UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C.  20549
 
FORM 10-K
 
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended:  September 30, 2005
or
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from _______ to _______
 
Commission File Number: 0-22175
 
EMCORE Logo
 
EMCORE Corporation
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
 
NEW JERSEY
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
 
22-2746503
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
 
145 Belmont Drive, Somerset, NJ 08873
(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)
 
(732) 271-9090
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
 
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:  None
 
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:  Common Stock, No Par Value
 
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.   ¨ Yes   x No
 
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act.   ¨ Yes   x No
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.   x Yes   ¨ No

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of the registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).  x Yes   ¨ No
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).   ¨ Yes   x No

The aggregate market value of common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of March 31, 2005 (the last business day of the registrant's most recently completed second fiscal quarter) was approximately $123,924,639, based on the closing sale price of $3.37 per share of common stock as reported on the NASDAQ National Market.

The number of shares outstanding of the registrant’s no par value common stock as of December 2, 2005 was 48,243,280.
 
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
 
Portions of the Definitive Proxy Statement to be delivered to shareholders in connection with the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held February 13, 2006 are incorporated by reference in Part III.
 

 
EMCORE Corporation
Form 10-K
For the Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2005
 
INDEX

   
Part I
 
   
Business.
   
Properties.
   
Legal Proceedings.
   
Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.
   
Part II
 
   
Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters, and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
   
Selected Financial Data.
   
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation.
   
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
   
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.
   
Controls and Procedures.
   
Other Information.
   
Part III
 
   
Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant.
   
Executive Compensation.
   
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.
   
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions.
   
Principal Accounting Fees and Services.
   
Part IV
 
   
Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules.
   
 
   
 

 
Forward-Looking Statements
 
This Annual Report on Form 10-K includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are based largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends affecting the financial condition of our business. These forward- looking statements may be identified by the use of terms and phrases such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "plans", believes", "estimates", “targets”, “can”, “may”, “could”, “will”, and variations of these terms and similar phrases. Management cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to business, economic, and other risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown, that may cause actual results to be materially different from those discussed in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could contribute to these differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed under “Risk Factors”, “Forward-Looking Statements”, and elsewhere in this Report. The cautionary statements made in this Report should be read as being applicable to all forward-looking statements wherever they appear in this Report. This discussion should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements, including the related footnotes.

These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, any and all statements or implications regarding:

 
·  
The ability of EMCORE Corporation (EMCORE) to remain competitive and a leader in its industry and the future growth of the company, the industry, and the economy in general;
 
 
·  
Difficulties in integrating recent or future acquisitions into our operations;
 
 
·  
The expected level and timing of benefits to EMCORE from on-going cost reduction efforts, including (i) expected cost reductions and their impact on our financial performance, (ii) our continued leadership in technology and manufacturing in its markets, and (iii) our belief that the cost reduction efforts will not impact product development or manufacturing execution;
 
 
·  
Expected improvements in our product and technology development programs;

 
·  
Whether our products will (i) be successfully introduced or marketed, (ii) be qualified and purchased by our customers, or (iii) perform to any particular specifications or performance or reliability standards; and/or

 
·  
Guidance provided by EMCORE regarding our expected financial performance in current or future periods, including, without limitation, with respect to anticipated revenues, income, or cash flows for any period in fiscal 2006 and subsequent periods.

These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, including without limitation, the following:

 
·  
EMCORE’s cost reduction efforts may not be successful in achieving their expected benefits, or may negatively impact our operations;

 
·  
The failure of our products (i) to perform as expected without material defects, (ii) to be manufactured at acceptable volumes, yields, and cost, (iii) to be qualified and accepted by our customers, and (iv) to successfully compete with products offered by our competitors; and/or

 
·  
Other risks and uncertainties described in EMCORE’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) (including under the heading “Risk Factors” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K) such as: cancellations, rescheduling, or delays in product shipments; manufacturing capacity constraints; lengthy sales and qualification cycles; difficulties in the production process; changes in semiconductor industry growth; increased competition; delays in developing and commercializing new products; and other factors.

Neither management nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this Report and subsequent facts or circumstances may contradict, obviate, undermine, or otherwise fail to support or substantiate such statements. We assume no obligation to update the matters discussed in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to conform such statements to actual results or to changes in our expectations, except as required by applicable law or regulation.
 

 
PART I
 
Business.
 
For specific information about our company, our products or the markets we serve, please visit our website at http://www.emcore.com. The information on EMCORE’s website is not incorporated by reference into and is not made a part of this report. All of our SEC filings available on our website are accessible free of charge.
 
 
Company Overview

EMCORE Corporation (EMCORE), a New Jersey corporation established in 1984, offers a broad portfolio of compound semiconductor-based components and subsystems for the broadband, fiber optic, satellite, solar and wireless communications markets. EMCORE has three operating segments: Fiber Optics, Photovoltaics, and Electronic Materials and Devices. Our integrated solutions philosophy embodies state-of-the-art technology, material science expertise, and a shared vision of our customer's goals and objectives to be leaders in the transport of video, voice and data over copper, hybrid fiber/coax (HFC), fiber, satellite, and wireless networks.
 
EMCORE’s solutions include: optical components and subsystems for fiber-to-the-premise, cable television, and high speed data and telecommunications networks; solar cells, solar panels, and fiber optic ground station links for global satellite communications; and RF transistor materials for high bandwidth wireless communications systems, such as WiMAX and Wi-Fi Internet access and 3G mobile handsets and PDA devices.
 
Through its joint venture participation in GELcore, LLC, EMCORE plays a vital role in developing and commercializing next-generation High-Brightness LED technology for use in the general and specialty illumination markets.
 
 
Industry Overview

Advances in information technologies have created a growing need for efficient and high-performance electronic and optoelectronic systems that operate at very high frequencies, emit and detect light, provide higher transmission rates with increased storage capacities, and can be produced cost-effectively in commercial volumes. To meet these needs, we develop and manufacture components and subsystems that incorporate our internally produced compound semiconductor materials. Our products have several advantages over traditional silicon devices including higher operating speeds, lower power consumption, reduced noise and distortion, higher temperature performance, light emitting properties, higher detection efficiency, and higher light emission efficiency. In fiscal 2005, we offered innovative products, categorized into three segments, “Fiber Optics,” “Photovoltaics,” and “Electronic Materials and Devices.” Collectively, these products and the products offered by our joint venture, GELcore, serve the communications, cable television, defense and homeland security, satellite and terrestrial power, wireless, and lighting and illlumination markets. 
 
 
EMCORE’s Operating Segments

Fiber Optics

EMCORE's Fiber Optics segment provides optical components, subsystems and systems that enable the transmission of video, voice and data over high-capacity fiber optic cables. Our products enable information that is encoded on light signals to be transmitted, routed (switched), and received in communication systems. EMCORE’s Fiber Optics segment serves the cable television (CATV), fiber-to-the-premise (FTTP), telecommunications, data and satellite communications, storage area network and, increasingly, the defense and homeland security markets.

Over the past several years, communications networks have experienced dramatic growth in data transmission traffic due to worldwide Internet access, e-mail, and e-commerce. As Internet content expands to include full motion video on-demand, HDTV, multi-channel high quality audio, online video conferencing, image transfer, online multi-player gaming, and other broadband applications, the delivery of such data will place a greater demand on available bandwidth and require the support of higher capacity networks. The bulk of this traffic, which continues to grow at a very high rate, is already routed through the optical networking infrastructure used by local and long distance carriers, as well as Internet service providers. Optical fiber offers substantially greater bandwidth capacity, is less error prone, and is easier to administer than older copper wire technologies. As greater bandwidth capability is delivered closer to the end user, increased demand for higher content, real-time, interactive visual and audio content is expected. We believe that EMCORE is well positioned to benefit from the continued deployment of these higher capacity fiber optic networks.

Cable Television (CATV) and Fiber-to-the-premise (FTTP) Networks - The communications industry in which we participate in continues to be dynamic. The driving factor is the competitive environment that exists between cable operators, telephone companies, and satellite and wireless service providers. Each are rapidly investing capital to deploy a converging multi-service network capable of delivering “triple play services”, i.e. digitalized video, voice and data content, bundled as a service provided by a single communication provider.

As a market leader in radio frequency (RF) transmission over fiber products for the CATV industry, EMCORE enables cable companies to offer multiple forms of communications to meet the expanding demand for high-speed Internet, on-demand and interactive video, and other new services (such as HDTV and VOIP). Television is also undergoing a major transformation, as the US government requires television stations to broadcast exclusively in digital format, abandoning the analog format used for decades. Although the transition date for digital transmissions is not expected for several years, the build-out of these television networks has already begun. To support the telephone companies plan to offer competing video, voice and data services through the deployment of new fiber-based systems, EMCORE has developed and maintains customer qualified FTTP components and subsystem products. Our CATV and FTTP products include broadcast analog and digital fiber optic transmitters, quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) transmitters, video receivers, and passive optical network (PON) transceivers.

As part of our strategy, we are committed to identifying strategic opportunities that either compliment or broaden our markets. In May 2005, EMCORE acquired the analog CATV and RF over fiber specialty businesses from JDS Uniphase Corporation (JDSU). This acquisition is expected to 1) solidify our leadership position in the CATV marketplace; 2) offer an optimal path to higher volume with improved overall product margins; and 3) expand our product line offering while broadening our customer base in the CATV market segment.

Telecommunications Networks - Our state-of-the-art optical components and modules enable high-speed (up to an aggregate 40 gigabits per second or Gb/s) optical interconnections that drive architectures in next-generation carrier class switching and routing networks. Our parallel optical modules facilitate high channel count optical interconnects in multi-shelf central office equipment. These systems sit in the network core and in key metro nodes of voice telephony and Internet infrastructures, and are highly expandable with pay-as-you-grow capacity scaling. EMCORE is a leader in providing optical modules to the telecom equipment market area with its most comprehensive parallel optical transceiver product family, including 12-lane SNAP-12TM, OptoCubeTM, 4-lane QuadLinkTM and SmartLinkTM transceivers. In addition, EMCORE provides the telecom industry with distributed feedback (DFB) lasers, p-type, intrinsic, and n-type semiconductor material (PIN) and avalanche photodetector (APD) components, in various packages, for OC-48 and OC-192 applications.
  
Data Communications Networks - EMCORE’s leading-edge optical components and modules for data applications include 10G Ethernet LX4, 10G Ethernet EX4, 10G Ethernet CX4, and SmartLinkTM transceivers. These modules support 10G Ethernet, optical Infiniband, and parallel optical interconnects for enterprise Ethernet, metro Ethernet and high performance computing (HPC), also called "super computing" applications. These high-speed modules enable switch-to-switch, router-to-router, and server-to-server backbone connections at aggregate speeds of 10G and above. Pluggable LX4 modules in X2 or XENPAK form factors provide a "pay-as-you-populate" cost structure during installation. The LX4 module can transmit data over both multi-mode and single-mode optical fiber, enabling transmission of optical 10G Ethernet signals over 300 meters of legacy multi-mode fiber or 10km of single-mode fiber. The EX4 extends optical span lengths to over 1km of multi-mode and 40km of single-mode fiber. CX4 modules similarly allow the cost-effective transmission of Ethernet signals over legacy copper cable. EMCORE’s parallel optical modules also are used in switched bus architectures that are needed for next-generation blade servers, clustered and grid interconnected servers, super computers and network-attached storage.

Satellite Communications Networks - EMCORE manufactures satellite communications fiber optics products, including transmitters, receivers, subsystem, and systems, that transport wideband microwave signals between satellite hub equipment and antenna dishes.

Storage Area Networks - Our optical components also are used in the high-end data storage market, and include high-speed, 850 nm vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) and PIN photodiode components, and 10G transmit and receive optical subassemblies (TOSAs/ROSAs). In the future, EMCORE anticipates selling our integrated pluggable X2 or XENPAK form factor modules into the emerging 10G FibreChannel segment. These products provide optical interfaces for switches and storage systems used in large enterprise mission-critical applications, such as inventory control or financial systems.

Defense and Homeland Security - Leveraging its expertise in high frequency RF module design, EMCORE offers a suite of ruggedized products intended for the government and defense markets. EMCORE’s specialty fiber products include fiber optic gyro components used in precision guidance munitions; RF fiber optic link components for towed decoy systems and phased array radar antennas; RF over fiber links for device remoting and optical networks; and emerging applications such as RF photonic systems.
 
Photovoltaics

EMCORE serves the global satellite communications market by providing advanced solar cell products and solar panels. Compound semiconductor solar cells are used to power satellites because they are more resistant to radiation levels in space and convert substantially more power from light, consequently weighing less per unit of power than silicon-based solar cells. These characteristics increase satellite useful life, increase payload capacity, and reduce launch costs. EMCORE’s Photovoltaics segment designs and manufactures multi-junction compound semiconductor solar cells for both commercial and military satellite applications. We currently manufacture and sell one of the most efficient and reliable, radiation resistant advanced triple-junction solar cells in the world, with an average "beginning of life" efficiency of 27.5%. EMCORE is also the only manufacturer to supply true monolithic bypass diodes, for shadow protection, utilizing several EMCORE patented methods. A satellite’s broadcast success and corresponding revenue depend on its power efficiency and its capacity to transmit data.

EMCORE also provides covered interconnect cells (CICs) and solar panel lay-down services, giving us the capacity to manufacture complete solar panels. We can provide satellite manufacturers with proven integrated satellite power solutions that considerably improve satellite economics. Satellite manufacturers and solar array integrators rely on EMCORE to meet their satellite power needs with our proven flight heritage. Through well-established partnerships with major satellite manufacturers and a proven manufacturing process, we play a vital role in the evolution of satellite communications around the world. 

EMCORE is adapting its high efficiency solar cell product for terrestrial applications. Intended for use with solar concentrator systems, these cells have already been measured at 35% efficiency and further improvements are anticipated. We believe that these systems will be competitive with silicon technologies because they are more efficient than silicon and, therefore, benefit more from concentration than silicon. With energy prices at all time highs, the demand for alternative energy sources continues to gain momentum. The terrestrial solar cell market is currently estimated at $7 billion, growing at a 28% CAGR, and is expected to reach $30 billion by 2010, according to CSLA Asia-Pacific Markets. EMCORE is working with several concentrator systems manufacturers to develop system elements for this product line.

In April 2005, EMCORE announced plans to consolidate solar panel operations into a state-of-the-art facility located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The establishment of a modern solar panel manufacturing facility, adjacent to the Albuquerque solar cell fabrication operations, should enable superior consistency, as well as reduced manufacturing costs. The synergy of these operations located on one site is expected to provide the highest quality, highest reliability, and most cost-effective solar components to surpass current technologies and offerings. EMCORE will ensure that the space qualification of this facility is commensurate with the heritage of its existing solar panel operation located in City of Industry, California. Production operations at the California solar panel facility will be discontinued during fiscal 2006 and completely closed by March 2007. By consolidating operations into a single location, EMCORE Photovoltaics expects to realize annual cost savings in fiscal 2007 and beyond, which will enable us to better compete in the terrestrial and space power markets.

Electronic Materials and Devices

EMCORE’s RF materials are compound semiconductor materials used in wireless communications. These materials have a broader bandwidth and superior performance at higher frequencies compared to silicon-based materials. EMCORE’s Electronic Materials and Devices (EMD) segment currently produces both GaAs and GaN based transistor wafers. For GaAs materials, EMD produces 4-inch and 6-inch wafers for three different applications: InGaP hetero-junction bipolar transistors (HBTs), pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor wafers (pHEMTs), and enhancement-mode pHEMT transistor wafers (E-modes). These materials are used for power amplifiers and switches in GSM, CDMA multiband wireless handsets, WiMAX, Wi-Fi, broadband, cellular handsets, and in wireless LAN applications. InGaP HBT materials provide higher linearity, higher power-added efficiency, as well as greater reliability than first generation AlGaAs HBT technologies. For GaN materials, EMD produces 2-inch, 3-inch, and 4-inch AlGaN/GaN HEMT materials. These materials are designed to meet future wireless base station infrastructure requirements for higher power and frequency, along with temperature operation at industry leading efficiencies. Recently, EMCORE has also combined into a single RF structure, InGaP HBT and pHEMT materials (combinational materials). We believe that our ability to produce high volumes of RF materials at a low cost will encourage their adoption in new applications and products.
 
EMCORE continues to work closely with its customers to develop next-generation technology to help them achieve their product roadmap objectives. In fiscal 2005, EMCORE started production of integrated HBT and pHEMT materials. The combination of these two devices in a single epi structure consolidates the processing requirement for EMCORE’s customers. Additionally, the close integration of these devices enables our customers to increase the efficiency and performance of the devices by incorporating improved power control, better linearity and smaller size. Anadigics, Inc., a leading supplier of wireless and broadband solutions, announced that it had selected EMCORE to be their primary supplier for all their RF materials. EMCORE also works closely with and supplies advanced materials to several other industry leaders.

EMCORE supports GaN development projects through participation in government DARPA programs centered on wide bandgap communication and radar systems. EMCORE has secured several long-term contracts to provide critical GaN HEMT epitaxial materials to industry leading device, component, and system manufactures. EMCORE anticipates converting these DARPA sponsored programs into long-term commercial business at the conclusion of the existing contracts.

 
Joint Venture - GELcore

In January 1999, General Electric Lighting and EMCORE formed GELcore, a joint venture to address the solid-state lighting market with high brightness light emitting diode-based (HB-LED) lighting systems. HB-LEDs are solid-state compound semiconductor devices that emit light. They are used in miniature packages in everyday applications, including commercial displays, transportation, general and specialty illumination, computers, and other consumer electronics. HB-LEDs offer substantial advantages over small incandescent bulbs, including longer life, lower maintenance costs and energy consumption, and smaller space requirements. Groups of HB-LEDs can make up single or full-color electronic displays. Presently, HB-LED chips are used for backlighting applications, including wireless handsets, cellular handsets, computer monitors, and automotive dashboard lighting. In addition, they are used in consumer products, office equipment, full color displays, neon and fluorescent replacements, message advertising, informational signs, landscape lighting, and traffic signals. While growing its business in commercial applications, GELcore is focused on the general illumination market as its ultimate goal.

General Electric Lighting and EMCORE have agreed that this joint venture will be the exclusive vehicle for each party’s participation in solid-state lighting. EMCORE has a 49% non-controlling interest in the GELcore venture. GELcore combines EMCORE's materials science and device design expertise with General Electric Lighting's brand name recognition, phosphor technology, and extensive marketing and distribution capabilities. EMCORE participates in the development and commercialization of next-generation LED technology for use in the general and specialty illumination markets. GELcore's products include traffic lights, channel letters, and other signage and display products that incorporate HB-LEDs. In the near term, GELcore expects to deploy its HB-LED products in the commercial and industrial markets, including medical, aerospace, commercial refrigeration, transportation, appliance, and general and specialty illumination applications. GELcore’s operating results are accounted for using the equity method of accounting and its financial reporting is on a calendar year basis. Since its inception, GELcore has had a compound annual revenue growth rate of 23%, with calendar 2004 revenue totaling $68.0 million. EMCORE expects that GELcore’s calendar 2005 revenue will approximate $80.0 million.

HB-LEDs have the potential to significantly reduce overall U.S. lighting energy consumption. Energy savings to date from HB-LEDs have been estimated to exceed the power produced from one large electric power plant -- more than 8 billion kilowatt-hours. If solid-state lighting achieves anticipated price and performance targets, over the next two decades U.S. lighting energy consumption could be reduced by over 30 percent. HB-LED traffic signals use only 10 percent of the electricity consumed by the incandescent lamps they replace. Moreover, LED signals last several times longer, allowing for additional savings through reduced maintenance costs. HB-LEDs also have made inroads into mobile applications, such as brake and signal lights on trucks, buses, and automobiles. In 2002, an estimated 41 million gallons of gasoline and 142 million gallons of diesel fuel were saved because of HB-LED use on these vehicles. If our nation's entire fleet of automobiles, trucks, and buses were converted to HB-LED lighting, an estimated 1.4 billion gallons of gasoline and 1.1 billion gallons of diesel fuel could be saved. (The information in this paragraph is based on published reports prepared by Navigant Consulting for the US Department of Energy.)
 

EMCORE’s Products

The following charts depict some of our products:
 
DIGITAL FIBER OPTIC PRODUCTS
ORTEL PRODUCTS
CHIPS & DIE PRODUCTS
EMCORE PHOTOVOLTAICS & 3G WIRELESS PRODUCTS
EMCORE SPECIALTY PRODUCTS
 
 
The following illustration shows how EMCORE’s products are deployed throughout the world’s communication infrastructure, and how they interconnect with each other. The lower left side shows CATV and FTTP networks, the lower right side shows telecommunications and data networks and the upper portion shows satellite communications and wireless networks.
 
EMCORE PRODUCT SUITE
 

The following chart summarizes (i) our products, (ii) the markets to which those products are directed, (iii) representative applications in which our products are used, and (iv) certain benefits and characteristics of compound semiconductor devices:
 

EMCORE Products
Market
Representative Applications
Benefits/Characteristics
       
Analog & digital lasers (DFB, FP)
Photodetectors and subassembly components
Broadcast analog & digital fiber-optic transmitters
QAM transmitters
CATV
Cable Television (CATV)
 
Hybrid Fiber Coax (HFC) networks
 
Digital overlay on HFC
Increased capacity to offer more cable services
Increase data transmission speeds
Increased bandwidth
Lower power consumption
Low noise video receive
Increased transmission distance
 
Analog & digital lasers (DFB, FP)
Photodetectors and subassembly components
PIN and APD photodiodes and subassemblies
Passive optical network (PON) transceivers
Analog & digital video receivers
Multi-Dwelling Unit (MDU) video receivers
 
FTTP
Passive optical network (PON) in
Fiber-to-the-Premise (FTTP) networks
High performance for both digital and analog characteristics
Integrated infrastructure to support competitive costs
Support for multiple standards
High-speed lasers (VCSEL, DFB, FP) and subassembly components
High-speed photodetector (PIN, APD) and subassembly components
RF devices and materials
10G Ethernet modules in XENPAK & X2
Parallel optical modules
Data Communications
(LAN, SAN, Infiniband)
High-speed fiber optic networks and optical links (including Infiniband, Ethernet,Fibre Channel networks)
Copper replacement in the data center/CO
Supercomputing
High performance computing (HPC) Systems
Storage Area Networks (SAN)
Network Attached Storage (NAS)
 
Increased network capacity
Increase data transmission speeds
Increased bandwidth
Lower power consumption
Improved cable management over copper interconnects
Increased transmission distance
Lowest cost optical interconnections for massively parallel multi-processors
Solar cells and panels
Fiber-optic transmitters and receivers
Satellite Communications
Power modules for satellites
Satellite-to-ground communications
Antenna to ground station communications
 
High radiation tolerance
High light-to-power conversion efficiency for reduced size and launch costs
Increased bandwidth
 
RF and electronic materials
RF and electronic devices
Optical transmitters for remoting
 
Wireless Communications
 
 
Wireless handsets
Wireless Broadband
Direct broadcast systems
Remoting
High Power Wireless Infrastructure
 
Increased network capacity
Lower power consumption
Reduced network congestion
Extended battery life
Improved signal-to-noise performance
 
Fiber-optic gyroscope components
High Frequency Fiber-Optic Links
ED Fiber Amplifiers
Terahertz Spectroscopy Systems
 
Defense and
Homeland Security
Precision guided munitions
Towed-Decoy Modules
Secure communications
Chemical, Biological,
Explosive sensors
 
High-frequency and dynamic range
Compact form-factor
Extreme temperature, shock and vibration tolerance
HB-LED lighting systems
Solid-State Lighting
Flat panel displays
Solid-state lighting
Outdoor signage and displays
Traffic signals
Lower power consumption
Lower temperature operation
Longer life
 
 
As summarized in the table below, EMCORE has positioned itself as a component and subsystem manufacturer that services a significant portion of the digital and analog communications market:
 
EMCORE FIBER OPTICS INFRASTRUCTURE
 
 
EMCORE’s Strategy

Management’s objective is to maximize shareholder value by capitalizing upon EMCORE’s leading-edge compound semiconductor materials and device expertise to provide cost-effective materials, components and subsystems for the broadband, fiber optic, satellite, solar and wireless communications markets. Specifically, the key elements of EMCORE’s strategy include:

I. Leverage Leading-Edge Compound Semiconductor Expertise Across Multiple Product Applications

Purchasing components from multiple vendors can result in too many layers of margin costs, such that the final integrated subsystem is neither cost competitive nor effective in deploying new product technologies or responding to customer demands. We believe a vertically integrated structure in which key technologies are produced internally is the most beneficial way to maximize gross margins and meet customer objectives. By having the know-how and intellectual property to internally produce and supply compound semiconductor products, EMCORE can stay ahead of the competition in both performance and cost effectiveness.

II. Target Potential High Growth Market Opportunities

EMCORE targets potential high growth market opportunities, where performance characteristics and high volume production efficiencies can give compound semiconductors a competitive advantage over other devices. Historically, while technologically superior, compound semiconductors have not been widely deployed because they are more expensive to manufacture than silicon-based semiconductors and other existing solutions. EMCORE believes that as compound semiconductor production costs are reduced, new customers will be compelled to use these products because of their enhanced performance characteristics. EMCORE is focusing its product development efforts in the high growth areas of fiber optic communications (FTTP infrastructure), data and telecommunications (high data rate technologies), energy generation (terrestrial concentrator solar cells and modules), defense and homeland security (RF transport for defense applications), integrated GaAs epitaxial technology (3G handsets, PDAs, WiMAX / Wi-Fi networking), and energy conservation (LED-based technologies through GELcore).

III. Pursue Strategic Acquisitions and Partnership with Industry Leading Companies

EMCORE is committed to the ongoing evaluation of strategic opportunities that can expand our addressable markets and strengthen our competitive position. Where appropriate, EMCORE will acquire additional products, technologies, or businesses that are complimentary to, or broaden the markets we operate in. Over the past several years, several acquisitions have expanded not only our materials expertise, but also our components and subsystems technologies. EMCORE also seeks to develop long-term relationships with leading companies in each of the industries that we serve. We develop these relationships through long-term, high-volume supply agreements, joint ventures, investments, and other arrangements. EMCORE continues to work closely with its customers to develop next-generation technology to help them achieve their product roadmap objectives. Recently, EMCORE announced product design wins with Cisco Systems, Inc. (10G LX4 and CX4 XENPAK), JDS Uniphase Corporation and Finisar (10G TOSAs & ROSAs), Tellabs, Inc. (FTTP Integrated PON transceiver), Alcatel (FTTP video receiver), and Scientific-Atlanta, Inc. and Aurora Networks (CATV HFC transmitters). These product launches were successful due to the solid collaboration we have with these leading companies.

IV. Invest in Research and Development to Maintain Technology Leadership and Lower Production Costs
 
Through substantial investment in research and development (R&D), EMCORE seeks to expand its leadership position in compound semiconductor-based communications products and subsystems. EMCORE works with its customers to enhance the performance of our processes, materials science, and fiber optic module design expertise, including the development of new low-cost, high-volume wafers, components, and subsystems for our customers. To remain a leader in our markets, EMCORE not only addresses our customers’ current needs, but we respond to their evolving requirements to remain designed into their product lifecycles. In addition, EMCORE’s development efforts are constantly focused on lowering the production costs of its products. In 2005, EMCORE’s product development projects included an X2 form factor for LX4, an extended reach version of the LX4 (the EX4), a high density 1310 nm transmitters for CATV, a triplexer for FTTP applications, and a 32 channel QAM transmitter for CATV. EMCORE expects significant revenue from each of these products in fiscal 2006. In addition, during fiscal 2005, our photovoltaic division developed a small concentrator unit using our high-efficiency gallium arsenide solar cells for terrestrial applications. We intend to expend additional resources during fiscal 2006 to further develop this technology and establish cost effective manufacturing and distribution capabilities.

V. Target Positive Cash Flows and Income From Operations

Management is committed to achieving operating profitability by reducing EMCORE’s cost structure and lowering the breakeven points of every product line, with the goal of achieving positive operating income during the second half of fiscal 2006. Over the past several years, management has implemented a number of initiatives to help achieve this goal. EMCORE has (i) outsourced high volume product manufacturing to contract manufacturers; (ii) consolidated various corporate functions; (iii) reduced outside contractors and temporary workers; (iv) implemented programs to improve manufacturing process yields; (v) focused R&D efforts on projects that are expected to generate returns within one year without, we believe, jeopardizing future revenue opportunities; and (vi) initiated workforce reductions. In fiscal 2006, further cost reductions will be realized from facility consolidations and transfer of additional products to contract manufacturers.

 
Acquisitions

In addition to using our internal capacity to develop and manufacture products for our target markets, EMCORE continues to expand its portfolio of communications products and technologies through acquisitions:

- In May 2005, EMCORE acquired the analog CATV and RF over fiber specialty businesses from JDSU. Product lines acquired through this acquisition include: HFC 1550-nm broadcast transmitters, in both legacy and linearized optical modulated designs, to link between cable network headends and hubs, 1310-nm transmitters linking cable network hubs and nodes, 1550-nm DWDM QAM transmitters, associated analog receivers, amplifiers for extending fiber network reach for FTTP applications, and RF and microwave over fiber specialty products for defense and satellite communications. With this acquisition, EMCORE consolidated certain key intellectual properties in the areas of analog CATV transmission and predistortion, and now offers the most complete and best-of-breed fiber optic product portfolios for the CATV and FTTP marketplaces. Our CATV products support various network architectures and address our customers’ needs of transmitting and receiving signals in short to long haul, forward to return path, and headend to hub to node configurations. Our FTTP products include PON transceivers for Optical Network Terminals (ONTs), directly and externally modulated optical transmitters for optical line terminals (OLTs), and high-power (35 dbm) erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) for in-line signal amplification. As a result of this acquisition, we believe we have one of the broadest optical communications product portfolios in the industry.
 
- In November 2005, EMCORE announced that it acquired privately held Phasebridge, Inc. of Pasadena, California through an asset acquisition. The acquisition included its products, technical and engineering staff, certain assets and intellectual properties and technologies. Phasebridge’s operations will be integrated into the Ortel division of EMCORE, which is located nearby in Alhambra, California. Founded in 2000, Phasebridge is known as an innovative provider of high performance, high value, miniaturized multi-chip system-in-package optical modules and subsystem solutions for a wide variety of markets, including fiber optic gyroscopes (FOG) for weapons & aerospace guidance, RF over fiber links for device remoting and optical networks, and emerging technologies such as optical RF frequency synthesis and processing and terahertz spectroscopy.

Please refer to Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations under Item 7 and Financial Statements and Supplemental Data under Item 8 for further discussion of these acquisitions.


Divestiture

In April 2005, EMCORE divested product technology focused on gallium nitride (GaN)-based power electronic devices for the power device industry. The new company, Velox Semiconductor Corporation (Velox), raised $6.0 million from various venture capital partnerships. Five EMCORE employees transferred to Velox as full-time personnel and EMCORE contributed intellectual property and equipment receiving a 19.2% stake in Velox. As of September 30, 2005, the recorded value of EMCORE’s investment in Velox was approximately $1.3 million.


Investments

In addition to the GELcore joint venture and Velox investment mentioned above, in February 2002, EMCORE purchased $1.0 million of preferred stock of Archcom Technology, Inc. (Archcom), a venture-funded, start-up optical networking components company that designs, manufactures, and markets a series of high performance lasers and photodiodes for the datacom and telecom industries. During fiscal 2004, Archcom raised additional capital, but EMCORE did not participate. As a result, we reduced the carrying value of our investment in Archcom by 50%, or $0.5 million and recorded this expense as an investment loss in the statement of operations.

In October 2004, EMCORE invested $1.0 million in K2 Optronics, Inc., a California-based company specializing in the design and manufacture of external cavity lasers, to strengthen our partnership in designing next-generation, high-performance, long-wavelength components on an exclusive basis for the CATV and FTTP markets. As part of the acquisition of the JDSU businesses, EMCORE also paid $0.5 million to purchase JDSU's equity interest in K2 Optronics, Inc.
 

Restructuring Programs

Management is committed to achieving operating profitability by reducing EMCORE’s cost structure and lowering the breakeven points of every product line, with the goal of achieving positive operating income during the second half of fiscal 2006.

Since fiscal 2002, EMCORE has significantly streamlined its manufacturing operations by focusing on core competencies to identify cost efficiencies. Where appropriate, EMCORE transferred the manufacturing of certain product lines to contract manufacturers. In fiscal 2005, we continued restructuring efforts that included centralizing corporate and administrative functions, divesting product technology, and consolidating multiple facilities. Our results of operations and financial condition have and will continue to be significantly affected by severance, restructuring charges, impairment of long-lived assets and idle facility expenses incurred during facility closing activities.

Please refer to Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations under Item 7 and Financial Statements and Supplemental Data under Item 8 for further discussion of these charges.
 

Revenues by Product Line

The following table sets forth the revenues and percentage of total revenues attributable to each of EMCORE's operating segments for each of the past three fiscal years.
 
Product Revenues
For the fiscal years ended September 30,
 
FY 2005
 
FY 2004
 
FY 2003
 
(in thousands)
 
Revenue
 
% of Revenue
 
Revenue
 
% of Revenue
 
Revenue
 
% of Revenue
 
                                       
Fiber Optics
 
$
81,960
   
64.2
%
  $
56,169
   
60.4
%
  $
32,658
   
54.2
%
Photovoltaics
   
33,407
   
26.2
   
25,716
   
27.6
   
18,196
   
30.2
 
Electronic Materials and Devices
   
12,236
   
9.6
   
11,184
   
12.0
   
9,430
   
15.6
 
Total revenues
 
$
127,603
   
100.0
%
  $
93,069
   
100.0
%
  $
60,284
   
100.0
%
 
 
Government Research Contract Funding

EMCORE derives a portion of its revenue from funding of research contracts or subcontracts by various agencies of the U.S. government (government). These contracts typically cover work performed from several months up to several years. These contracts may be modified or terminated at the convenience of the government; in addition, these programs may be subject to government budgetary fluctuations. In fiscal 2005, 2004, and 2003, government research contract funding represented 9%, 5%, and 9% of total EMCORE revenue, respectively.

EMCORE is presently engaged in a solar cell development and production program for a major US aerospace corporation based on our commercial BTJ photovoltaics technology. The initial phases of this long-term cost reimbursable contract are focused on technology development and manufacturing optimization. Establishment of a volume production capacity for this product is being performed by EMCORE at reduced margins in order to minimize program ramp-up costs for our customer. Over the next 2 to 3 years, the program scope could exceed $40 million in development and production revenues.
 
Please refer to Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations under Item 7 and Financial Statements and Supplemental Data under Item 8 for further discussion of government contracts.


Customers and Geographic Region

EMCORE is devoted to working directly with its customers from initial product design, product qualification and manufacturing to product delivery. We design and develop (i) process technology, (ii) material science expertise, (iii) optical sub-assemblies, and/or (iv) integrated module level products for use in our customers' end-use applications. EMCORE's customer base includes many of the largest semiconductor, telecommunications, data communications, and computer manufacturing companies in the world. In fiscal 2005, Cisco Systems, Inc. (Cisco) accounted for 19% of our total revenue. In fiscal 2004, Motorola, Inc. (Motorola) and Cisco accounted for 13% and 8% of our total revenue, respectively. In fiscal 2003, Motorola accounted for 14% of total revenue.

The following table sets forth EMCORE's consolidated revenues by geographic region. Revenue was assigned to geographic regions based on the customers’ or contract manufacturers’ shipment locations.
 
Geographic Revenues
For the fiscal years ended September 30,
 
FY 2005
 
FY 2004
 
FY 2003
 
(in thousands)
   
Revenue
 
 
% of Revenue
 
 
Revenue
 
 
% of Revenue
 
 
Revenue
 
 
% of Revenue
 
                                       
United States
 
$
107,956
   
84.6
%
  $
66,485
   
71.4
%
  $
44,136
   
73.2
%
Asia and South America
   
13,728
   
10.8
   
15,912
   
17.1
   
9,018
   
15.0
 
Europe
   
5,919
   
4.6
   
10,672
   
11.5
   
7,130
   
11.8
 
Total revenues
 
$
127,603
   
100.0
%
  $
93,069
   
100.0
%
  $
60,284
   
100.0
%
 
 
Marketing and Sales

EMCORE actively markets its products through its dedicated sales force, external sales agents, marketing staff, applications engineers, select advertising, and participation at trade shows. We communicate directly with our customers’ engineering, manufacturing and purchasing personnel in determining product design, qualifications, performance and cost. EMCORE's strategy is to use its dedicated sales force for marketing and selling to key accounts. EMCORE’s external sales agents include UR Group in Europe, BUPT and MilliTech in China, and Altima, M-RF and RF-Device in Japan. We also have an established distribution and value added reseller channel to sell our satellite communication products worldwide. EMCORE plans to expand its external sales agent program for increased coverage in international markets and some domestic segments.
 
EMCORE's sales cycle for component and subsystem products is usually three months to in excess of a year. During this time, we work closely with our customers to qualify our products in their product lines. As a result, EMCORE develops strategic and long lasting customer relationships with products and services that we believe are uniquely tailored to our customers' requirements.

 
Backlog

As of September 30, 2005, EMCORE had a backlog of approximately $40.2 million as compared to a backlog of $28.8 million as reported at September 30, 2004. We believe that substantially all of our backlog can be shipped during the next 12 months, with the exception of approximately $0.6 million on a certain long-term contract. Given our current market environment, customers may delay shipment of certain orders and our backlog could also be adversely affected if customers unexpectedly cancel purchase orders accepted by us. A majority of EMCORE’s products typically ship within the same quarter as when the purchase order is received; therefore, our backlog at any particular date is not necessarily indicative of actual revenue or the level of orders for any succeeding period.
 
 
Manufacturing

EMCORE's operations include wafer fabrication, design and device production, solar panel engineering and assembly, and fiber optic module design and manufacture. Many of EMCORE's manufacturing operations are computer monitored or controlled to enhance reliability and yield. EMCORE employs a strategy of minimizing ongoing capital investments, while maximizing the variable nature of its cost structure. EMCORE maintains a commercially advantageous contract supply agreement with Veeco for MOCVD systems, components, and spare parts. Where EMCORE can gain significant cost advantages while maintaining strict quality and intellectual property control, EMCORE outsources to overseas contract manufacturers the production of certain components and subassemblies. Our contract manufacturing supply chain is an integral part of enabling this strategy. EMCORE develops assembly and testing procedures, and then transfers these procedures overseas. Our contract manufacturers must maintain comprehensive quality and delivery systems, and we continuously monitor them for compliance. As of September 30, 2005, EMCORE had 364 employees involved in manufacturing.

EMCORE has a combined clean room area totaling approximately 88,000 square feet. Unlike silicon semiconductor technology, which could involve up to a 100-step manufacturing process, our electronic materials and devices products are manufactured in a four-part process: epitaxial deposition, fabrication, testing, and packaging. The epitaxial deposition process represents the growth of thin layers of GaAs, GaN, or other materials on a polished wafer, depending on the nature of the device being produced. Following epitaxy, chips are fabricated in a clean room environment. The final steps involve testing and packaging prior to shipment to the customer, or further integration into a module or subsystem within EMCORE's manufacturing infrastructure. EMCORE also maintains the capability to transfer and monitor our ongoing processes to contract manufacturers.

Our various manufacturing processes involve extensive quality assurance systems and performance testing. All of EMCORE's facilities have acquired and maintain certification status for their quality management systems. The New Jersey facility, which is used for EMCORE's electronic materials and devices products, is registered to both ISO 9001 and QS 9000-1998. Both the New Mexico and California facilities, which are used for EMCORE's photovoltaics and fiber optics products, are registered to ISO 9001.

EMCORE has continued to invest in performance enhancing components for our MOCVD production equipment. These investments will enable us to meet ever-stricter performance requirements, combined with typical industry price erosion. Please refer to Properties under Item 2 for a listing of manufacturing locations and the primary products manufactured at each location as of September 30, 2005. Please refer to Risk Factors for a discussion of risks attendant to EMCORE’s use of foreign contract manufacturers.


Sources of Raw Materials

EMCORE depends on a limited number of suppliers for certain raw materials, components and equipment used in our products. EMCORE continually reviews its vendor relationships to mitigate risks and improve costs, especially where we depend on one or two vendors for critical components or raw materials. While maintaining inventories that we believe are sufficient to meet our near term needs, we generally do not carry significant inventories of raw materials. Accordingly, EMCORE maintains ongoing communications with our vendors to work to prevent any interruptions in supply, and have implemented a supply-chain management program to maintain quality and improve prices through standardized purchasing efficiencies and design requirements. To date, we generally have been able to obtain sufficient quantities of quality supplies in a timely manner. Please refer to Risk Factors for a discussion of risks attendant to EMCORE’s reliance upon sole or limited sources of materials.
 
 
Research and Development

Our R&D efforts have been sharply focused to maintain our technology leadership position by working to improve the quality and attributes of our product lines. We also invest significant resources to develop new products and production technology to expand into new market opportunities by leveraging our existing technology base and infrastructure. The semiconductor industry is characterized by rapid changes in process technologies with increasing levels of functional integration. To maintain and improve its competitive position, EMCORE invests significant resources in R&D. Our efforts are focused on designing new proprietary processes and products, on improving the performance of our existing materials, components, and subsystems, and on reducing costs in the product manufacturing process.

EMCORE has dedicated 24 MOCVD systems and five device fabrication facilities for both research and production, which are capable of processing virtually all compound semiconductor materials and devices. Five of those MOCVD systems and two device fabrication areas are dedicated fully to R&D efforts and are used by a staff of over 125 scientists, engineers, technicians, and staff, of whom 45 have a Ph.D. degree. The R&D staff utilizes x-ray, optical, and electrical characterization equipment, as well as device and module fabrication and testing, that generates data rapidly, which allows for shortened development cycles and rapid customer response.

During fiscal 2005, 2004, and 2003, EMCORE invested $17.4 million, $23.6 million, and $17.0 million in R&D activities. As a percentage of revenues, R&D represented 14%, 25%, and 28% for the fiscal years 2005, 2004, and 2003, respectively. As part of the ongoing effort to cut costs, many of our projects are to develop lower cost versions of our existing products and of our existing processes. Also, we have implemented a program to focus research and product development efforts on projects that we expect to generate returns within one year. As a result, EMCORE reduced overall R&D costs as a percentage of revenue without, we believe, jeopardizing future revenue opportunities. Our technology and product leadership is an important competitive advantage. Driven by current and anticipated demand, we will continue to invest in new technologies and products that offer our customers increased efficiency, higher performance, improved functionality, and/or higher levels of integration. One such R&D project was the XENPAK 10G LX4 module project that began in August 2003. Within twelve months, the LX4 module was designed and developed by EMCORE, qualified by the customer, and was transferred to manufacturing for full production. Revenues from LX4 module sales represented a significant area of growth in our total fiscal 2004 and 2005 revenues. We continue to expect significant revenues in fiscal 2006 and beyond. We believe that several other recently completed R&D projects have the potential to greatly improve our competitive position and drive revenue growth in the next few years. Listed below are a couple of examples:

-
In the FTTP market, EMCORE has developed an integrated PON transceiver utilizing Ortel’s industry leading video technology. EMCORE’s PON transceiver has been customer qualified and is now in production.
 
-
In the photovoltaics market, EMCORE has developed a high efficiency solar cell product for terrestrial applications. Intended for use in concentrated sunlight, these cells have been measured at greater than 35% efficiency at 500 suns.
 
Fiscal 2005 new product launches include:
 
 
-
April 2005:  EMCORE announced its PCI height compliant, small form factor 10GBASE-CX4 (CX4) module, which extends its portfolio of electrical domain products for the 10G Ethernet market.
 
 
-
March 2005:  EMCORE announced a dramatic breakthrough in 1550nm video transmission technology. This new generation of video transmitters significantly reduces size, power consumption, and video transmission costs, while enhancing the signal quality of analog, digital and IP video delivered over conventional CATV HFC and FTTP networks.
 
 
-
March 2005:  EMCORE announced the availability of new generation 32-channel 1550nm wavelength QAM-256 transmitters for broadband CATV dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) networks. Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) is a combined phase and amplitude modulation scheme to increase the transmission bandwidth over CATV networks. This technology is long sought after to harvest the bandwidth in the CATV allocated frequency band and will allow CATV multiple service operators (MSOs) to provide premium triple-play services: HDTV, data, and Voice over IP (VoIP). 
 
 
-
March 2005:  EMCORE announced that it has released a 10G Transmitter Optical Subassembly (TOSA) and Receiver Optical Sub-assembly (ROSA) for short wavelength 10G Ethernet, 10G Fibre Channel, and backplane interconnect applications. EMCORE's TOSA/ROSA products are available in LC or SC receptacle packages for makers of optoelectronic modules operating in the 850nm window, assembled in XFP, XENPAK, X2, XPAK and proprietary form factors.
 
 
-
February 2005:  EMCORE announced that it has released a 10G Receiver Optical Subassembly (ROSA) for long wavelength 10G Ethernet, OC-192 SONET and 10G Fibre Channel applications. EMCORE's ROSA is an innovative and integrated LC or SC receptacle receiver for makers of optoelectronic modules operating in the 1310nm and 1550nm windows, assembled in XFP, XENPAK, X2, XPAK and proprietary form factors.
 
 
-
February 2005:  EMCORE announced that it has released a family of component devices for Passive Optical Network, Ethernet in the First Mile, and FTTP applications. These advanced Distributed Feedback Laser (DFB) and Avalanche Photodiode (APD) devices will be integrated into products deployed in Ethernet Passive Optical Networks (EPON), Gigabit Passive Optical Networks (GPON), Gigabit Ethernet Passive Optical Networks (GEPON) and Broadband Passive Optical Networks (BPON). These advanced components add to EMCORE's strong market position as a leading semiconductor laser and photodiode supplier.
 
 
-
February 2005:  EMCORE announced that it has released a small form factor version of its successful 10GBASE-LX4 (LX4) module, used in 10G Ethernet (10GbE) applications. The new reduced size X2 module is roughly half the size of the XENPAK unit and supports topside mounting on the host PCB. This module continues to fully support the 10GbE, IEEE 802.3ae-2002 standard. The small form factor LX4 module in an X2 form factor offers all of the functionality of EMCORE's XENPAK units. LX4 modules offer a single interface that can transmit over both multimode fiber and single-mode fiber. It is the only solution approved by the IEEE that can enable 10GbE connectivity over 300m over multimode fiber, as well as 10km of single-mode fiber. By the end of 2006 it is estimated the number of X2 ports shipping will begin to surpass XENPAK. EMCORE has identified this rapid expansion of the small form factor 10GbE X2 segment as a significant market opportunity for its new product.
 
 
-
February 2005:  EMCORE announced that it has released a new, innovative 10G Ethernet compatible XENPAK module, part number EEX-8100-XEN (EX4), which enables extended distance transmission over both multimode and single-mode fibers. The EX4 is a proprietary EMCORE product that plugs into standard XENPAK slots and can transmit up to 1 km on legacy multimode fiber, and up 1.5 km on some higher-grade legacy multimode fibers. The module can also transmit up to 40 km over installed single-mode fiber. This extended multimode fiber reach addresses the needs of many end-users who find themselves with "stranded fibers" which are longer than 300 m. These legacy multimode fibers were installed for transmission of older technologies, such as FDDI, Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet. Current 10G Ethernet modules do not support these stranded links. According to a commissioned report by Alan Flatman, presented to the IEEE in March 2004, there are greater than seven million multimode links longer than 300 m installed worldwide in campus and building backbones. EMCORE has identified these embedded stranded fibers as a significant market opportunity for the EX4, by enabling these links to upgrade to 10G Ethernet.
 
EMCORE also actively competes for R&D funds. In view of the high cost of development, EMCORE solicits research contracts that provide opportunities to enhance its core technology base and promote the commercialization of targeted EMCORE products. Internal R&D funding is used for the development of products that will be released within 12 months, and external funding is used for longer-range R&D efforts.


Intellectual Property and Licensing

EMCORE protects its proprietary technology by applying for patents where appropriate and in other cases by preserving the technology and related know-how and information as trade secrets. The success and competitive position of our product lines depend significantly on our ability to obtain intellectual property protection for our R&D efforts. We also acquire, through license grants or assignments, rights to patents on inventions originally developed by others. As of September 30, 2005, EMCORE held 63 U.S. patents and 8 foreign patents. Also, over 100 patent applications have been filed in the U.S. and internationally. Our U.S. patents will expire between 2009 and 2022. These patents and patent applications claim various aspects of current or planned commercial versions of EMCORE's materials, components, and subsystems.
 
We also have entered into license agreements with the licensing agencies of other universities and other organizations, under which we have obtained exclusive or non-exclusive rights to practice inventions claimed in various patents and applications issued or pending in the US and other foreign countries. We do not believe the financial obligations under any of these agreements has a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

EMCORE relies on trade secrets to protect its intellectual property when it believes that publishing patents would make it easier for others to reverse engineer EMCORE's proprietary processes. A "trade secret" is information that has value to the extent it is not generally known, not readily ascertainable by others through legitimate means, and protected in a way that maintains its secrecy. Reliance on trade secrets is only an effective business practice insofar as trade secrets remain undisclosed and a proprietary product or process is not reverse engineered or independently developed. To protect our trade secrets, we take certain measures to ensure their secrecy, such as partitioning the non-essential flow of information between our different groups and executing non-disclosure agreements with our employees, our joint venture partner, customers, and suppliers. We also rely upon other intellectual property rights such as trademarks and copyright where appropriate.

As is typical in our industry, from time to time, we have sent letters to, and received letters from, third parties regarding the assertion of patent or other intellectual property rights in connection with certain of our products and processes. To date, we have not engaged in any litigation regarding the intellectual property rights of our products and processes.

In connection with our sale of the TurboDisc capital equipment business in November 2003, EMCORE retained a license to all MOCVD system-related technology. EMCORE intends to use this license to further optimize the performance of its own reactors and develop improvements to its hardware that will increase yields on existing products and enable the fabrication of advanced, wide bandgap materials.
 
 
Environmental Regulations

EMCORE is subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations concerning the use, storage, handling, generation, treatment, emission, release, discharge, and disposal of certain materials used in its R&D and production operations, as well as laws and regulations concerning environmental remediation and employee health and safety. The production of wafers and devices involves the use of certain hazardous raw materials, including, but not limited to, ammonia, phosphine, and arsine. If our control systems are unsuccessful in preventing release of these or other hazardous materials or we fail to comply with such environmental provisions, our actions, whether intentional or inadvertent, could result in fines and other liabilities to the government or third parties, and injunctions requiring us to suspend or curtail operations which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

EMCORE has in-house professionals to address compliance with applicable environmental and health and safety laws and regulations. We believe that EMCORE is currently in compliance with all applicable environmental laws, including the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, except such violations as could not reasonably be expected to have a material effect on our financial condition or results of operations.
 

Competition

The semiconductor industry is extremely competitive and is characterized by rapid technological change, frequent introduction of new products, short product life cycles and significant price erosion. EMCORE faces actual and potential competition from numerous domestic and international compound semiconductor companies. Many of these companies have greater engineering, manufacturing, marketing, and financial resources than we have. A partial list of these competitors include:

CATV. Competitors in the CATV market include Fujitsu, Mitsubishi and Optium Corporation.

Telecommunications. For telecommunications and FTTP components, the market competitors include Fujitsu, JDSU, Mitsubishi, MRV Communications, and Summitomo. For 10G transceivers and parallel optical modules, our competitors include Agilent Technologies, Inc. (Agilent), Eudyna Devices, Inc., Finisar Corporation (Finisar), Opnext, Inc. (Opnext), and Picolight, Inc. (Picolight).

Data and Storage. The market competitors include Agilent, Finisar (particularly its Advanced Optical Component division, which was acquired from Honeywell Corporation), Opnext, and Picolight. There are also numerous smaller vendors located throughout the world.

Satellite Communications. For photovoltaics products, EMCORE primarily competes with Mitsubishi Electric, RWE SCHOTT Solar GmbH, Sharp Electronics Corporation, and Spectrolab, Inc., a subsidiary of The Boeing Company. For satellite communication products, our primary competitors are Foxcom and MITEQ, Inc.

Wireless Communications. The primary competitors in the electronic materials and wireless communications markets include APA Enterprises, Inc., CREE Inc., Hitachi Cable, IQE plc., Kopin Corporation, Sumika, Visual Photonics Epitaxy Co., Ltd., as well as integrated circuit manufacturers with in-house transistor growth capabilities.

Defense and Homeland Security. The competitors in RF transport for defense and homeland security products include Aegis Technologies, Linear Photonics, LLC , Gemfire Corporation, JDSU, and Optium Corporation.

Solid State Lighting. The principal competitors for HB-LED applications and EMCORE's joint venture with General Electric Lighting include CREE, LumiLeds Lighting, a division of Philips Lighting, Nichia Corporation, Siemens AG's Osram GmbH subsidiary, and Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. In addition, Arima Computer Corporation, Epistar Corporation, and other Asia-based companies in recent years have begun production of LEDs.

In addition to the companies listed above, EMCORE competes with many research institutions and universities for research contract funding. EMCORE also sells its products to current competitors and companies with the capability of becoming competitors. As the markets for EMCORE's products grow, new competitors are likely to emerge and current competitors may increase their market share. In the EU, political and legal requirements encourage the purchase of EU-produced goods, which may put EMCORE at a competitive disadvantage against its European competitors.
 
There are substantial barriers to entry by new competitors across EMCORE's product lines. These barriers include: the large number of existing patents; the time and costs to be incurred to develop products; the technical difficulty in manufacturing semiconductor products; the lengthy sales and qualification cycles; and the difficulties in hiring and retaining skilled employees with the required scientific and technical backgrounds. EMCORE believes that the primary competitive factors within EMCORE's current markets are yield, throughput, performance, breadth of product line, product heritage, customer satisfaction, and customer commitment to competing technologies. Competitors may develop enhancements to or future generations of competitive products that offer superior price and performance factors. We believe that in order to remain competitive, we must invest significant financial resources in developing new product features and enhancements and in maintaining customer satisfaction worldwide.


Employees

At September 30, 2005, EMCORE had 650 employees, including 364 employees in manufacturing operations, 99 employees in R&D, 148 employees in sales, general and administration (SG&A), and 39 temporary employees. This represented an increase of 62 employees or 11% from September 30, 2004. Our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel is essential to our continued success. We are focused on retaining key contributors, developing our staff and cultivating their level of commitment. None of EMCORE's employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement, nor have we ever experienced any labor-related work stoppage. We believe our employee relations generally to be good.
 

Risk Factors

YOU SHOULD CAREFULLY CONSIDER THE RISKS DESCRIBED BELOW. IF ANY OF THE FOLLOWING RISKS ACTUALLY OCCURS, OUR BUSINESS, FINANCIAL CONDITION OR RESULTS OF OPERATIONS COULD BE MATERIALLY AND ADVERSELY AFFECTED. WE CAUTION THE READER THAT THESE RISK FACTORS MAY NOT BE EXHAUSTIVE. WE OPERATE IN A CONTINUALLY CHANGING BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT AND NEW RISK FACTORS EMERGE FROM TIME TO TIME. WE CANNOT PREDICT SUCH NEW RISK FACTORS, AND WE CANNOT ASSESS THE EFFECT, IF ANY, OF SUCH NEW RISK FACTORS ON OUR BUSINESSES OR THE EXTENT TO WHICH ANY FACTOR, OR COMBINATION OF FACTORS, MAY CAUSE ACTUAL RESULTS TO DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THOSE PROJECTED IN ANY FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS CONTAINED IN THIS REPORT. ACCORDINGLY, FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS SHOULD NOT BE RELIED UPON AS A PREDICTION OF ACTUAL RESULTS. IN ADDITION, OUR MANAGEMENT'S ESTIMATES OF FUTURE OPERATING RESULTS ARE BASED ON THE CURRENT COMPLEMENT OF BUSINESSES, WHICH IS CONSTANTLY SUBJECT TO CHANGE AS MANAGEMENT UPDATES AND IMPLEMENTS ITS BUSINESS STRATEGY.

We May Continue To Incur Net Losses.

We started operations in 1984 and as of September 30, 2005, we had an accumulated deficit of $316.0 million. We incurred net losses of $13.1 million in fiscal 2005, $13.4 million in fiscal 2004, and $38.5 million in fiscal 2003. While we have reduced our cost structure substantially, and are focused on profitability, we may continue to lose money. Many of our expenses, particularly those relating to capital equipment, debt service, and manufacturing overhead are fixed. Accordingly, lower revenue causes our fixed production costs to be allocated across reduced production volumes, which adversely affects our gross margin and profitability. While our business strategy is to achieve operational profitability during the second half of fiscal 2006, if we are unable to achieve target revenues or to contain our cost structures, we will continue to incur operating losses.

Our Cost Reduction Programs May Be Insufficient To Achieve Long-Term Profitability.

We are undertaking cost reduction measures intended to reduce our expense structure at both the cost of goods sold and the operating expense levels. We believe these measures are a necessary response to, among other things, declining average sales prices across our product lines. These measures may be unsuccessful in creating profit margins sufficient to sustain our current operating structure and business.

Reduced Customer Lead Times Means We Are Less Able To Forecast Revenues And, As A Result, We May Be Unable To Accurately Predict Growth And Manage Our Cost Structure.

Several of our customers have reduced the lead times they give us when ordering product from us. While this trend has enabled us to reduce inventory, it also restricts our ability to forecast revenues. If our sales and profit margins do not increase to support the higher levels of operating expenses, and if our new product offerings are not successful, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected.

Our Success Depends On Our Ability To Introduce New Products On A Timely Basis.

We compete in markets characterized by rapid technological change, evolving industry standards and continuous improvements in products. Due to constant changes in these markets, our future success depends on our ability to improve our manufacturing processes, systems and products. To remain competitive we must continually introduce new and improved products. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows may be materially and adversely affected if:

·  
we are unable to improve our existing products on a timely basis;
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our new products are not introduced on a timely basis or do not achieve sufficient market penetration; or
·  
our new products experience reliability or quality problems.

Shifts In Industry-wide Demands And Inventories Could Result In Significant Inventory Write-downs.

The life cycles of some of our products depend heavily upon the life cycles of the end products into which our products are designed. Products with short life cycles require us to manage production and inventory levels closely. We evaluate our ending inventories on a quarterly basis for excess quantities, impairment of value and obsolescence. This evaluation includes analysis of sales levels by product and projections of future demand based upon input received from our customers, sales team and management estimates. If inventories on hand are in excess of demand, or if they are greater than 12-months old, appropriate reserves are provided. In addition, we write off inventories that are considered obsolete based upon changes in customer demand, manufacturing process changes that result in existing inventory obsolescence or new product introductions, which eliminate demand for existing products. Remaining inventory balances are adjusted to approximate the lower of our manufacturing cost or market value.

If future demand or market conditions are less favorable than our estimates, additional inventory write-downs may be required. We cannot assure investors that obsolete or excess inventories, which may result from unanticipated changes in the estimated total demand for our products and/or the estimated life cycles of the end products into which our products are designed, will not affect us beyond the inventory charges that we have already taken.

The Time And Costs Of Developing New Products May Exceed Our Budget And Our Products May Not Be Commercially Successful.

We continue to introduce a number of new products, and expect to be introducing additional new products in the future. The commercialization of our new products involves substantial expenditures in R&D, production, and marketing. We may be unable to successfully design or manufacture these new products and may have difficulty penetrating new markets. In 2006, we intend to expend significant resources to continue to develop and commercialize a terrestrial solar concentrator based on our high efficiency gallium arsenide solar cell. There can be no assurance that we will successfully complete development or that any resultant system will be as cost effective as existing silicon-based solutions. In addition, development and commercialization may take longer than we anticipate and be more costly than we have budgeted.

Because it is generally not possible to predict the amount of time required and the costs involved in achieving certain research, development, and engineering objectives, actual development costs may exceed budgeted amounts and estimated product development schedules may be extended. Our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows could suffer if we incur budget overruns or delays in our R&D efforts.

We Have Substantial Long-Term Debt Which We May Be Unable To Repay If We Cannot Generate Sufficient Funds To Do So.

In May 2001, we sold $175.0 million of 5% Convertible Subordinated Notes due May 15, 2006 (2006 Notes) in a private placement for resale to qualified institutional buyers. In December 2002, EMCORE purchased $13.2 million principal amount of the notes at prevailing market prices for an aggregate of approximately $6.3 million. In February 2004, EMCORE exchanged approximately $146.0 million, or 90.2%, of these remaining 2006 Notes for approximately $80.3 million aggregate principal amount of new 5% Convertible Senior Subordinated Notes due May 15, 2011 (2011 Notes) and approximately 7.7 million shares of EMCORE common stock. The new notes are convertible into EMCORE common stock at a conversion price of $8.06 per share, subject to adjustment under customary anti-dilutive provisions. They also are redeemable should EMCORE's common stock price reach $12.09 per share.
 
In November 2005, EMCORE exchanged $14,425,000 aggregate principal amount of EMCORE’s 2006 Notes for $16,580,460 aggregate principal amount of newly issued Convertible Senior Subordinated Notes due May 15, 2011 (New 2011 Notes) pursuant to an Exchange Agreement (Agreement) with Alexandra Global Master Fund Ltd. (Alexandra).  The terms of the New 2011 Notes are identical in all material respects to EMCORE’s 2011 Notes.  The New 2011 Notes are ranked pari passu with the existing 2011 Notes.  The New 2011 Notes will be convertible at any time prior to maturity, unless previously redeemed or repurchased by EMCORE, into the shares of EMCORE common stock, no par value, at the conversion rate of 124.0695 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount.  The effective conversion rate is $8.06 per share of common stock, subject to adjustment under customary anti-dilutive provisions. They also are redeemable should EMCORE's common stock price reach $12.09 per share.  The 2006 Notes exchanged by Alexandra represented approximately 91.4% of the $15,775,000 total amount of existing 2006 Notes outstanding at the time of the transaction.  EMCORE intends to redeem for cash the remaining $1,350,000 of 2006 Notes on or before the May 15, 2006 maturity date.
 
In addition, we may incur additional debt in the future. This significant amount of debt could, among other things:

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make it difficult for us to make payments on the notes and any other debt we may have;
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make it difficult for us to obtain any necessary future financing for working capital, capital expenditures, debt service requirements or other purposes;
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require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to service our debt, which would reduce the amount of our cash flow available for other purposes, including working capital and capital expenditures;
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limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business; and
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make us more vulnerable in the event of a further or continued downturn in our business.

If our cash flow is inadequate to meet our obligations or we are unable to generate sufficient cash flow or otherwise obtain funds necessary to make required payments on the notes or our other obligations, we would be in default under the terms thereof. Default under one or both of the note indentures would permit the holders of the notes to accelerate the maturity of the notes and could cause defaults under future indebtedness we may incur. Any such default would have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, we cannot assure you that we would be able to repay amounts due in respect of the notes if payment of either or both of the notes were to be accelerated following the occurrence of an event of default as defined in the respective note indentures.

We May Engage In Acquisitions That May Effect Our Operating Results, Dilute Our Shareholders, and/or Cause Us To Incur Debt.

We may pursue acquisitions to acquire new technologies, products or service offerings. Future acquisitions by us may involve the following:

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use of significant amounts of cash;
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potentially dilutive issuances of equity securities on potentially unfavorable items; and
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incurrence of debt on potentially unfavorable terms, as well as amortization expense related to other intangible assets.

In addition, acquisitions involve numerous risks, including:

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inability to achieve anticipated synergies;
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difficulties in the integration of the operations, technologies, products and personnel of the acquired company;
·  
diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns;
·  
risks of entering markets in which we have no or limited prior experience; and
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potential loss of key employees of the acquired company or of EMCORE.

From time to time, we have engaged in discussions with acquisition candidates regarding potential acquisitions of product lines, technologies and businesses. If acquisitions occur, we cannot be certain that our business, operating results and financial condition will not be materially and adversely affected.

In the past several years we have completed several major acquisitions, which have reoriented EMCORE's strategy and broadened our product lines within our target markets. However, if customer demand in these markets does not meet current expectations, our revenues could be significantly reduced, and we could suffer a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
 
Our Acquisitions Place A Strain On Our Resources.

We are in a dynamic business and certain of our larger acquisitions over the past several years have presented many challenges. These acquisitions have placed, and will continue to place, a significant strain on our management, financial, sales, and other employees, as well as on our internal systems and controls. If we are unable to effectively manage multiple facilities and a joint venture in geographically distant locations, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected.

Cisco Systems, Inc. (Cisco) is an important customer, accounting for 19% of our revenue in fiscal 2005. The majority of our revenues from Cisco come from the sale of our LX4 module.
 
We sell most of our LX4 modules to Cisco. Until recently, EMCORE was the sole supplier of LX4 modules to Cisco, and we currently continue to supply Cisco with the majority of its needs. In fiscal 2005, sales to Cisco accounted for 19% of our total revenue. The majority of this revenue came from sales of our LX4 module. We do not have an exclusive commercial arrangement with Cisco and Cisco has made it clear that continued sales are dependent on our continuing to be the leader in price, quality and delivery. We understand that Cisco has recently qualified another vendor for LX4 modules and is working with several other vendors (including EMCORE) to qualify the next generation LX4 module, the X2. There can be no assurance that EMCORE will continue to be the dominant supplier of LX4 modules to Cisco or that EMCORE will be selected to supply X2 modules to Cisco. Absent strong demand for EMCORE’s LX4 modules from other customers, if Cisco decreases its purchase orders, for any reason, our business and operating results (including, among other things, our revenue and gross margin) will be harmed, at least in the short-term.

The Markets In Which We Compete Are Highly Competitive. An Increase In Competition Would Limit Our Ability To Maintain Or Increase Our Market Share.

We face substantial competition from a number of companies, many of which have greater financial, marketing, manufacturing and technical resources. Larger-sized competitors could spend more on R&D, which could give those competitors an advantage in meeting customer demand. We expect that existing and new competitors will improve the design of their existing products and will introduce new products with enhanced performance characteristics. The introduction of new products or more efficient production of existing products by our competitors could result in price reductions and increases in expenses, and reduce market acceptance of our products, which could diminish our market share and gross margins.

We Face Intense and Predatory Competition in Certain Markets.

The compound semiconductor industry has been undergoing a period of significant consolidation, and we believe that some of our competitors have engaged in below-cost sales and other predatory conduct in order to preserve revenues and/or drive their competitors out of business. As part of our strategy to achieve profitable growth, we may be unable to win future business from customers who elect to buy from such predatory companies. As a result, our revenues may decline as we focus on profitable business opportunities (by not choosing to bid on orders with negative gross margins), and our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows may be materially and adversely impacted.

We May Not Respond Effectively to Increased Competition Caused by Industry Volatility and Consolidation.

Our business could be seriously harmed if we do not compete effectively. We face competitive challenges, especially from Asia, that are likely to arise from a number of factors, including industry volatility resulting from rapid product development cycles; increasing price competition due to maturation of technologies; industry consolidation resulting in competitors with greater financial, marketing, and technical resources; the emergence of new competitors in Asia with lower cost structures and competitive offerings; and greater competition for fewer customers as a result of consolidation in our sales channels.

Fluctuations In Our Quarterly Operating Results May Negatively Impact Our Stock Price.

Our revenues and operating results may vary significantly from quarter to quarter due to a number of factors particular to EMCORE and the compound semiconductor industry. Not all of these factors are in our control. They can include:

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the volume and timing of orders and payments for our products;
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the timing of our announcements and introduction of new products and of similar announcements by our competitors;
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downturns in the market for our customers’ products;
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regional economic conditions, particularly in locations (such as the United States and Asia) where we derive a significant portion of our revenues;
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price volatility in the compound semiconductor industry; and
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changes in product mix.

These factors may cause our operating results for future periods to be below the expectations of analysts and investors. This may cause a decline in the price of our common stock.

General Electric Lighting, Our Joint Venture Partner, Who Has Majority Ownership and Control Of GELcore, May Make Decisions That We Do Not Agree With And That Adversely Affect Our Net Income.

We have a 49% minority interest in our GELcore joint venture with General Electric Lighting. A board of managers governs GELcore with representatives from both General Electric Lighting and EMCORE. Many fundamental decisions must be approved by both parties, which means we will be unable to direct the operation and direction of GELcore without the agreement of General Electric Lighting. If we are unable to agree on important issues with General Electric Lighting, GELcore's business may be delayed or interrupted, which may, in turn, materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We have devoted and may be required to continue to devote significant funds and technologies to GELcore to develop and enhance its products. In addition, GELcore requires that some of our employees devote much of their time to its projects. This places a strain on our management, scientific, financial, and sales employees. If GELcore is unsuccessful in developing and marketing their products, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows may be materially and adversely affected.

General Electric Lighting and EMCORE have agreed that this joint venture will be the sole vehicle for each party's participation in the solid state lighting market. General Electric Lighting and EMCORE have also agreed to several limitations during the life of the venture and thereafter relating how each of us can make use of the joint venture's technology. One consequence of these limitations is that in certain circumstances, such as a material default by us or certain sales of our interest in the joint venture, we would not be permitted to use the joint venture's technology to compete in the solid state lighting market.

Since a Significant Percentage of Our Revenues Are From Foreign Sales, Various International Commercial Risks May Disproportionately Affect Our Revenues.

Sales to customers located outside the U.S. accounted for approximately 15% of our revenues in fiscal 2005, 29% of our revenues in fiscal 2004, and 27% of our revenues in fiscal 2003. Sales to customers in Asia represent the majority of our international sales. We believe that international sales will continue to account for a significant percentage of our revenues. Because of this, the following international commercial risks may disproportionately affect our revenues:

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political and economic instability may inhibit export of our devices and limit potential customers’ access to U.S. dollars in a country or region in which our customers are located;
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we may experience difficulties in the timeliness of collection of foreign accounts receivable and be forced to write off receivables from foreign customers;
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tariffs and other barriers may make our devices less cost competitive;
·  
the laws of certain foreign countries may not adequately protect our trade secrets and intellectual property or may be burdensome to comply with;
·  
potentially adverse tax consequences to our customers may make our devices not cost competitive; and
·  
currency fluctuations may impact foreign investment in U.S. companies, including EMCORE, or affect overseas demand for our products.

We Will Lose Sales If We Are Unable To Obtain Government Authorization To Export Our Products.

Exports of our products to certain international destinations (such as the People's Republic of China, Argentina, Brazil, India, Russia, Malaysia, and Taiwan) may require pre-shipment authorization from U.S. export control authorities, including the U.S. Departments of Commerce and State. Authorization may be conditioned on end-use restrictions. Failure to receive these authorizations may materially and adversely affect our revenues and in turn our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows from international sales.

Our communications satellite business is particularly sensitive to export control issues. All of our commercially-available solar cell products are export-controlled. At present, jurisdiction over export of these items is being reviewed by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Commerce. During this review period, we are required to apply to the U.S. Department of State for export licenses for our solar cell products. Given the current global political climate, obtaining export licenses can be difficult and time-consuming. Failure to obtain export licenses for these shipments could significantly reduce our revenue, and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Our Operating Results Could Be Harmed If We Lose Access To Sole Or Limited Sources Of Materials Or Services.

We currently obtain some components and services for our products from limited or single sources. We generally do not carry significant inventories of any raw materials. Because we often do not account for a significant part of our vendors’ business, we may not have access to sufficient capacity from these vendors in periods of high demand. In addition, we risk having important suppliers terminate product lines, change business focus, or even go out of business. Because some of these suppliers are located overseas, we may be faced with higher costs of purchasing these materials if the dollar weakens against other currencies. If we were to change any of our limited or sole source vendors, we would be required to re-qualify each new vendor. Re-qualification could prevent or delay product shipments that could negatively affect our results of operations. In addition, our reliance on these vendors may negatively affect our production if the components vary in quality or quantity. If we are unable to obtain timely deliveries of sufficient components of acceptable quality or if the prices of components for which we do not have alternative sources increase, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected.

Our Products Are Difficult To Manufacture And Our Production Could Be Disrupted If We Are Unable To Avoid Manufacturing Difficulties.

We manufacture many of our wafers and devices in our own production facilities. Difficulties in the production process can cause a substantial percentage of wafers and devices to be rejected. Lower-than-expected production yields may delay shipments or result in unexpected levels of warranty claims, either of which can materially and adversely affect our operating results. We have experienced difficulties in achieving planned yields in the past, particularly in pre-production and upon initial commencement of full production volumes, which have adversely affected our gross margins. Because the majority of our manufacturing costs are relatively fixed, our production yields are critical to our financial results. Because we manufacture many of our products internally, any interruption in manufacturing resulting from fire, natural disaster, equipment failures, or otherwise could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We Face Lengthy Sales And Qualifications Cycles For Our Products And, In Many Cases, Must Invest A Substantial Amount Of Time And Funds Before We Receive Orders.

Nearly all of our products are tested by current and potential customers to determine whether they meet customer or industry specifications. During a given qualification period, we invest significant resources and allocate substantial production capacity to the manufacture of these new products, prior to any commitment to purchase by customers and without generating significant revenues from the qualification process. If we are unable to meet applicable specifications, or do not receive sufficient orders to profitably use the allocated production capacity, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected.

Our historical and future budgets for operating expenses, capital expenditures, operating leases, and service contracts are based upon our assumptions as to the anticipated market acceptance of our products. Because of the lengthy lead time required for product development and the changes in technology that typically occur during such period, it is difficult to accurately estimate customer demand for a given product. If our products do not achieve expected customer demand, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected.

If Our Contract Manufacturers Fail To Deliver Quality Products At Reasonable Prices And On A Timely Basis, Our Results Of Operations And Financial Condition Could Be Materially Affected.

We are increasing our use of contract manufacturers located outside of the U.S. as a less-expensive alternative to performing our own manufacturing of certain products. If these contract manufacturers do not fulfill their obligations to us, or if we do not properly manage these relationships and the transition of production to these contract manufacturers, our existing customer relationships may suffer. In addition, by undertaking these activities, we run the risk that the reputation and competitiveness of our products and services may deteriorate as a result of the reduction of our control over quality and delivery schedules. We also may experience supply interruptions, import/export controls, cost escalations and competitive disadvantages if our contract manufacturers fail to develop, implement or maintain manufacturing methods appropriate for our products and customers.

Prior to our customers accepting products manufactured at our contract manufacturers, they must requalify the product and manufacturing processes. The qualification process can be lengthy and is expensive, with no guarantee that any particular product qualification process will lead to profitable product sales. The qualification process determines whether the product manufactured at our contract manufacturer achieves the customers’ quality, performance and reliability standards. Our expectations as to the time periods required to qualify a product line and ship products in volumes to customers may be erroneous. Delays in qualification can impair the expected timing of transfer of a product line to our contract manufacturer, and may impair the expected amount of sales of the affected products. We may, in fact, experience delays in obtaining qualification of our contract manufacturer’s manufacturing lines and, as a consequence, our operating results and customer relationships could be harmed.

Our supply chain and manufacturing process relies on accurate forecasting to provide us with optimal margins and profitability. Because of market uncertainties, forecasting is becoming much more difficult. In addition, as we come to rely more heavily on contract manufacturers, we may have fewer personnel with expertise to manage these third-party arrangements.

We Have Continuing Concerns Regarding The Manufacture, Profitability Quality, And Distribution Of Our Products.

EMCORE’s success depends upon our ability to timely deliver high quality products to our customers at acceptable cost. As a technology company, we constantly encounter quality, volume, price and cost concerns. These factors have caused considerable strain on our execution capabilities and our customer relations. Currently, we are (a) having difficulty responding to customer delivery expectations for some of our products, (b) unable to fulfill customer demand for some of our products, (c) experiencing yield and quality problems, and (d) expending additional funds and other resources to respond to these execution challenges. We are currently losing additional revenue opportunities due to these concerns. We are also, in the short-term, diverting resources from R&D and other functions to assist with resolving these matters. If we do not improve our performance in all of these areas, our operating results will be harmed, the commercial viability of new products may be challenged and our customers may choose to reduce their orders of our products and purchase additional products from our competitors. Our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows may be materially and adversely affected by these factors.

We Could Incur Significant Costs To Correct Defective Products.

Our products are rigorously tested for quality both internally and by our customers. Nevertheless, our products do, and may continue to, fail to meet customer expectations from time-to-time. Also, not all defects are immediately detectible. Failures could result from faulty design or problems in manufacturing. In either case, we could incur significant costs to repair and/or replace defective products under warranty, particularly when such failures occur in installed systems. We have experienced such failures in the past and remain exposed to such failures. In some cases, product redesigns and/or rework may be required to correct a defect, and such occurrences could adversely impact future business with effected customers. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows may be materially and adversely affected by any unexpected warranty costs.

Industry Demand For Skilled Employees (Particularly Scientific And Technical Personnel With Compound Semiconductor Experience) Exceeds The Number Of Skilled Personnel Available.

Our future success depends, in part, on our ability to attract and retain certain key personnel, including scientific, operational and management personnel. The competition for attracting and retaining these employees (especially scientists and technical personnel) is intense. Because of this competition for skilled employees, we may be unable to retain our existing personnel or attract additional qualified employees in the future. If we are unable to retain our skilled employees and attract additional qualified employees to the extent necessary to keep up with our business demands and changes, our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows may be materially and adversely affected.

Protecting Our Trade Secrets And Obtaining Patent Protection Is Critical To Our Ability To Effectively Compete For Business.

Our success and competitive position depend on protecting our trade secrets and other intellectual property. Our strategy is to rely both on trade secrets and patents to protect our manufacturing and sales processes and products. Reliance on trade secrets is only an effective business practice insofar as trade secrets remain undisclosed and a proprietary product or process is not reverse engineered or independently developed. We take certain measures to protect our trade secrets, including executing non-disclosure agreements with our employees, our joint venture partner, customers, and suppliers. If parties breach these agreements or the measures we take are not properly implemented, we may not have an adequate remedy. Disclosure of our trade secrets or reverse engineering of our proprietary products, processes, or devices could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

There is also no assurance that any patents will afford us commercially significant protection of our technologies or that we will have adequate resources to enforce our patents. We are actively pursuing patents on some of our recent inventions. In addition, the laws of certain other countries may not protect our intellectual property to the same extent as U.S. laws.

Our Failure To Obtain Or Maintain The Right To Use Certain Intellectual Property May Adversely Affect Our Financial Results.

The compound semiconductor, optoelectronics and fiber optic communications industries are characterized by frequent litigation regarding patent and other intellectual property rights. From time to time we have received, and may receive in the future, notice of claims of infringement of other parties’ proprietary rights and licensing offers to commercialize third party patent rights. Although we are not currently involved in any litigation relating to our intellectual property, there can be no assurance that:

·  
infringement claims (or claims for indemnification resulting from infringement claims) will not be asserted against us or that such claims will not be successful;
·  
future assertions will not result in an injunction against the sale of infringing products or otherwise significantly impair our business and results of operations;
·  
any patent owned by us will not be invalidated, circumvented or challenged; or
·  
we will not be required to obtains licenses, the expense of which may adversely affect our results of operations and profitability.

In addition, effective copyright and trade secret protection may be unavailable or limited in certain foreign countries. Litigation, which could result in substantial cost to us and diversion of our resources, may be necessary to defend our rights or defend us against claimed infringement of the rights of others.

Our Management's Stock Ownership Gives Them The Power To Control Business Affairs And Prevent A Takeover That Could Be Beneficial To Unaffiliated Shareholders.

Certain members of our management, specifically Thomas J. Russell, Chairman of our Board, Reuben F. Richards, Jr., President, Chief Executive Officer and a director, and Robert Louis-Dreyfus, a director, are former members of Jesup & Lamont Merchant Partners, L.L.C. They collectively beneficially own approximately 20% of our common stock. Accordingly, such persons will continue to hold sufficient voting power to control our business and affairs for the foreseeable future. This concentration of ownership may also have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of our company, which could have a material adverse effect on our stock price.

Unsuccessful Control Of The Hazardous Raw Materials Used In Our Manufacturing Process Could Result In Costly Remediation Fees, Penalties Or Damages Under Environmental And Safety Regulations.

Some of our production activities involve the use of certain hazardous raw materials, including, but not limited to, ammonia, gallium, phosphine and arsine. If our control systems are unsuccessful in preventing a release of these materials into the environment or other adverse environmental conditions occur, we could experience interruptions in our operations and incur substantial remediation and other costs. Failure to comply with environmental and health and safety laws and regulations may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Compliance Obligations Will Cause Us To Incur Increased Costs.

Changes in the laws and regulations affecting public companies over the past several years, including certain provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, have resulted in additional internal and external expenses required to respond to these new requirements. In particular, we have incurred and will continue to incur general and administrative expense as we have implemented Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which requires management to report on, and our independent auditors to attest to, our internal controls. Compliance with these new rules requires management to devote substantial time and attention to accounting and other compliance matters, which can be disruptive to product development, marketing and other business activities. Furthermore, these new requirements may make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board of directors or as executive officers, which could harm our business.

We May Have Difficulty Obtaining Director And Officer Liability Insurance In Acceptable Amounts For Acceptable Rates Which Could Impair Our Ability To Recruit and Retain Qualified Officers and Directors.

Like most other public companies, we carry insurance protecting our officers and directors against claims relating to the conduct of our business. Historically, this insurance covered, among other things, the costs incurred by companies and their management to defend against and resolve claims relating to management conduct and results of operations, such as securities class action claims. These claims typically are extremely expensive to defend against and resolve. Hence, as is customary, we purchase and maintain insurance to cover some of these costs. We pay significant premiums to acquire and maintain this insurance, which is provided by third-party insurers, and we agree to underwrite a portion of such exposures under the terms of the insurance coverage. Over the last several years, the premiums we have paid for this insurance have increased substantially. One consequence of the current economic environment and decline in stock prices has been a substantial increase in the number of securities class actions and similar claims brought against public corporations and their management. Consequently, insurers providing director and officer liability insurance have in recent periods sharply increased the premiums they charge for this insurance, raised retentions (that is, the amount of liability that a company is required to pay to defend and resolve a claim before any applicable insurance is provided), and limited the amount of insurance they will provide. Moreover, insurers typically provide only one-year policies.

Each year we negotiate with insurers to renew our director and officer insurance. Particularly in the current economic environment, we cannot be certain that we will be able to obtain sufficient director and officer liability insurance coverage in the future at acceptable rates and with acceptable deductibles and other limitations. Failure to obtain such insurance could materially harm our financial condition in the event that we are required to defend against and resolve any future securities class actions or other claims made against us or our management arising from the conduct of our operations. Further, the inability to obtain such insurance in adequate amounts may impair our future ability to retain and recruit qualified officers and directors.

Our Business Or Our Stock Price Could Be Adversely Affected By Issuance Of Preferred Stock.

Our board of directors is authorized to issue up to 5,882,352 shares of preferred stock with such dividend rates, liquidation preferences, voting rights, redemption and conversion terms and privileges as our board of directors, in its sole discretion, may determine. The issuance of shares of preferred stock may result in a decrease in the value or market price of our common stock, or our board of directors could use the preferred stock to delay or discourage hostile bids for control of us in which shareholders may receive premiums for their common stock or to make the possible sale of EMCORE or the removal of our management more difficult. The issuance of shares of preferred stock could adversely affect the voting and other rights of the holders of common stock and may depress the price of our common stock.

Certain Provisions Of New Jersey Law And Our Charter May Make A Takeover Of EMCORE Difficult Even If Such Takeover Could Be Beneficial To Some Of Our Shareholders.

New Jersey law and our certificate of incorporation, as amended, contain certain provisions that could delay or prevent a takeover attempt that our shareholders may consider in their best interests. Our board of directors is divided into three classes. Directors are elected to serve staggered three-year terms and are not subject to removal except for cause by the vote of the holders of at least 80% of our capital stock. In addition, approval by the holders of 80% of our voting stock is required for certain business combinations unless these transactions meet certain fair price criteria and procedural requirements or are approved by two-thirds of our continuing directors. We may in the future adopt other measures that may have the effect of delaying or discouraging an unsolicited takeover, even if the takeover were at a premium price or favored by a majority of unaffiliated shareholders. Certain of these measures may be adopted without any further vote or action by our shareholders and this could depress the price of our common stock.

The Price Of Our Common Stock May Fluctuate Widely In The Future.

EMCORE’s stock price has experienced large swings over the last year, and may continue to fluctuate widely in the future. In fiscal 2005, our stock price was as high as $6.12 per share and as low as $1.46 per share. Volatility in the price of our common stock may be caused by other factors outside of our control, and may be unrelated or disproportionate to our operating results.

Factors such as quarterly fluctuations in financial results, the estimates and projections of industry analysts, and financial performance and other activities of other publicly traded companies in the semiconductor industry could cause the price of our common stock to fluctuate substantially. Similarly, the NASDAQ National Market has experienced and may continue to experience significant price and volume fluctuations, which could adversely affect the market price of our common stock without regard to our operating performance.
 
 
Properties.
 
The following chart contains certain information regarding each of EMCORE's principal facilities as of September 30, 2005. Except for the storage facility located in Somerset, NJ, each of these facilities contains office, marketing, sales, and R&D space.
 
Location
Function
Approximate
Sq. Feet
 
Terms (in fiscal year)
       
Somerset, New Jersey
Corporate Headquarters
Manufacturing of RF materials
Storage facility
18,716
19,500
47,000
Lease expires in 2007 (1)
Lease expires in 2007 (2)
Lease expires in 2006 (1) (3)
       
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Manufacturing of photovoltaic and fiber optic products
145,000
Owned by EMCORE (4)
       
City of Industry, California
Manufacturing of photovoltaic panels
71,699
Lease expires in 2007
       
Alhambra, California
Manufacturing of CATV, FTTP, and satcom products
75,000
Lease expires in 2011 (1)
       
Santa Clara, California
Fiber optics sales and R&D facility
4,000
Lease expires in 2006
       
Ewing, New Jersey
CATV sales and R&D facility
8,880
Site license expires in Nov. 2005 (5)
       
Downers Grove, Illinois
Manufacturing of LX4 modules; R&D facility
11,700
Month to month
       
 
Notes
(1) Leases have the option to be renewed by EMCORE, subject to inflation adjustments.
(2) EMCORE has the right of first offer to purchase the building in which the lease property is located.
(3) EMCORE subleases this space to a third party.
(4) EMCORE subleases approximately 20,000 square feet of this facility to third parties.
(5) Limited transitional site license under Asset Purchase Agreement with JDS Uniphase.
 
 
Legal Proceedings.
 
We are involved in lawsuits and proceedings which arise in the ordinary course of business. There are no matters pending that we expect to be material in relation to our business, consolidated financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.
 
 
Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.
 
No matters were submitted to a vote of security holders during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2005.
 


PART II
 
Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters, and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
 
EMCORE's common stock is traded on the NASDAQ National Market and is quoted under the symbol "EMKR".  The following table sets forth the quarterly high and low sale prices for EMCORE's common stock during the two most recent fiscal years.

 
   
High 
   
Low
 
               
Fiscal year ended September 30, 2004:
             
First Quarter
 
$
6.13
 
$
2.75
 
Second Quarter
 
$
7.93
 
$
3.01
 
Third Quarter
 
$
5.15
 
$
2.46
 
Fourth Quarter
 
$
3.89
 
$
1.90
 
               
Fiscal year ended September 30, 2005:
             
First Quarter
 
$
3.97
 
$
1.46
 
Second Quarter
 
$
3.77
 
$
2.25
 
Third Quarter
 
$
4.75
 
$
2.70
 
Fourth Quarter
 
$
6.12
 
$
4.00
 
               

The reported closing sale price of EMCORE's common stock on November 30, 2005 was $6.14 per share. As of November 30, 2005, EMCORE had approximately 6,800 shareholders of record. EMCORE has never declared or paid dividends on its common stock since the company's formation. EMCORE currently does not intend to pay dividends on its common stock in the foreseeable future, so that it may reinvest any earnings in its business. The payment of dividends, if any, in the future is at the discretion of the Board of Directors.


Equity Compensation Plan Information

The following table sets forth the number of securities outstanding under each of EMCORE's stock option plans, the weighted average exercise price of such options, and the number of options available for grant under such plans, as of September 30, 2005.

Plan Category
   
Number of securities
to be issued upon
exercise of outstanding
options, warrants and rights
 
 
Weighted average
exercise price
of outstanding options,
warrants and rights
 
 
Number of securities
remaining available for
future issuance under
equity compensation plans (excluding securities
reflected in column (a))
 
 
   
(a) 
 
 
(b)
 
 
(c)
 
Equity compensation plans
approved by security holders
   
6,164,306
 
$
4.16
   
449,972
 
Equity compensation plans
not approved by security holders
   
1,920
   
0.23
   
-
 
                     
Total
   
6,166,226
 
$
4.16
   
449,972
 
 
 
Selected Financial Data.
 
The following selected consolidated financial data of EMCORE's five most recent fiscal years ended September 30, 2005 is qualified by reference to, and should be read in conjunction with Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations under Item 7 and Financial Statements and Supplemental Data under Item 8. The Statement of Operations data set forth below with respect to fiscal years 2005, 2004, and 2003, and the Balance Sheet data as of September 30, 2005 and 2004, are derived from EMCORE's audited financial statements included elsewhere in this document. The Statement of Operations data for fiscal years 2002 and 2001, and the Balance Sheet data as of September 30, 2003, 2002, and 2001, are derived from audited financial statements not included herein. Significant transactions that affect the comparability of EMCORE’s operating results and financial condition include:

In November 2003, EMCORE sold its TurboDisc capital equipment business to a subsidiary of Veeco Instruments, Inc. (Veeco). EMCORE’s financial statements have been reclassified to reflect the TurboDisc business as a discontinued operation for all prior periods presented.

Fiscal 2001:
 
Interest income and interest expense reflect the May 2001 issuance of $175.0 million aggregate principal amount of 5% convertible subordinated notes due in May 2006 (2006 Notes).

Other income included a net gain of $5.9 million related to the settlement of litigation and a net gain of $10.0 million in connection with the sale of the Uniroyal Optoelectronics LLC (UOE) joint venture.

Equity in net loss of unconsolidated affiliates included an approximate $7.4 million charge associated with the UOE joint venture along with an approximate $4.9 million charge associated with the GELcore joint venture.

Effective October 1, 2000, EMCORE changed its revenue recognition policy to defer the portion of revenue related to the installation of TurboDisc MOCVD systems until final acceptance. The net effect of this change was $3.6 million.
  
Fiscal 2002:
 
In March 2002, EMCORE acquired certain assets of Tecstar for a total cash purchase price of approximately $25.1 million.

EMCORE recorded pre-tax charges to income totaling $40.7 million, which included: a) a severance SG&A charge of $0.8 million related to employee termination costs; b) a non-cash SG&A charge of $30.8 million related to impairment of certain fixed assets; c) an inventory write-down expense of $7.7 million charged to cost of revenue; and d) an additional reserve for doubtful accounts of $1.4 million which was charged to SG&A expense.

Financial Accounting Standards Board approved an accounting standard that no longer requires goodwill to be amortized.
 
Other expense included a charge of $14.4 million associated with the write-off of two investments.

Fiscal 2003:
 
In January 2003, EMCORE purchased Ortel for $26.2 million in cash.

In December 2002, EMCORE purchased $13.2 million principal amount of the 2006 Notes at prevailing market prices for approximately $6.3 million. Total gain from debt extinguishment was $6.6 million after netting unamortized debt issuance costs of approximately $0.3 million.

Fiscal 2004:
 
In November 2003, EMCORE sold its TurboDisc capital equipment business to Veeco in a transaction that is valued at up to $80.0 million. The net gain associated with the sale of the TurboDisc business totaled approximately $19.6 million.

In February 2004, EMCORE exchanged approximately $146.0 million, or 90.2%, of the 2006 Notes for approximately $80.3 million aggregate principal amount of new 5% Convertible Senior Subordinated Notes due May 15, 2011 and approximately 7.7 million shares of EMCORE common stock. Total net gain from debt extinguishment was $12.3 million.

SG&A expense included approximately $1.2 million in severance-related charges.
 
Other expense included a charge of $0.5 million associated with the write-down of an investment.

Fiscal 2005:
 
SG&A expense included approximately $0.9 million in severance-related charges and $2.3 million of City of Industry related charges.
 
EMCORE received a $12.5 million net earn-out payment from Veeco in connection with the sale of the TurboDisc business.

Selected Financial Data
 
Balance Sheet Data
As of September 30,
(in thousands)
   
2005
 
 
2004
 
 
2003
 
 
2002
 
 
2001
 
                                 
Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities
 
$
40,175
 
$
51,572
 
$
28,439
 
$
84,181
 
$
147,661
 
Working capital
   
39,098
   
58,541
   
77,464
   
111,825
   
201,215
 
Total assets
   
206,287
   
213,243
   
232,439
   
285,943
   
403,553
 
Long-term liabilities
   
94,709
   
96,078
   
161,791
   
175,087
   
175,046
 
Shareholders’ equity
 
$ 
75,563
 
$
85,809
 
$
44,772
 
$
81,950
 
$
197,127
 
                                 

 
Statement of Operations Data
For the fiscal years ended September 30,
(in thousands)
   
FY 2005
 
 
FY 2004
 
 
FY 2003
 
 
FY 2002
 
 
FY 2001
 
                                 
Revenue
 
$
127,603
 
$
93,069
 
$
60,284
 
$
51,236
 
$
53,473
 
Cost of revenue
   
106,746
   
85,780
   
61,959
   
62,385
   
41,784
 
Gross profit (loss)
   
20,857
   
7,289
   
(1,675
)
 
(11,149
)
 
11,689
 
                                 
Operating expenses:
                               
Selling, general and administrative
   
25,136
   
21,927
   
21,637
   
47,295
   
15,714
 
Research and development
   
17,429
   
23,555
   
17,002
   
30,580
   
42,204
 
Goodwill amortization
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
1,147
 
Total operating expenses
   
42,565
   
45,482
   
38,639
   
77,875
   
59,065
 
Operating loss
   
(21,708
)
 
(38,193
)
 
(40,314
)
 
(89,024
)
 
(47,376
)
                                 
Other (income) expenses:
                               
Interest income
   
(1,081
)
 
(783
)
 
(1,009
)
 
(2,865
)
 
(5,222
)
Interest expense
   
4,844
   
6,156
   
8,288
   
8,936
   
3,240
 
Gain from debt extinguishment
   
-
   
(12,312
)
 
(6,614
)
 
-
   
-
 
Other expense (income)
   
-
   
500
   
-
   
14,388
   
(15,920
)
Equity in net loss (income) of unconsolidated affiliates
   
112
   
(789
)
 
1,228
   
2,706
   
12,326
 
Total other expenses (income)
   
3,875
   
(7,228
)
 
1,893
   
23,165
   
(5,576
)
Loss from continuing operations
   
(25,583
)
 
(30,965
)
 
(42,207
)
 
(112,189
)
 
(41,800
)
                                 
Discontinued operations:
                               
(Loss) income from discontinued operations
   
-
   
(2,045
)
 
3,682
   
(17,572
)
 
33,158
 
Gain on disposal of discontinued operations
   
12,476
   
19,584
   
-
   
-
   
-
 
Income (loss) from discontinued operations
   
12,476
   
17,539
   
3,682
   
(17,572
)
 
33,158
 
                                 
Net loss before cumulative effect of
a change in accounting principle
   
(13,107
)
 
(13,426
)
 
(38,525
)
 
(129,761
)
 
(8,642
)
                                 
Cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
(3,646
)
                                 
Net loss
 
$
(13,107
)
$
(13,426
)
$
(38,525
)
$
(129,761
)
$
(12,288
)
                                 
Per share data:
                               
Basic and diluted per share data:
                               
Loss from continuing operations
 
$
(0.54
)
$
(0.72
)
$
(1.14
)
$
(3.07
)
$
(1.21
)
Income (loss) from discontinued operations
   
0.26
   
0.41
   
0.10
   
(0.48
)
 
0.96
 
Cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
(0.11
)
Net loss
 
$
(0.28
)
$
(0.31
)
$
(1.04
)
$
(3.55
)
$
(0.36
)
                                 
Weighted average number of shares outstanding used in basic and diluted per share calculations
   
47,387
   
43,303
   
36,999
   
36,539
   
34,438
 
                                 
 
 
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation.
 
This Annual Report on Form 10-K includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are based largely on our current expectations and projections as they relate to our future results, prospects, developments, and business strategies. These forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of terms and phrases such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "plans", “believes", "estimate", “predict”, “target”, “may”, “could”, “will”, and variations of these terms and phrases including references to assumptions. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, business, economic, and other risks and uncertainties, that may cause actual results to be materially different from those discussed in these forward-looking statements. The cautionary statements made in this report should be read as being applicable to all forward-looking statements wherever they appear in this report. This discussion should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements, including the related footnotes. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results may vary materially from those expected or projected.
 
Company Overview

EMCORE Corporation (EMCORE), a New Jersey corporation established in 1984, offers a broad portfolio of compound semiconductor-based components and subsystems for the broadband, fiber optic, satellite, solar and wireless communications markets. EMCORE has three operating segments: Fiber Optics, Photovoltaics, and Electronic Materials and Devices. Our integrated solutions philosophy embodies state-of-the-art technology, material science expertise, and a shared vision of our customer's goals and objectives to be leaders in the transport of video, voice and data over copper, hybrid fiber/coax (HFC), fiber, satellite, and wireless networks.
 
EMCORE’s solutions include: optical components and subsystems for fiber-to-the-premise, cable television, and high speed data and telecommunications networks; solar cells, solar panels, and fiber optic ground station links for global satellite communications; and RF transistor materials for high bandwidth wireless communications systems, such as WiMAX and Wi-Fi Internet access and 3G mobile handsets and PDA devices.
 
Through its joint venture participation in GELcore, LLC, EMCORE plays a vital role in developing and commercializing next-generation High-Brightness LED technology for use in the general and specialty illumination markets.
 
Management Summary

We are an industry-leading company in the development and manufacture of optoelectronic and high-frequency products.  By leveraging our broad compound semiconductor expertise to provide cost-effective components, subsystems, and systems, we are focused on six key markets:

·  
High-speed Fiber Optics for Telephony and Internet Core and Metro Networks
 
·  
High-speed Fiber Optics for Large Enterprise Data Communications, Super Computing, and Storage Area Networks
 
·  
Next-generation Cable TV and Fiber-to-the-Premise “Triple Play” Networks
 
·  
Satellite Communications, in Space and on the Ground
 
·  
Advanced Transistors and Amplifiers Used in High-Bandwidth Wireless Communications Systems, such as WiMAX and Wi-Fi Internet access and 3G mobile handsets and PDA devices
 
·  
Solid State Lighting for Specialty and Commercial Illumination
 
In fiscal 2005, demand for the Company's products was driven principally by increased communications bandwidth requirements and by expanded competition between telecommunications carriers, cable TV MSOs, and wireless network providers for the delivery of video, voice and data.  We continued our leadership of the 10G Ethernet space, acquired JDSU’s CATV business and privately-held Phasebridge to expand our leading positions in CATV and Specialty fiber products, launched our next-generation FTTP triplexer product, won several major satellite programs, and increased our 3G wireless and base station materials sales by over 50%.
 
In fiscal 2005, we significantly exceeded our revenue objectives, expanding the business by more than 37% over the prior year. We also continued our efforts to streamline operations and focus on bottom-line profitability. As a result, we attained our goal of dramatically improving gross margins, and achieved positive cash flows from operations in the September 30 fiscal quarter. We expect these growth trends to continue in fiscal 2006, as accelerating demand for our products has increased year-end sales backlog by 40% to over $40 million.
 
Our primary objectives for the coming year are to achieve positive operating income during the second half of fiscal 2006 and positive net income by the end of fiscal 2006; to expand our satellite photovoltaics technolgies into the terrestrial solar power markets; to continue our successful growth in digital fiber optics products and technologies; and to expand our defense and government markets activities across all operating segments.

We are operationally focused on driving profitable revenue growth based on our existing product lines, developing or acquiring next-generation technologies and high-margin products for our strategic markets, and continuing our business optimization efforts to manage costs and enhance productivity. While achieving 20-30% annual top-line growth, we intend to remove over $10 million in COGS through material cost reductions, overseas contract manufacturing labor, and product design improvements.
 
 
Business Segments, Geographic Revenues, Customers and Backlog

The following table sets forth the revenues and percentage of total revenues attributable to each of EMCORE's operating segments for each of the past three fiscal years.
 
Product Revenues
For the fiscal years ended September 30,
 
FY 2005
 
FY 2004
 
FY 2003
 
(in thousands)
 
Revenue
 
% of Revenue
 
Revenue
 
% of Revenue
 
Revenue
 
% of Revenue
 
                                       
Fiber Optics
 
$
81,960
   
64.2
%
  $
56,169
   
60.4
%
  $
32,658
   
54.2
%
Photovoltaics
   
33,407
   
26.2
   
25,716
   
27.6
   
18,196
   
30.2
 
Electronic Materials and Devices
   
12,236
   
9.6
   
11,184
   
12.0
   
9,430
   
15.6
 
Total revenues
 
$
127,603
   
100.0
%
  $
93,069
   
100.0
%
  $
60,284
   
100.0
%
 
 
The following table sets forth EMCORE's consolidated revenues by geographic region. Revenue was assigned to geographic regions based on the customers’ or contract manufacturers’ shipment locations.
 
Geographic Revenues
For the fiscal years ended September 30,
 
FY 2005
 
FY 2004
 
FY 2003
 
(in thousands)
   
Revenue
 
 
% of Revenue
 
 
Revenue
 
 
% of Revenue
 
 
Revenue
 
 
% of Revenue
 
                                       
United States
 
$
107,956
   
84.6
%
  $
66,485
   
71.4
%
  $
44,136
   
73.2
%
Asia and South America
   
13,728
   
10.8
   
15,912
   
17.1
   
9,018
   
15.0
 
Europe
   
5,919
   
4.6
   
10,672
   
11.5
   
7,130
   
11.8
 
Total revenues
 
$
127,603
   
100.0
%
  $
93,069
   
100.0
%
  $
60,284
   
100.0
%
 
 
EMCORE is devoted to working directly with its customers from initial product design, product qualification and manufacturing to product delivery. We design and develop (i) process technology, (ii) material science expertise, (iii) optical sub-assemblies, and/or (iv) integrated module level products for use in our customers' end-use applications. EMCORE's customer base includes many of the largest semiconductor, telecommunications, data communications, and computer manufacturing companies in the world. In fiscal 2005, Cisco Systems, Inc. (Cisco) accounted for 19% of our total revenue. In fiscal 2004, Motorola, Inc. (Motorola) and Cisco accounted for 13% and 8% of our total revenue, respectively. In fiscal 2003, Motorola accounted for 14% of total revenue.

As of September 30, 2005, EMCORE had a backlog of approximately $40.2 million as compared to a backlog of $28.8 million as reported at September 30, 2004. We believe that substantially all of our backlog can be shipped during the next 12 months, with the exception of approximately $0.6 million on a certain long-term contract. Given our current market environment, customers may delay shipment of certain orders and our backlog could also be adversely affected if customers unexpectedly cancel purchase orders accepted by us. A majority of EMCORE’s products typically ship within the same quarter as when the purchase order is received; therefore, our backlog at any particular date is not necessarily indicative of actual revenue or the level of orders for any succeeding period.
 
The following table set forth operating loss attributable to each EMCORE operating segment.
 
Operating Loss by Segment
For the fiscal years ended September 30,
(in thousands)
   
FY 2005
 
 
FY 2004
 
 
FY 2003
 
                     
Operating loss by segment:
                   
Fiber Optics
 
$
(13,681
)
$
(24,889
)
$
(19,790
)
Photovoltaics
   
(4,234
)
 
(8,571
)
 
(14,488
)
Electronic Materials and Devices
   
(3,793
)
 
(4,733
)
 
(6,036
)
Total operating loss
   
(21,708
)
 
(38,193
)
 
(40,314
)
                     
Other (income) expenses:
                   
Interest expense, net
   
3,763
   
5,373
   
7,279
 
Gain from debt extinguishment
   
-
   
(12,312
)
 
(6,614
)
Investment loss
   
-
   
500
   
-
 
Equity in net loss (income) of GELcore 
   
112
   
(789
)
 
1,228
 
Total other expenses (income)
   
3,875
   
(7,228
)
 
1,893
 
                     
Loss from continuing operations
 
$
(25,583
)
$
(30,965
)
$
(42,207
)

 
Long-lived assets (consisting of property, plant and equipment, goodwill and intangible assets) for each operating segment are as follows:

Long-Lived Assets
As of September 30,
(in thousands)
   
2005
 
 
2004
 
               
Fiber Optics
 
$
56,261
 
$
59,802
 
Photovoltaics
   
37,861
   
38,577
 
Electronic Materials and Devices
   
2,825
   
5,736
 
               
Total
 
$
96,947
 
$
104,115
 
               


Critical Accounting Policies

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reported period. Management bases estimates on historical experience and on various assumptions about the future that are believed to be reasonable based on available information. EMCORE’s reported financial position or results of operations may be materially different under changed conditions or when using different estimates and assumptions, particularly with respect to significant accounting policies, which are discussed below. In the event that estimates or assumptions prove to differ from actual results, adjustments are made in subsequent periods to reflect more current information. EMCORE's most significant estimates relate to accounts receivable, inventory, warranty accruals, goodwill, intangibles, other long-lived assets, and revenue recognition.

Accounts Receivable. EMCORE regularly evaluates its accounts receivable and accordingly maintains allowances for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting from the inability of our customers to meet their financial obligation to us. The allowance is based on the age of receivables and a specific identification of receivables considered at risk. EMCORE classifies charges associated with the allowance for doubtful accounts as a SG&A expense. If the financial condition of our customers were to deteriorate, additional allowances may be required.

Inventory. Inventory is stated at the lower of cost or market, with cost being determined using the standard cost method. EMCORE reserves against inventory once it has been determined that: (i) conditions exist that may not allow the inventory to be sold for its intended purpose, (ii) the inventory’s value is determined to be less than cost, (iii) or the inventory is determined to be obsolete. The charge related to inventory reserves is recorded as a cost of revenue. The majority of the inventory write-downs are related to estimated allowances for inventory whose carrying value is in excess of net realizable value and on excess raw material components resulting from finished product obsolescence. In most cases where EMCORE sells previously written down inventory, it is typically sold as a component part of a finished product. The finished product is sold at market price at the time resulting in higher average gross margin on such revenue. EMCORE does not track the selling price of individual raw material components that have been previously written off, since such raw material components usually are only a portion of the resultant finished products and related sales price. EMCORE evaluates inventory levels at least quarterly against sales forecasts on a significant part-by-part basis, in addition to determining its overall inventory risk. Reserves are adjusted to reflect inventory values in excess of forecasted sales, as well as overall inventory risk assessed by management. We have incurred, and may in the future incur, charges to write-down our inventory. While we believe, based on current information, that the amount recorded for inventory is properly reflected on our balance sheet, if market conditions are less favorable than our forecasts, our future sales mix differs from our forecasted sales mix, or actual demand from our customers is lower than our estimates, we may be required to record additional inventory write-downs.

Valuation of Goodwill and Intangible Assets. Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price of an acquired business or assets over the fair value of the identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed. Intangible assets consist primarily of intellectual property acquired and purchased intangible assets. Purchased intangible assets include existing and core technology, trademarks and trade names, and customer contracts. Intangible assets are amortized using the straight-lined method over estimated useful lives ranging from 1 to 5 years. EMCORE evaluates its goodwill and intangible assets for impairment on an annual basis, or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. EMCORE last evaluated its goodwill and intangible assets during the quarter ended March 31, 2005. Circumstances that could trigger an impairment test include but are not limited to: a significant adverse change in the business climate or legal factors; an adverse action or assessment by a regulator; unanticipated competition; loss of key personnel; the likelihood that a reporting unit or significant portion of a reporting unit will be sold or otherwise disposed; results of testing for recoverability of a significant asset group within a reporting unit; and recognition of a goodwill impairment loss in the financial statements of a subsidiary that is a component of a reporting unit. The determination as to whether a write-down of goodwill or intangible assets is necessary involves significant judgment based on the short-term and long-term projections of the future performance of the reporting unit to which the goodwill or intangible assets are attributed. During fiscal 2005, 2004, and 2003, EMCORE tested for impairment of goodwill on an annual basis and did not record any impairment charges on any goodwill or intangible assets. As part of our quarterly review of financial results, we did not identify any impairment indicators that the carrying value of our goodwill may not be recoverable. In accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (SFAS) No. 142, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, the fair value of the reporting units was determined by using a valuation technique based on each reporting unit’s weighted average revenue. Based on that analysis, we determined that the carrying amount of the reporting units did not exceed their fair value.

Valuation of Long-lived Assets. EMCORE reviews long-lived assets on an annual basis or whenever events or circumstances indicate that the assets may be impaired. A long-lived asset is considered impaired when its anticipated undiscounted cash flow is less than its carrying value. In making this determination, EMCORE uses certain assumptions, including, but not limited to: (a) estimates of the fair market value of these assets; and (b) estimates of future cash flows expected to be generated by these assets, which are based on additional assumptions such as asset utilization, length of service that assets will be used in our operations, and estimated salvage values. During fiscal 2005, 2004, and 2003, we recorded no impairment charges on any of EMCORE’s long-lived assets. 

Product Warranty Reserves. EMCORE provides its customers with limited rights of return for non-conforming shipments and warranty claims for certain products. In accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Interpretation No. 45, Guarantor’s Accounting and Disclosure Requirements for Guarantees, Including Indirect Guarantees of Indebtedness of Others, EMCORE makes estimates using historical experience rates as a percentage of revenue and accrues estimated warranty expense as a cost of revenue. We estimate the costs of our warranty obligations based on our historical experience of known product failure rates, use of materials to repair or replace defective products and service delivery costs incurred in correcting product failures. In addition, from time to time, specific warranty accruals may be made if unforeseen technical problems arise. Should our actual experience relative to these factors differ from our estimates, we may be required to record additional warranty reserves. Alternatively, if we provide more reserves than we need, we may reverse a portion of such provisions in future periods.

Revenue Recognition. Revenue is generally recognized upon shipment provided persuasive evidence of a contract exists, (such as when a purchase order or contract is received from a customer), the price is fixed, the product meets its specifications, title and ownership have transferred to the customer, and there is reasonable assurance of collection of the sales proceeds. In those few instances where a given sale involves post shipment obligations, formal customer acceptance documents, or subjective rights of return, revenue is not recognized until all post-shipment conditions have been satisfied and there is reasonable assurance of collection of the sales proceeds. The majority of our products have shipping terms that are free on board (FOB) or free carrier alongside (FCA) shipping point, which means that EMCORE fulfills its delivery obligation when the goods are handed over to the freight carrier at our shipping dock. This means the buyer bears all costs and risks of loss or damage to the goods from that point. In certain cases, EMCORE ships its products cost insurance and freight (CIF). Under this arrangement, revenue is recognized under FCA shipping point terms, but EMCORE pays (and bills the customer) for the cost of shipping and insurance to the customer's designated location. EMCORE accounts for shipping and related transportation costs by recording the charges that are invoiced to customers as revenue, with the corresponding cost recorded as cost of revenue. In those instances where inventory is maintained at a consigned location, revenue is recognized only when our customer pulls product for its use and title and ownership have transferred to the customer. In rare occurrences, at a customer’s request, EMCORE enters into bill and hold transactions whereby title and risk of loss transfers to the customer, but carriage to the customer does not occur until a specified later date. EMCORE recognizes revenue associated with the sale of product from bill and hold arrangements when the product is complete, ready for delivery, and all bill and hold criteria have been met. There were no bill and hold arrangements as of September 30, 2005, 2004, or 2003.

Distributors - EMCORE uses a number of distributors around the world. In accordance with Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 104, Revenue Recognition, EMCORE recognizes revenue upon shipment of product to these distributors. Title and risk of loss pass to the distributors upon delivery, and our distributors are contractually obligated to pay EMCORE on standard commercial terms, just like our other direct customers. EMCORE does not sell to its distributors on consignment and, except in the event of a product discontinuance, does not give distributors a right of return.

Solar Panel Contracts - EMCORE records revenues from certain solar panel contracts using the percentage-of-completion method. Revenue is recognized in proportion to actual costs incurred compared to total anticipated costs expected to be incurred for each contract. If estimates of costs to complete long-term contracts indicate a loss, a provision is made for the total loss anticipated. EMCORE has numerous contracts that are in various stages of completion. Such contracts require estimates to determine the appropriate cost and revenue recognition. EMCORE uses all available information in determining dependable estimates of the extent of progress towards completion, contract revenues, and contract costs. Estimates are revised as additional information becomes available. At September 30, 2005 and 2004, EMCORE's accrued program losses totaled approximately $23,000 and $120,000, respectively.

Government R&D Contracts - R&D contract revenue represents reimbursement by various U.S. government entities, or their contractors, to aid in the development of new technology. The applicable contracts generally provide that EMCORE may elect to retain ownership of inventions made in performing the work, subject to a non-exclusive license retained by the government to practice the inventions for government purposes. The R&D contract funding may be based on a cost-plus, cost reimbursement, cost-share, or a firm fixed price arrangement. The amount of funding under each R&D contract is determined based on cost estimates that include both direct and indirect costs. Cost-plus funding is determined based on actual costs plus a set margin. As we incur costs under cost reimbursement type contracts, we record revenue. Contract costs include material, labor, special tooling and test equipment, subcontracting costs, as well as an allocation of indirect costs. For cost-share contracts, the actual costs of performance are divided between the U.S. government and EMCORE based on the R&D contract terms. An R&D contract is considered complete when all significant costs have been incurred, milestones have been reached, and any reporting obligations to the customer have been met. Revenues from government R&D contracts amounted to approximately $11.8 million. $4.6 million and $5.2 million for the years ended September 30, 2005, 2004, and 2003 respectively.

The above listing is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all of our accounting policies. In many cases, the accounting treatment of a particular transaction is specifically dictated by generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). There also are areas in which management's judgment in selecting any available alternative would not produce a materially different result. See our audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, which contain a discussion of our accounting policies and other required GAAP disclosures.
 

Results of Operations

The following table sets forth the consolidated statements of operations data of EMCORE expressed as a percentage of total revenues for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2005, 2004, and 2003. 

Statement of Operations Data
For the fiscal years ended September 30,
   
FY 2005
 
 
FY 2004
 
 
FY 2003
 
                     
Revenue
   
100.0
%
 
100.0
%
 
100.0
%
Cost of revenue
   
83.7
 
 
92.2
 
 
102.8
 
Gross profit (loss)
   
16.3
 
 
7.8
 
 
(2.8
)
                     
Operating expenses:
                   
Selling, general and administrative
   
19.7
 
 
23.5
 
 
35.9
 
Research and development
   
13.6
 
 
25.3
 
 
28.2
 
Total operating expenses
   
33.3
 
 
48.8
 
 
64.1
 
                     
Operating loss
   
(17.0
)
 
(41.0
)
 
(66.9
)
                     
Other (income) expenses:
                   
Interest expense, net
   
3.0
 
 
5.7
 
 
12.1
 
Gain from debt extinguishment
   
-
   
(13.2
)
 
(11.0
)
Investment loss
   
-
   
0.5
 
 
-
 
Equity in net (income) loss of GELcore
   
0.1
 
 
(0.8
)
 
2.0
 
Total other (income) expenses
   
3.1
 
 
(7.8
)
 
3.1
 
                     
Loss from continuing operations
   
(20.1
)
 
(33.2
)
 
(70.0
)
                     
Discontinued operations:
                   
(Loss) income from discontinued operations
   
-
   
(2.2
)
 
6.1
 
Gain on disposal of discontinued operations
   
9.8
 
 
21.0
 
 
-
 
                     
Income from discontinued operations
   
9.8
 
 
18.8
 
 
6.1
 
                     
Net loss
   
(10.3
)%
 
(14.4
)%
 
(63.9
)%
                     


Comparison of Fiscal Years Ended September 30, 2005 and 2004

Consolidated Revenue

EMCORE’s consolidated revenue increased $34.5 million or 37% to $127.6 million in fiscal 2005 from $93.1 million in fiscal 2004. All three of EMCORE’s operating segments: Fiber Optics, Photovoltaics and Electronic Materials and Devices, posted revenue increases year over year. On a product line basis, fiber optics revenues increased $25.8 million or 46%, photovoltaic revenues increased $7.7 million or 30%, and revenues from electronic materials and devices increased $1.0 million or 9% from the prior year. International sales accounted for 15% of revenues in fiscal 2005 and 29% in fiscal 2004. Revenue from government contracts increased $7.2 million to $11.8 million in fiscal 2005 from $4.6 million in fiscal 2004. With increased focus on energy conservation, national security, and fiber optic communications, we expect revenues from government contracts to increase significantly in fiscal 2006. A comparison of revenue earned at each of EMCORE’s operating segments follows:

Fiber Optics

Over the past several years, communications networks have experienced dramatic growth in data transmission traffic due to worldwide Internet access, e-mail, and e-commerce. As Internet content expands to include full motion video on-demand, HDTV, multi-channel high quality audio, online video conferencing, image transfer, online multi-player gaming, and other broadband applications, the delivery of such data will place a greater demand on available bandwidth and require the support of higher capacity networks. The bulk of this traffic, which continues to grow at a very high rate, is already routed through the optical networking infrastructure used by local and long distance carriers, as well as Internet service providers. Optical fiber offers substantially greater bandwidth capacity, is less error prone, and is easier to administer than older copper wire technologies. As greater bandwidth capability is delivered closer to the end user, increased demand for higher content, real-time, interactive visual and audio content is expected. We believe that EMCORE is well positioned to benefit from the continued deployment of these higher capacity fiber optic networks.

EMCORE's Fiber Optics segment provides optical components, subsystems and systems that enable the transmission of video, voice and data over high-capacity fiber optic cables. Our products enable information that is encoded on light signals to be transmitted, routed (switched) and received in communication systems. EMCORE’s Fiber Optics segment serves the cable television (CATV), fiber-to-the-premise (FTTP), telecommunications, data and satellite communications, storage area network and, increasingly, the defense and homeland security markets.

Annual revenues increased $25.8 million or 46% to $82.0 million in fiscal 2005 from $56.2 million in fiscal 2004. On a quarterly basis, fiscal 2005 revenues were $17.7 million, $19.0 million, $21.1 million, and $24.2 million compared to fiscal 2004 quarterly revenues of $15.5 million, $14.2 million, $11.9 million, and $14.6 million. Increased sales volume of 10G Ethernet transceiver modules and CATV and FTTX components were the reason for the significant increase in annual revenues. The communications industry in which we participate in continues to be dynamic. The driving factor is the competitive environment that exists between cable operators, telephone companies, and satellite and wireless service providers. Each are rapidly investing capital to deploy a converging multi-service network capable of delivering “triple play services”, i.e. digitalized video, voice and data content, bundled as a service provided by a single communication provider. As a market leader in radio frequency (RF) transmission over fiber products for the CATV industry, EMCORE enables cable companies to offer multiple forms of communications to meet the expanding demand for high-speed Internet, on-demand and interactive video, and other new services (such as HDTV and VOIP). Television is also undergoing a major transformation, as the US government requires television stations to broadcast exclusively in digital format, abandoning the analog format used for decades. Although the transition date for digital transmissions is not expected for several years, the build-out of these television networks has already begun. To support the telephone companies plan to offer competing video, voice and data services through the deployment of new fiber-based systems, EMCORE has developed and maintains customer qualified FTTP components and subsystem products. Our CATV and FTTP products include broadcast analog and digital fiber optic transmitters, quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) transmitters, video receivers, and passive optical network (PON) transceivers.

As part of our strategy, we are committed to identifying strategic opportunities that either compliment or broaden our markets. In May 2005, EMCORE acquired the analog CATV and RF over fiber specialty businesses from JDS Uniphase Corporation (JDSU). This acquisition is expected to 1) solidify our leadership position in the CATV marketplace; 2) offer an optimal path to higher volume with improved overall product margins; and 3) expand our product line offering while broadening our customer base in the CATV market segment. The CATV product line purchased from JDSU contributed approximately $4.0 million in additional revenues during fiscal 2005.

During fiscal 2005, EMCORE also experienced increased demand for its existing parallel optical products: SNAP-12TM and SmartLinkTM transceivers.  Fiber optics revenue represented 64% and 60% of EMCORE's total revenues in fiscal 2005 and 2004, respectively. Significant customers for the fiber optics product line include: Agilent Technologies, Inc., Alcatel, Aurora Networks, BUPT-GUOAN Broadband, C-Cor Electronics, Cisco, Finisar, Hewlett-Packard Corporation, Intel Corporation, JDSU, Motorola, Network Appliance, Scientific-Atlanta, Inc., Sycamore Networks, Inc., and Tellabs. As a result of successful customer product qualifications and the recent increase in order backlog, annual fiber optics revenues are expected to increase by approximately 20% in fiscal 2006.
 
Photovoltaics

EMCORE serves the global satellite communications market by providing advanced solar cell products and solar panels. Compound semiconductor solar cells are used to power satellites because they are more resistant to radiation levels in space and convert substantially more power from light, consequently weighing less per unit of power than silicon-based solar cells. These characteristics increase satellite useful life, increase payload capacity, and reduce launch costs. EMCORE’s Photovoltaics segment designs and manufactures multi-junction compound semiconductor solar cells for both commercial and military satellite applications. We currently manufacture and sell one of the most efficient and reliable, radiation resistant advanced triple-junction solar cells in the world, with an average "beginning of life" efficiency of 27.5%. EMCORE is also the only manufacturer to supply true monolithic bypass diodes, for shadow protection, utilizing several EMCORE patented methods. A satellite’s broadcast success and corresponding revenue depend on its power efficiency and its capacity to transmit data. EMCORE also provides covered interconnect cells (CICs) and solar panel lay-down services, giving us the capacity to manufacture complete solar panels. We can provide satellite manufacturers with proven integrated satellite power solutions that considerably improve satellite economics. Satellite manufacturers and solar array integrators rely on EMCORE to meet their satellite power needs with our proven flight heritage. Through well-established partnerships with major satellite manufacturers and a proven manufacturing process, we play a vital role in the evolution of satellite communications around the world. 

Annual revenues increased $7.7 million or 30% to $33.4 million in fiscal 2005 from $25.7 million in fiscal 2004. On a quarterly basis, fiscal 2005 revenues were $7.5 million, $7.8 million, $8.8 million, and $9.3 million compared to fiscal 2004 quarterly revenues of $4.5 million, $6.1 million, $6.8 million, and $8.3 million. The increase in revenue was attributable to both increases in solar cell orders and government research contracts.  Government contract revenues for photovoltaics products were $9.4 million and $2.8 million in fiscal years 2005 and 2004, respectively.
 
The space power generation market continues to depend on government programs as a result of significant sales price erosion for commercial solar products.  Commercial satellite awards decreased from 19 in calendar year 2003 to 13 in calendar year 2004. Commercial satellite awards have increased to 17 through the first 9 months of calendar 2005, representing a modest recovery. There have been indications that the commercial satellite market is improving to some degree as future awards are anticipated for high definition TV, satellite radio and advanced mobile services. Military procurement remains steady, and we are focusing on gaining market share in that area. 
 
EMCORE is presently engaged in a solar cell development and production program for a major US aerospace corporation based on our commercial BTJ photovoltaics technology. The initial phases of this long-term cost reimbursable contract are focused on technology development and manufacturing optimization. Establishment of a volume production capacity for this product is being performed by EMCORE at reduced margins in order to minimize program ramp-up costs for our customer. Over the next 2 to 3 years, the program scope could exceed $40.0 million in development and production revenues.
 
EMCORE is adapting its high efficiency solar cell product for terrestrial applications. Intended for use with solar concentrator systems, these cells have already been measured at 35% efficiency and further improvements are anticipated. We believe that these systems will be competitive with silicon technologies because they are more efficient than silicon and, therefore, benefit more from concentration than silicon. With energy prices at all time highs, the demand for alternative energy sources continues to gain momentum. The terrestrial solar cell market is currently estimated at $7 billion, growing at a 28% CAGR, and is expected to reach $30 billion by 2010, according to CSLA Asia-Pacific Markets. EMCORE is working with several concentrator systems manufacturers to develop system elements for this product line.

Photovoltaics revenue represented 26% and 28% of EMCORE's total revenues for fiscal 2005 and 2004, respectively. Significant customers for the photovoltaics product line include Boeing, General Dynamics, ISRO, Lockheed Martin, Loral Space Systems. In fiscal 2006, we expect to see increased applications for our solar cells in terrestrial products, as well as in the commercial satellite industry that continues to develop a communications backbone for video, voice and data networks.  As a result, annual photovoltaics revenues are expected to increase by approximately 30% in fiscal 2006.
 
Electronic Materials & Devices

EMCORE’s RF materials are compound semiconductor wafers used in wireless communications. These materials have a broader bandwidth and superior performance at higher frequencies compared to silicon-based materials. EMCORE’s Electronic Materials and Devices (EMD) segment currently produces both GaAs and GaN based transistor wafers. For GaAs materials, EMD produces 4-inch and 6-inch wafers for three different applications: InGaP hetero-junction bipolar transistors (HBTs), pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor wafers (pHEMTs), and enhancement-mode pHEMT transistor wafers (E-modes). For GaN materials, EMD produces 2-inch, 3-inch, and 4-inch AlGaN/GaN HEMT materials. Recently, EMCORE has also combined into a single RF structure, InGaP HBT and pHEMT materials (combinational materials).

Revenues from EMCORE’s EMD segment increased $1.0 million or 9% to $12.2 million in fiscal 2005 from $11.2 million in fiscal 2004. On a quarterly basis, fiscal 2005 revenues were $1.8 million, $3.6 million, $3.3 million, and $3.5 million compared to fiscal 2004 quarterly revenues of $3.1 million, $2.9 million, $2.6 million, and $2.6 million. Government contract revenues for EMCORE’s EMD products were $2.4 million and $1.8 million in fiscal years 2005 and 2004, respectively. In the first half of fiscal 2005, development of advanced GaN RF material was funded primarily through government contract programs administered by The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the United States Air Force. EMCORE expects continued funding from contracts during fiscal 2006, with some of this funding transitioning to commercial business. Overall, the market that this segment competes in is highly competitive, raw materials are extremely expensive, and average selling prices have been declining over the past several years. Management anticipates the broader acceptance of GaAs Combinational Materials, and introduction of new GaN RF materials to drive revenue growth in fiscal 2006. Both of these materials are expected to be well utilized by major RF product manufacturers in both infrastructure and wireless devices. EMD’s revenue represented 10% and 12% of EMCORE's total revenues for fiscal 2005 and 2004, respectively. Significant customers for the EMD product line include Anadigics, Inc., Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. (Freescale), RFMD and Triquint. As a result of successful customer product qualifications and the recent increase in order backlog, annual EMD revenues are expected to increase by approximately 20% in fiscal 2006.


Gross Profit

Gross profit increased $13.6 million to $20.9 million in fiscal 2005 from $7.3 million in fiscal 2004. Compared to the prior year, gross margins increased to 16% from 8%. On a segment basis, margins for fiber optics increased from 12% in fiscal 2004 to 18% in fiscal 2005 due to increased revenues and improvement on material costs. Margins for the photovoltaics segment improved from (8%) in fiscal 2004 to 14% in fiscal 2005 due to increased revenues, completion of profitable solar panel contracts and significant improvement on manufacturing metrics and yields. Margins for the EMD segment decreased from 25% in fiscal 2004 to 12% in fiscal 2005 due to declining selling prices and higher raw material and facility costs.

Factors that contributed to the increase in gross profit include the introduction of new products where we were first to market which allowed for favorable pricing, lower unabsorbed overhead variances due to higher revenue levels and favorable product mix shifts. These factors were slightly offset by declining average selling prices, which is a gross profit pressure that is expected to remain for the foreseeable future. Actions designed to improve our gross margins (through product mix improvements, cost reductions associated with product transfers and product rationalization, and yield and quality improvements, among other things) continue to be a principal focus for us.

Many of our expenses, particularly those relating to capital equipment, debt service, and manufacturing overhead are fixed. Improvement to gross margins is highly dependent upon the amount of revenue EMCORE earns. As revenues increase, our margins should increase as well since a significant portion of our facility costs is fixed, so higher throughput should result in lower costs per unit produced. Management does expect gains in gross margins to be somewhat offset by lower sales prices due to competitive pricing pressures.


Operating Expenses

Selling, General and Administrative. SG&A expenses increased $3.2 million or 15% to $25.1 million in fiscal 2005 from $21.9 million in fiscal 2004.  This increase is a direct result of acquisition-related charges, costs incurred as we fully implemented the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, in particular, Section 404 thereof, the continued investment in personnel strategic to our business, severance charges, and expenses associated with the Company’s April 2005 announcement to consolidate its City of Industry, California location to New Mexico. As a percentage of revenue, SG&A decreased from 24% to 20%. Fiscal 2005 SG&A expense included approximately $0.9 million in severance-related charges and approximately $2.3 million in expenses related to the City of Industry facility. The severance-related charges were provided to 54 employees that were involuntary affected by a reduction in workforce. In fiscal 2004, EMCORE incurred $1.2 million in severance-related charges related to employee termination costs for 110 employees. We intend to continue to aggressively address our SG&A expenses and reduce these expenses as, and when, opportunities arise.

In April 2005, EMCORE announced plans to consolidate solar panel operations into a state-of-the-art facility located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The establishment of a modern solar panel manufacturing facility, adjacent to the Albuquerque solar cell fabrication operations, should enable superior consistency, as well as reduced manufacturing costs. In connection with this plan, EMCORE’s Photovoltaics operating segment recorded charges consisting of fixed asset disposals totaling $0.4 million and other exit costs totaling approximately $1.9 million for total City of Industry related costs of $2.3 million. Asset disposals relate to equipment that has been abandoned for disposal. Other exit charges relate to consolidation of excess facilities and other costs associated with exiting business activities. All of the City of Industry related charges, except for the asset impairments will result in cash outflows.

In August 2005, EMCORE announced the receipt of a photovoltaic contract valued in excess of $8.0 million. This contract also contains options for several additional sets of solar panels with deliveries through early 2007. As a result of this contract award and the requirement of an accelerated delivery schedule, EMCORE resumed production operations at its City of Industry, California facility to support this new effort. As a result, until the facility closes, EMCORE no longer classifies these expenses as restructuring charges, but includes them in selling, general and administrative expenses and refers to them as City of Industry related charges. Total City of Industry related charges during fiscal 2005 amounted to $2.3 million.  Production operations at the California facility will be discontinued during fiscal 2006 and completely closed by March 2007.

By consolidating operations into a single location, EMCORE Photovoltaics expects to realize annual cost savings in fiscal 2007 and beyond, which will enable us to better compete in the terrestrial and space power markets. New estimates of the projected shutdown costs and timeline remain to be determined at this time, as they depend in part upon whether any of the contractual options described above are exercised by the customer. However, the projected total cost associated with the closure of EMCORE's California solar panel facility is expected to decrease due to a reduction in contract termination costs.
 
Research and Development.   The semiconductor industry is characterized by rapid changes in process technologies with increasing levels of functional integration. Our R&D efforts have been sharply focused to maintain our technology leadership position by working to improve the quality and attributes of our product lines. We also invest significant resources to develop new products and production technology to expand into new market opportunities by leveraging our existing technology base and infrastructure. Our efforts are focused on designing new proprietary processes and products, on improving the performance of our existing materials, components, and subsystems, and on reducing costs in the product manufacturing process.

R&D expenses decreased $6.1 million or 26% to $17.4 million in fiscal 2005 from $23.5 million in fiscal 2004.  As a percentage of revenue, R&D decreased from 25% to 14%. The primary reason for the annual decrease in R&D expense was the divestiture of product technology. In April 2005, EMCORE divested a R&D project that was focused on gallium nitride (GaN)-based power electronic devices for the power device industry. The new company, Velox Semiconductor Corporation (Velox), raised $6.0 million from various venture capital partnerships. Five EMCORE employees transferred to Velox as full-time personnel and EMCORE contributed intellectual property and equipment, receiving a 19.2% stake in Velox. As of September 30, 2005, the recorded value of EMCORE’s investment in Velox was approximately $1.3 million.

The reduction in annual R&D expense is also due to several new products that were launched during fiscal 2005. We believe that recently completed R&D projects have the potential to greatly improve our competitive position and drive revenue growth in the next few years. Listed below are a couple of examples:

- In the FTTP market, EMCORE has developed an integrated PON transceiver utilizing Ortel’s industry leading video technology. EMCORE’s PON transceiver has been customer qualified and is now in production.
 
- In the photovoltaics market, EMCORE has developed a high efficiency solar cell product for terrestrial applications. Intended for use in concentrated sunlight, these cells have been measured at greater than 35% efficiency at 500 suns.

As part of the ongoing effort to cut costs, many of our projects are to develop lower cost versions of our existing products and of our existing processes. Also, we have implemented a program to focus research and product development efforts on projects that we expect to generate returns within one year. As a result, EMCORE reduced overall R&D costs as a percentage of revenue without, we believe, jeopardizing future revenue opportunities. In fiscal 2006, management expects R&D to continue to decline as a percentage of revenue as products previously under development are released to production. Our technology and product leadership is an important competitive advantage. Driven by current and anticipate demand, we will continue to invest in new technologies and products that offer our customers increased efficiency, higher performance, improved functionality, and/or higher levels of integration.

Other Income & Expenses

Interest Expense, net. Interest expense, net decreased $1.6 million, or 30%, to $3.8 million in fiscal 2005 from $5.4 million in fiscal 2004. This decrease is primarily due to the retirement of approximately $65.7 million of EMCORE’s subordinated debt through a debt exchange accomplished in February 2004.

Gain From Debt Extinguishment. In February 2004, EMCORE exchanged approximately $146.0 million, or 90.2%, of the remaining 2006 Notes for approximately $80.3 million aggregate principal amount of new 5% Convertible Senior Subordinated Notes due May 15, 2011 and approximately 7.7 million shares of EMCORE common stock. As a result of this transaction, EMCORE recorded a net gain from early debt extinguishment of approximately $12.3 million.

Investment Loss. In February 2002, EMCORE purchased $1.0 million of preferred stock of Archcom Technologies, Inc., a venture-funded, start-up optical networking components company that designs, manufactures and markets a series of high performance lasers and photodiodes for datacom and telecom industries. In fiscal 2004, EMCORE chose not to participate in an equity offering at Archcom, which diluted EMCORE’s ownership in half to $0.5 million. 

Equity in Net Loss (Income) of GELcore. EMCORE's portion of equity in GELcore decreased $0.9 million to a net loss of approximately $0.1 million in fiscal 2005 from net income of approximately $0.8 million in fiscal 2004. In fiscal 2005, on a quarterly basis, EMCORE's share of GELcore's operating results was $0.4 million, $(0.3) million, $(0.8) million and $0.6 million. In fiscal 2004, on a quarterly basis, EMCORE's share of GELcore's operating results was $0.3 million, $(0.1) million, $0.4 million and $0.2 million. The annual decrease was due to costs associated with the transfer of operations from GELcore’s Lechine, Quebec manufacturing facility to Mexico, which was completed in July 2005. GELcore incurred approximately $1.6 million of costs related to this transfer, of which EMCORE’s share was approximately $0.8 million.

Income Taxes. As a result of its losses, the Company did not incur any income tax expense in either fiscal 2005 or 2004. Realization of the deferred tax assets is dependent upon future earnings, if any, the timing and amount of which are uncertain. Accordingly, the net deferred tax assets have been fully offset by a valuation allowance. As of September 30, 2005, the Company had Federal and State tax net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $278.0 million and $176.0 million, respectively, that expire in the years 2006 through 2025. The Company is incorporated in the State of New Jersey, which presently has a moratorium on the use of tax net operating loss carryforwards due to state government budget deficits.

Discontinued Operations. EMCORE sold its TurboDisc capital equipment business in an asset sale in November 2003 to a subsidiary of Veeco Instruments Inc. (Veeco) in a transaction that is valued at up to $80.0 million. The selling price was $60.0 million in cash at closing, with an additional aggregate maximum payout of $20.0 million over the next two years. In March 2005, EMCORE received $13.2 million of earn-out payment from Veeco in connection with its first year of net sales of TurboDisc products. After offsetting this receipt against expenses related to the discontinued operation, EMCORE recorded a net gain from the disposal of discontinued operations of $12.5 million. EMCORE’s maximum second year earn-out payment from Veeco is $6.8 million. Based upon currently available information, EMCORE cannot predict whether it will receive a second year earn-out payment from Veeco because calendar year 2005 revenues from the TurboDisc capital equipment business may not exceed the minimum revenue earn-out threshold. During fiscal 2004, EMCORE recognized a net loss from discontinued operations of $2.0 million and a gain on the disposal of the TurboDisc capital equipment business of $19.6 million. EMCORE does not have any material contingent liabilities resulting from this sale of this business.

 
Comparison of Fiscal Years Ended September 30, 2004 and 2003

Consolidated Revenue

EMCORE’s consolidated revenue increased $32.8 million or 54% to $93.1 million in fiscal 2004 from $60.3 million in fiscal 2003. All three of EMCORE’s operating segments: Fiber Optics, Photovoltaics and Electronic Materials and Devices, posted revenue increases year over year. On a product line basis, fiber optics revenues increased $23.5 million or 72%, photovoltaic revenues increased $7.5 million or 41%, and revenues from electronic materials and devices increased $1.8 million or 19% from the prior year. International sales accounted for 29% of revenues in fiscal 2004 and 27% in fiscal 2003. Revenue from government contracts decreased $0.6 million to $4.6 million in fiscal 2004 from $5.2 million in fiscal 2003.
 
Fiber Optics

In fiscal 2004, EMCORE acquired two fiber optics businesses that complement the transceiver module product line. In October 2003, EMCORE acquired Molex Inc.'s 10G Ethernet transceiver business (Molex), and in June 2004, EMCORE purchased Corona Optical Systems, Inc. (Corona), a parallel optics company. In January 2003, EMCORE acquired Agere’s System’s, Inc.’s CATV transmission systems, telecom access, and satellite communication components business, formerly Ortel Corporation (Ortel).

Annual revenues increased $23.5 million or 72% to $56.2 million in fiscal 2004 from $32.7 million in fiscal 2003. On a quarterly basis, fiscal 2004 revenues were $15.5 million, $14.2 million, $11.9 million, and $14.6 million compared to fiscal 2003 quarterly revenues of $2.3 million, $9.7 million, $11.2 million, and $9.5 million. In fiscal 2003, Ortel was part of EMCORE for approximately three quarters. The first quarter of fiscal 2004 experienced an unexpected increase in Ortel sales volumes due to one-time buys from our customers. But the third and fourth quarter were lower due to reduced customer demand. The decrease in revenues in the third quarter of fiscal 2004 was a direct result of a LX4 product launch delay. Supply chain issues caused the delay; specifically, a vendor supplied contaminated material that was not identified until testing of the finished modules. To maintain the integrity of our business and product line, management decided not to ship the finished modules because of the risk of warranty returns. The LX4 product was successfully launched in July 2004. Fiber optics revenue represented 60% and 54% of EMCORE's total revenues in fiscal 2004 and 2003, respectively.

Photovoltaics

Annual revenues increased $7.5 million or 41% to $25.7 million in fiscal 2004 from $18.2 million in fiscal 2003. On a quarterly basis, fiscal 2004 revenues were $4.5 million, $6.1 million, $6.8 million, and $8.3 million compared to fiscal 2003 quarterly revenues of $5.1 million, $5.2 million, $3.0 million, and $4.9 million. Government contract revenues for photovoltaics products were $2.8 million and $2.7 million in fiscal years 2004 and 2003, respectively. The increase in revenue is attributable to the receipt of two significant solar contracts that were delayed from the prior year. Photovoltaics revenue represented 28% and 30% of EMCORE's total revenues for fiscal 2004 and 2003, respectively.

Electronic Materials & Devices

Revenues from the EMD segment increased $1.8 million or 19% to $11.2 million in fiscal 2004 from $9.4 million in fiscal 2003. On a quarterly basis, fiscal 2004 revenues were $3.1 million, $2.9 million, $2.6 million, and $2.6 million compared to fiscal 2003 quarterly revenues of $2.0 million, $2.0 million, $2.7 million, and $2.7 million. Government contract revenues for EMD products were $1.8 million and $2.5 million in fiscal years 2004 and 2003, respectively. The increase in revenues was due in part to EMCORE broadening its relationship with ANADIGICS, Inc. by entering into a preferred supplier agreement in the second quarter of fiscal 2004. EMD’s revenue represented 12% and 16% of EMCORE's total revenues for fiscal 2004 and 2003, respectively.


Gross Profit (Loss) 

Gross profit increased $9.0 million to $7.3 million in fiscal 2004 from ($1.7) million in fiscal 2003. Compared to the prior year, gross margins increased from (2.8%) to 7.8% of revenue. On a product line basis, margins for fiber optics increased from 10.4% in fiscal 2003 to 11.8% in fiscal 2004, margins for photovoltaics improved from (31.5%) in fiscal 2003 to (8.2%) in fiscal 2004 and margins for the electronic materials and devices product line increased slightly as well. Gross margins were negatively impacted by the underutilization of fixed costs and overhead resulting from expansions previously deployed through fiscal 2001.
 
 
Operating Expenses

Selling, General and Administrative. SG&A expenses increased $0.3 million or 1% to $21.9 million in fiscal 2004 from $21.6 million in fiscal 2003. As a percentage of revenue, SG&A significantly decreased from 36% in fiscal 2003 to 24% in fiscal 2004. In fiscal 2004, EMCORE incurred $1.2 million in severance-related charges related to employee termination costs for 110 employees. In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2004, EMCORE reversed a portion of the professional fees accrual in the amount of $0.5 million, which represented an over-accrued amount based upon information gained directly from the service providers.

Research and Development. R&D expenses increased $6.6 million or 39% to $23.6 million in fiscal 2004 from $17.0 million in fiscal 2003. The increase was primarily due to an increase in R&D spending in the fiber optics product line. During fiscal 2004, this group incurred significant R&D on the development of the LX4 module, including a $1.3 million one-time charge incurred as a result of contaminated materials supplied to us by a vendor. Also, Ortel's R&D focus continued the development of PONs and FTTP systems that are intended to provide even greater bandwidth, better performance and increased reliability to homes and businesses. As a percentage of revenue, R&D decreased from 28% in fiscal 2003 to 25% in 2004.

Gain From Debt Extinguishment. In February 2004, EMCORE exchanged approximately $146.0 million, or 90.2%, of 2006 Notes for approximately $80.3 million aggregate principal amount of new 5% Convertible Senior Subordinated Notes due May 15, 2011 and approximately 7.7 million shares of EMCORE common stock. As a result of this transaction, EMCORE recorded a net gain from early debt extinguishment of approximately $12.3 million.
  
Interest Expense, net. Interest expense, net decreased $1.9 million, or 26%, to $5.4 million in fiscal 2004 from $7.3 million in fiscal 2003. This decrease is due to the retirement of approximately $65.7 million of EMCORE’s subordinated debt through the debt exchange accomplished in February 2004.

Investment Loss. In February 2002, EMCORE purchased $1.0 million of preferred stock of Archcom Technologies, Inc., a venture-funded, start-up optical networking components company that designs, manufactures and markets a series of high performance lasers and photodiodes for datacom and telecom industries. In fiscal 2004, EMCORE chose not to participate in a equity offering at Archcom which diluted EMCORE ownership in half to $0.5 million.

Equity in Net Income (Loss) of GELcore. EMCORE's portion of equity in GELcore increased $2.0 million, or 164%, to net income of $0.8 million in fiscal 2004 from a net loss of $1.2 million in fiscal 2003. In fiscal 2004, on a quarterly basis, EMCORE's share of GELcore's operating results was $0.3 million, $(0.1) million, $0.4 million and $0.2 million. In fiscal 2003, on a quarterly basis, EMCORE's share of GELcore's operating results was $(0.5) million, $(0.7) million, $(0.1) million and $0.1 million. This quarterly improvement is associated with increased unit volumes, changes in LED product mix and less manufacturing inefficiencies associated with newer product introductions.
 
Income Taxes. As a result of its losses, EMCORE did not incur any income tax expense in either fiscal 2004 or 2003.


Quarterly Results of Operations

The following tables present EMCORE’s unaudited results of operations expressed in dollars and as a percentage of revenue for the eight most recently ended quarters. EMCORE believes that all necessary adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, have been included in the amounts below to present fairly the selected quarterly information when read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes included elsewhere in this document. EMCORE’s results from operations may vary substantially from quarter to quarter. Accordingly, the operating results for a quarter are not necessarily indicative of results for any subsequent quarter or for the full year. EMCORE has experienced and expects to continue to experience significant fluctuations in quarterly results. See Selected Financial Data under Item 6 for a listing of certain significant transactions that affect the comparability of EMCORE’s operating results and financial condition.
 
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(in thousands)
   
Dec. 31, 2003
 
 
Mar. 30, 2004
 
 
June 30, 2004
 
 
Sept. 30, 2004
 
 
Dec. 31, 2004
 
 
Mar. 30, 2005
 
 
June 30, 2005
 
 
Sept. 30, 2005
 
                                                   
Revenue
 
$
23,125
 
$
23,180
 
$
21,225
 
$
25,539
 
$
26,964
 
$
30,430
 
$
33,234
 
$
36,975
 
Cost of revenue
   
19,945
   
20,499
   
20,811
   
24,525
   
24,889
   
24,901
   
26,503
   
30,453
 
Gross profit
   
3,180
   
2,681
   
414
   
1,014
   
2,075
   
5,529
   
6,731
   
6,522
 
                                                   
Operating expenses:
                                                 
Selling, general & administrative
   
5,307
   
5,644
   
5,723
   
5,253
   
5,560
   
5,127
   
7,902
   
6,547
 
Research and development
   
6,046
   
5,714
   
6,535
   
5,260
   
5,059
   
4,069
   
4,061
   
4,240
 
Total operating expenses
   
11,353
   
11,358
   
12,258
   
10,513
   
10,619
   
9,196
   
11,963
   
10,787
 
Operating loss
   
(8,173
)
 
(8,677
)
 
(11,844
)
 
(9,499
)
 
(8,544
)
 
(3,667
)
 
(5,232
)
 
(4,265
)
                                                   
Other (income) expenses:
                                                 
Interest expense, net
   
1,867
   
1,486
   
1,004
   
1,016
   
969
   
953
   
905
   
936
 
Gain from debt extinguishment
   
-
   
(12,312
)
 
-
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
-
 
Investment loss
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
500
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
-
 
Equity in net loss (income) of GELcore
   
(267
)
 
51
   
(341
)
 
(232
)
 
(372
)
 
297
   
778
   
(591
)
Total other expenses (income)
   
1,600
   
(10,775
)
 
663
   
1,284
   
597
   
1,250
   
1,683
   
345
 
(Loss) income from continuing operations
   
(9,773
)
 
2,098
   
(12,507
)
 
(10,783
)
 
(9,141
)
 
(4,917
)
 
(6,915
)
 
(4,610
)