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Business
12 Months Ended
Jun. 26, 2011
Business  
Business

Note 1 – Business

Cree, Inc. (the "Company") is a leading innovator of lighting-class light emitting diodes (LEDs), LED lighting and semiconductor solutions for wireless and power applications. The Company's solutions are driving improvements in applications such as general illumination, video displays, automotive, electronic signs and signals, variable-speed motors and wireless systems.

The Company develops and manufactures semiconductor materials and devices primarily based on silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN) and related compounds. The physical and electronic properties of SiC and GaN offer technical advantages over traditional silicon, gallium arsenide (GaAs), sapphire and other materials used for certain electronic applications.

The Company's LED products consist of LED chips, LED components, LED lighting products and SiC wafers. As the Company develops and improves its LED technology and the market continues to focus on energy efficiency, the Company believes the potential market for LED lighting will continue to expand. The Company's success in selling LED products depends upon its ability to drive adoption and offer innovative products and solutions that enable its customers to succeed in the market. By driving adoption the Company believes it can influence the direction of the market and open more opportunities for LEDs.

In addition, the Company develops, manufactures and sells power and radio frequency (RF) products, such as power rectifiers and RF devices. Power rectifiers are made from SiC and provide faster switching speeds than comparable silicon-based power devices. RF devices are made from SiC or GaN and produce higher power densities as compared to silicon or gallium arsenide.

The majority of the Company's products are manufactured at production facilities located in North Carolina and China. The Company also uses contract manufacturers for certain aspects of product fabrication and packaging. The Company operates research and development facilities in North Carolina, California and China.