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GREENSBORO - Chip maker RF Micro Devices will lay off approximately 150 workers in the first quarter of next year at its Greensboro operations, a company official said Friday .

Jerry Neal , executive vice president for strategic development and a co-founder of the company , said RFMD would idle one of its wafer-making facilities at 7628 Thorndike Road .

"We are not shutting it down," Neal said. "We will be able to bring it back up when demand from our customers comes back. No one knows how long that will be."

Neal said the production will be moved to another fabrication unit at the site.

The terminations come after the company announced last week that it had lowered its fiscal third-quarter revenue outlook because of weak demand.

At that time, Bob Bruggeworth , president and chief executive , said in a statement that the company had taken "decisive and immediate actions to maximize cash flow by reducing costs, working capital and capital expenditures."

Efforts to reach Bruggeworth were unsuccessful Friday.

The company, which makes a specialized type of microchip for cellular phones and high-performance radio systems, has had a difficult year.

Its stock price has tumbled to as low as 72 cents a share from a 52-week high of $6 . Shares closed at 78 cents Friday, up 8.3 percent.

In the spring, in two separate events, the company announced the terminations of about 280 employes in Greensboro, plus another 150 companywide.

Neal could not be specific about when the latest layoffs will begin.

An internal memo about the cuts went out Friday.

"We want to give our employees as much notice of any changes even though we don't have all the details worked out," Neal said. "I am saddened that the worldwide demand is such that these steps have become necessary."

The memo added: "We have made these decisions in the best interests of the entire company and to strengthen RFMD for the future."

Neal said the layoffs will leave the company with more than 1,600 employees in Greensboro .

Contact Donald W. Patterson at 373-7027 or don.patterson @news-record.com