Yokogawa Electric Corporation (headquarters: 2-9-32 Nakacho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo 180-8750, Japan; president: Isao Uchida; capital: 32.306 billion yen) has succeeded in developing telecommunications logic ICs and a driver IC for use with external modulators for optical communications laser diodes. These devices have been fabricated using InGaP/InGaAs-based heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBT) and offer responses as fast as 50 Gbps.
Yokogawa, in partnership with Ando Electric Co., Ltd. (headquarters: 3-484 Tsukakoshi, Saiwai-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Tokyo 180-8750, Japan; president: Masao Motohashi; capital: 7.597 billion yen) which was affiliated with Yokogawa as of February 28, 2001, will apply the device technologies to measuring instruments designed for next-generation WDM optical communication. With this approach, Yokogawa aims to provide cutting-edge technologies based test solutions.
Yokogawa plans to exhibit these developments in the Optical Fiber Communication 2001 (or OFC 2001) Fair to be held for three days starting March 19 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California, USA.

Outline of the Development

As described earlier, the newly developed devices are telecommunications logic ICs and a driver IC for use with external modulators for optical communications laser diodes. These devices have been fabricated using InGaP/InGaAs-based heterojunction bipolar transistors and have responses as fast as 50 Gbps. The devices feature unprecedented marginal jitter and high output power, compared with devices based on the conventional high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) or silicon-germanium bipolar transistor. In addition, the devices are compatible with the 40-Gbps transmission rate used for next-generation WDM optical communication. Accordingly, Yokogawa will work in close collaboration with Ando, in order to apply the devices to measuring instruments designed for this application area. Through this effort, the Yokogawa-Ando business alliance will offer test solutions based on cutting-edge technologies.

Yokogawa-Ando Business Partnership

On February 28 this year, Yokogawa acquired a 33% share of the already issued Ando's stocks from NEC, thus becoming the largest stockholder of Ando Electric. Yokogawa and Ando have taken this opportunity to enter into a new business partnership in the electronic measurement business area, including measuring instruments, semiconductor testers, and device handlers.
The recent development will mark a good opportunity for both companies to combine Ando's world-class optical technologies in the measurement systems field and Yokogawa's compound semiconductor device technologies. Thus both companies will endeavor to develop measuring instruments for next-generation ultrafast optical communication. In the areas of radio communication as represented by cellular phones and data communication including Internet protocols, the business alliance will integrate their resources with a view to producing a synergistic effect in expanding its business scale.
The two companies plan to provide a wide range of products and services in the fields of 1) measuring instruments for optical communication, in particular, covered mainly by Ando, 2) measuring instruments for developing communications-network and multimedia equipment covered mainly by Yokogawa, and 3) ATE semiconductor testing and device handling systems covered by both. With this strategic approach, the alliance aims to become a global-scale test solutions provider that can offer greater customer satisfaction and a competitive edge.
Currently, the ATE and measuring instruments businesses for both companies combined account for approximately 130 billion yen. Through the strategic alliance, the two companies aim to boost the figure to as large as 200 billion yen in 2005.