Blast from the past

We await further developments but the press statement last month (www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4208647/Plessey-plans-to-run-GaN-SiGe-at-fab) that Plessey Semiconductors Ltd was planning to extend its chip making activities to include both GaN and SiGe is interesting. Whilst originally founded as a mechanical engineering company in 1917, Plessey was well known for truly pioneering semiconductor work including bulk and epitaxial III-V compound semiconductors. Following decades of reorganisation and many changes in ownership, management teams from Plus Semi and the former Plessey site in Roborough joined forces to acquire the Roborough fab (8" and 6" lines) from Xfab on the 1st January 2010. The resulting company was re-named Plessey Semiconductors Ltd.