Australian semiconductor company: Photos

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Sapphicon's offices and fabrication facility were located in Sydney within walking distance of Sydney Olympic park. The company manufactures and designs a range of microscopic devices which use the properties of semiconductors like silicon. These devices include microscopic radio frequency and mixed-signal receivers used in wireless technology, mobile phones and satellite dishes.

The facility has been in operation since 1989.

Published: March 29, 2010 -- 03:20 GMT (20:20 PDT)
Photo by: Colin Ho/ZDNet.com.au

Caption by: Colin Ho
According to Greatbatch, the Homebush facility was previously a "captive fabrication" plant which handled manufacturing duties for Peregrine Semiconductor which created components for devices like the iPhone. Peregrine sold the facility in 2008 by a group of private buyers with the trading name Sapphicon.

The company recently teamed up with CSIRO to make chips for the world's largest network of radio telescopes.

Published: March 29, 2010 -- 03:20 GMT (20:20 PDT)
Photo by: Colin Ho/ZDNet.com.au

Caption by: Colin Ho
Greatbach believes that the future lies in extreme miniaturisation, enabling more things to be done with the same amount of space and materials. For Sapphicon, it's about squeezing more circuitry into less space.

"That's what we do, we think small," said Greatbach told ZDNet.com.au, whose hand is pictured.

Sapphicon is more like a printing plant: chip designs are mocked up and trialed on computers before they are "printed" by electron beams through masks (like stencils) onto fine discs of silicon-coated sapphire.

Published: March 29, 2010 -- 03:20 GMT (20:20 PDT)
Photo by: Colin Ho/ZDNet.com.au

Caption by: Colin Ho
A new facility and expansion worth $30 million is due to be completed next month. The company wants to reach a wider market than it currently does by making products to order.

"[We're] working on RF/Mixed Signal products plus isolator devices," said Greatbatch.

This particular piece of existing machinery is a X-ray refractor.

Published: March 29, 2010 -- 03:20 GMT (20:20 PDT)
Photo by: Colin Ho/ZDNet.com.au

Caption by: Colin Ho
The chips and circuits are tested by sending electrical signals using automated probes.

Published: March 29, 2010 -- 03:20 GMT (20:20 PDT)
Photo by: Colin Ho/ZDNet.com.au

Caption by: Colin Ho
Sapphicon employs "80-odd" people in their Sydney office and fabrication facility according to Greatbatch. Over the last 12 months, their R&D department has increased by 20 per cent in size.

The office's Intel-based desktops run Windows and Fedora Linux.

Published: March 29, 2010 -- 03:20 GMT (20:20 PDT)
Photo by: Colin Ho/ZDNet.com.au

Caption by: Colin Ho
Pictured is an ion implanter, which fires ions at very high speeds to create microscopic semiconductor switches.

Published: March 29, 2010 -- 03:20 GMT (20:20 PDT)
Photo by: Sapphicon

Caption by: Colin Ho
The company's partners and customers include: CSIRO, Johns Hopkins University, NASA, Yale, Macquarie and La Trobe Universities.

Published: March 29, 2010 -- 03:20 GMT (20:20 PDT)
Photo by: Colin Ho/ZDNet.com.au

Caption by: Colin Ho
The semiconductor device lab pictured is a part of Sapphicon's technology development centre.

Sapphicon is "interested" in acquiring some more, yet-to-be-known, assets and companies.

Published: March 29, 2010 -- 03:20 GMT (20:20 PDT)
Photo by: Colin Ho/ZDNet.com.au

Caption by: Colin Ho
Pictured above is "plasma etch equiptment". The company is keen on expanding and is currently hiring designers and engineers.

Published: March 29, 2010 -- 03:20 GMT (20:20 PDT)
Photo by: Colin Ho/ZDNet.com.au

Caption by: Colin Ho
Getting ready to suit up. The air inside the fabrication facility is filtered so particles in the air cannot disrupt the manufacturing process. When you're working in microns, a renegade skin flake could wreak havoc.

Published: March 29, 2010 -- 03:20 GMT (20:20 PDT)
Photo by: Colin Ho/ZDNet.com.au

Caption by: Colin Ho