Motorola Makes Materials Breakthrough

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. -- Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) announced today that Motorola Labs scientists are the first to successfully combine the best properties of workhorse silicon technology with the speed and optical capabilities of high-performance compound semiconductors that are known as the III-V materials. The discovery, which solves a problem that has been vexing the semiconductor industry for nearly 30 years, opens the door to significantly less expensive optical communications, high-frequency radio devices and high-speed microprocessor-based subsystems by potentially eliminating the current cost barriers holding back many advanced applications. For consumers, the technology should result in smarter electronic products that cost less, perform better and have exciting new features. The technology will change the economics and accelerate the development of new applications, such as broadband "fiber" cable to the home, streaming video to cell phones and automotive collision avoidance systems."Motorola's announcement that they have successfully made GaAs transistors in a thin layer of GaAs grown on a silicon wafer could go down in history as a major turning point for the semiconductor industry," said Steve Cullen, director & principal analyst, Semiconductor Research, Cahners In-Stat Group.Motorola Inc.