A good article to read in these slow times.

Compound Semiconductor talks to CEO, Suresh Venkatesan, to find out.

To say the last few months have been action-packed for GaAs-based optoelectronic IC pioneer, POET Technologies, would be an understatement.

First, semiconductor industry trailblazers from Global Foundries and Applied Materials were hired. Second, the company hitched up with Anadigics to transfer its laboratory-proven VCSEL manufacturing to a commercial six inch process.

And now, investor relations advisor, Robert Ferri Partners, an organisation renowned for coaching up and coming tech-related businesses, has been brought in.

As Suresh Venkatesan, ex-Global Foundries senior vice president of technology development and now POET chief executive tells Compound Semiconductor: "To be taken seriously, the technology has to be transfered out of the lab and into something that can be manufactured on a wholesale basis."

"We're in the process of accelerating this transition today and will have detectors and VCSELs built using our proprietary process and Anadigics' commercial manufacturing process by the first quarter of 2016," he asserts.

Talent grab

Venkatesan jumped aboard POET Technologies in June this year, joining former Global Foundries chief executive, Ajit Manocha, and ex-vice president of emerging technologies and products at Applied Materials, Subhash Deshmukh. Manocha is now co-executive vice chairman at the company while Deshmukh is chief operating officer.

The sudden swell of talent at POET has not gone unnoticed by industry pundits. One investor at US stock market analysis firm, Seeking Alpha, wrote at the time: "Professionals of this caliber simply do not leave leadership roles at multi-billion corporations for a tiny tech firm on a whim".

And as Venkatesan highlights, the move is exciting. "I've already taken many technologies from early concept to commercialisation but it's always been under the umbrella of large-scale companies such as Motorola and Global Foundries."

"With POET I get another chance to grow something from its concept phase that also has the potential to be substantially disruptive to the semiconductor industry," he adds.

The crux of POET's technology hinges on a patented materials system, pioneered by the company's chief scientist, Geoffrey Taylor.

The full article is here:

http://www.siliconsemiconductor.net/article/98134-POET-Technologies:-from-lab-to-fab.php