The recent announcement by QinetiQ www.qinetiq.com/home/newsroom/news_releases_homepage/2010/3rd_quarter/qinetiq_announces.html that the company is to streamline and restructure its UK operations to meet the current economic climate is very saddening. Whilst exact details and timings of where the axe will fall are still pending, RTA Instruments understands that the Malvern based Emerging Technologies Group, which includes compound semiconductors and MEMs capability, will be closed in due course. This includes all the MBE, MOVPE, GaN, InSb, CMT and Si growth and processing activities, circuit design and analytics.
RTA Newsletter Editor, Dr John Grange comments:
As Editor I have many fond memories relating to the Malvern and Baldock sites (TRE, RSRE, DRA, DERA et al). In particular the former, where incidentally my father worked in the1940's on radar and aircraft blind landing systems. It is not possible to overstate the achievements of the embryonic precursors to QinetiQ in the semiconductor arena. In addition their impact was greatly enhanced and increased through partnering, sponsoring, mentoring and encouraging activities within industry and academia. The work of Don Hurle in pulling together the various III-V consortia and working parties being an example. My personal memories also produce plaudits relating to how the III-V areas of Czochralski crystal growth and thin film epitaxy were fostered and developed into technologies capable of supporting real world production applications. Readers are invited to submit their thoughts.
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