WIN’s higher than expected 26.9% revenue growth in Q4/2017 boosted by VCSEL shipments for 3D sensing

WIN Semiconductors Corp of Taoyuan City, Taiwan – the largest pure-play compound semiconductor wafer foundry – has reported better-than-expected revenue for fourth-quarter 2018 as well as the full-year 2017, reports Digitimes.

December revenue reached NT$1.94bn (US$65.6m), up 2.58% on the prior month and up 79.6% year-on-year. This drove fourth-quarter revenue to NT$5.58bn, up 26.9% sequentially and 73.7% year-on-year. Full-year revenue rose 25.4% to NT$17.06bn for 2017.

Along with stable contributions from radio frequency-related products (RF chips and monolithic microwave integrated circuits), growth has been boosted by increased shipments of vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) components for 3D sensing modules to Lumentum Holdings Inc of Milpitas, CA, USA (a primary supplier to Apple Inc for its iPhone X TrueDepth front-facing camera system), says Digitimes.

Looking forward, VCSEL shipments should increase significantly in 2018 (from a relatively low base in 2017) as more Android-based smartphone makers adopt 3D sensing, and key smartphone customers correspondingly launch new models. In the mid to long-term, shipments should be boosted by wider adoption into gaming console, augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) devices, and security systems.

Digitimes says that, in general, most gallium arsenide (GaAs) foundries are optimistic about business prospects for 2018-2020 due to increasing adoption of GaAs-based chips in Internet of Things (IoT) devices, automobile electronics, smartphones and 5G base stations.