenna-control products, wireless-LAN and Bluetooth components, GPS-related devices, cable and broadband infrastructure products, and semiconductor technologies for military radar and other high-frequency applications. Its products were sold as individual RF integrated circuits, packaged modules, front-end assemblies, and foundry technologies. RFMD also operated manufacturing and testing facilities, including an assembly and test operation in Beijing, and offered selected GaN and GaAs foundry capabilities to outside customers. During the 2000s, RFMD attempted to increase its share of the handset radio architecture through the Polaris family of transceiver and front-end solutions. Polaris products were adopted in devices from Motorola and Nokia, and the Polaris 2 platform reportedly reached shipments of more than 100 million units. However, handset customers increasingly moved toward integrated baseband and transceiver architectures supplied by companies such as Qualcomm and MediaTek. Weakening Motorola handset demand and this architectural shift reduced the prospects for RFMD’s transceiver business. In 2008, RFMD stopped new product-development spending for cellular-transceiver and GPS wireless-system products while continuing to support products already in the market. RFMD supplemented organic development with acquisitions. It acquired RF Nitro Communications in 2001, Sirenza Microdevices in 2007, Filtronic Compound Semiconductor in 2007, and Amalfi Semiconductor in 2012. These transactions broadened its capabilities in compound semiconductors, broadband and CATV, wireless infrastructure, aerospace and defense, and CMOS power amplifiers. The company also invested in GaN research for both commercial and military applications and introduced products for cable infrastructure and power-grid or defense-related uses. RFMD faced cyclical demand, manufacturing-utilization risk, technology transitions, and intense competition from Skyworks Solutions, Avago Technologies, TriQuint Semiconductor, Murata, ANADIGICS, Peregrine Semiconductor, Qualcomm, and other suppliers. Its share of the wireless GaAs device market declined after its late-2000s leadership position, although the company reported renewed growth and record quarterly revenue in 2014. In February 2014, RFMD announced a merger of equals with TriQuint Semiconductor. The transaction was completed on January 2, 2015, creating Qorvo, which began trading on NASDAQ under the symbol QRVO. RF Micro Devices therefore ceased to exist as an independent publicly traded company, while many of its technologies, facilities, products, and personnel became part of Qorvo.

RF Micro Devices was established in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1991 by William J. Pratt, Powell T. Seymour, and Jerry D. Neal, all formerly associated with Analog Devices. Its initial business was the design of RF integrated circuits for commercial wireless communications. In 1992, RFMD licensed gallium arsenide HBT technology from TRW. TRW manufactured parts for the young company until RFMD completed its own fabrication facilities in 1998, while also taking an equity interest in RFMD. GaAs HBT gave RFMD a strong technological position in handset power amplifiers and other high-frequency devices because of its combination of efficiency, linearity, and compact implementation. RFMD entered the public markets on NASDAQ on June 3, 1997. Its customer base expanded from Qualcomm to major handset manufacturers including Samsung, Nokia, and LG. Revenue grew rapidly as digital cellular networks expanded, and Nokia became a particularly important customer during the late 1990s and 2000s. RFMD’s vertically integrated model combined proprietary compound-semiconductor processes with internal manufacturing, allowing it to control performance and supply but also exposing it to costly factory underutilization during downturns. The company broadened its technology base through an agreement with IBM for silicon process technology and later access to silicon-germanium foundry services. It built an assembly and test operation in Beijing beginning in 2001 and eventually transferred high-volume cellular-product testing there. RFMD also expanded through acquisitions. RF Nitro Communications, acquired in 2001, added compound-semiconductor and wide-band-gap capabilities. Sirenza Microdevices, acquired in 2007, extended the company into broadband, CATV, WiMAX, wireless infrastructure, and aerospace and defense. The acquisition of Filtronic Compound Semiconductor in 2007 strengthened compound-semiconductor manufacturing and supply, although the related UK facility was later sold to Compound Photonics in 2013. Amalfi Semiconductor, acquired in 2012, brought CMOS power-amplifier technology. RFMD’s major strategic effort in the handset market was the Polaris family. Announced in 2002, Polaris combined multiple radio functions into solutions aimed at GSM, GPRS, and EDGE handset architectures. Polaris products were adopted by Motorola and Nokia, and Polaris 2 reached large-volume shipments. The business later came under pressure as handset manufacturers shifted toward more highly integrated baseband and transceiver solutions. Motorola’s handset weakness and the growing influence of Qualcomm and MediaTek made RFMD’s standalone transceiver strategy less attractive. In 2008, the company stopped funding new development for cellular transceivers and GPS wireless systems, while supporting products already deployed and continuing to ship selected Polaris generations. RFMD maintained a broader technology program outside handsets. It developed GaN devices under research and development contracts from the United States government beginning in 2004 and pursued applications in defense, radar, power systems, and wireless infrastructure. It also offered open-foundry access for selected GaN and GaAs processes. In 2013, the company introduced products aimed at cable-television infrastructure, and in 2014 it announced contracts connected with military and power-grid applications. At the same time, the semiconductor industry was moving toward CMOS and silicon-on-insulator solutions for portions of the RF front end, creating additional competitive pressure on traditional GaAs suppliers. RFMD competed with Skyworks Solutions, Avago Technologies, TriQuint Semiconductor, Murata, ANADIGICS, Peregrine Semiconductor, Qualcomm, MediaTek, and other companies. Its wireless GaAs market position weakened after the technology-market peak of the late 2000s, but the business recovered in 2013 and 2014 as demand for RF front-end components increased. In February 2014, RFMD and TriQuint announced a merger of equals. The transaction was completed on January 2, 2015, creating Qorvo. Qorvo began trading on NASDAQ under QRVO, and RF Micro Devices ceased operating as a separate listed company.

• 2015

  Qorvo is formed

  [1]RF Micro Devicesen.wikipedia.org

  The merger closed on January 2, creating Qorvo and ending RFMD’s independent corporate existence.

• 2014

  Merger with TriQuint announced

  [1]RF Micro Devicesen.wikipedia.org

  RFMD and TriQuint announced a merger of equals intended to create a larger RF and compound-semiconductor supplier.

• 2012

  Amalfi Semiconductor acquired

  [1]RF Micro Devicesen.wikipedia.org

  The acquisition brought RFMD into the CMOS power-amplifier market.

• 2008

  Wireless-systems development reduced

  [1]RF Micro Devicesen.wikipedia.org

  RFMD stopped new development spending for cellular transceiver and GPS wireless-system products while supporting existing designs.

• 2007

  Sirenza and Filtronic acquisitions

  [1]RF Micro Devicesen.wikipedia.org

  The company acquired Sirenza Microdevices and Filtronic Compound Semiconductor, expanding its product and manufacturing footprint.

• 2002

  Polaris platform announced

  [1]RF Micro Devicesen.wikipedia.org

  RFMD introduced Polaris, a multi-chip radio solution for GSM, GPRS, and EDGE handset architectures.

• 2001

  RF Nitro acquisition and Beijing operations

  [1]RF Micro Devicesen.wikipedia.org

  RFMD acquired RF Nitro Communications and began operating an assembly and test facility in Beijing.

• 1998

  Internal fabrication capacity completed

  [1]RF Micro Devicesen.wikipedia.org

  The company completed its own semiconductor fabrication capability, reducing its dependence on TRW manufacturing.

• 1997

  Initial public offering

  [1]RF Micro Devicesen.wikipedia.org

  RFMD began trading on NASDAQ under the symbol RFMD on June 3, 1997.

• 1992

  GaAs HBT technology licensed from TRW

  [1]RF Micro Devicesen.wikipedia.org

  RFMD licensed gallium arsenide heterojunction bipolar transistor technology from TRW and initially relied on TRW for contract manufacturing.

• 1991

  RF Micro Devices is founded

  [1]RF Micro Devicesen.wikipedia.org

  William J. Pratt, Powell T. Seymour, and Jerry D. Neal founded the company in Greensboro to develop RF integrated circuits for commercial wireless applications.

Vertically integrated RF semiconductor supplier combining compound-semiconductor design, manufacturing, packaged modules, and RF systems expertise for mobile, wireless infrastructure, broadband, and defense markets.

• Cellular RF front end

  GaAs HBT power amplifiers

  RFMD’s core handset products included gallium arsenide HBT power amplifiers used to boost cellular transmission signals. These devices were valued for efficiency, linearity, and compactness and were supplied to major mobile-phone manufacturers and wireless-equipment customers.

• Cellular transceiver and RF front-end platform · 2002

  Polaris

  Polaris was a family of RF solutions for GSM, GPRS, and EDGE handset architectures. It combined transceiver and front-end functions across several generations and achieved significant design wins with Motorola and Nokia before integrated chipset architectures reduced demand for standalone RF transceiver platforms.

• Wide-band-gap RF semiconductor

  GaN RF products

  RFMD developed gallium nitride devices for commercial and military applications, including high-power and high-frequency uses such as wireless infrastructure, radar, and other defense-related systems. The company also offered selected GaN foundry capabilities to third parties.

• Broadband infrastructure · 2013

  Cable and broadband RF products

  Following its expansion into broadband markets, RFMD supplied RF components for cable-television and cable-modem infrastructure. These products complemented its mobile and wireless-infrastructure portfolio and drew on capabilities obtained through the Sirenza acquisition.

• 2014

  Merger of equals with TriQuint SemiconductorM&A

  Background

  RFMD and TriQuint operated in overlapping RF and compound-semiconductor markets and faced increasing scale, technology, and manufacturing pressures.

  Action taken

  The companies agreed to combine under a proposed holding-company structure, with each shareholder group initially receiving an equal ownership interest.

  Aftermath

  The transaction closed in January 2015 and created Qorvo, which assumed the combined businesses and began trading under QRVO.

  Source

• 2008

  Exit from new cellular-transceiver and GPS developmentStrategy

  Background

  Customer demand was shifting toward integrated baseband and transceiver architectures, while expectations for revenue from a major Polaris customer had fallen.

  Action taken

  RFMD eliminated new product-development expenditure for wireless systems, including cellular transceivers and GPS, but continued supporting existing products and designs.

  Aftermath

  The decision narrowed RFMD’s handset strategy toward RF front-end and power-amplifier components, although selected Polaris products continued shipping for several years.

  Source

1. 1RF Micro Devicesen.wikipedia.org