For applications in which plain silicon would get the ax, AXT offers fancier fare. AXT makes semiconductor substrates from compounds such as gallium arsenide (GaAs) and indium phosphide (InP), and from single elements such as germanium. Manufacturers use AXT's substrates to make high-performance semiconductors for products -- including fiber-optic devices, satellite solar cells, and wireless handsets -- for which standard silicon microchips are not adequate. AXT's customers include Avago, Freescale, Kopin, Oclaro, and Samsung Electronics. Most of its employees are in China. Nearly two-thirds of sales are to customers in the Asia/Pacific region.