Deposition equipment maker Aixtron SE of Aachen, Germany says that Mitsubishi Electric Corp (MELCO) of Tokyo, Japan has begun operations with an AIX 2800G4 HT Planetary Reactor system. The 11x4”-wafer configuration metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) system will be used mainly for the development and volume production of high-efficiency gallium nitride on silicon (GaN-on-Si) power amplifiers for mobile communication base stations.
Aixtron says that MELCO’s decision to buy the G4 for production of high-efficiency power amplifiers is based on its experience with the previous G3 MOCVD tool generation. As the Planetary Reactor provides system flexibility and maximum production yield through material uniformity combined with low wafer bow, MELCO aims to use the new system in volume production.
“Gallium nitride-on-silicon technology is becoming the technology of choice for manufacturers of power electronics as it offers high performance and cost-effective manufacturing processes on 4”, 6” and 200mm silicon,” says Dr Frank Wischmeyer, Aixtron’s VP of Power Electronics. “We are very pleased to enable MELCO to produce devices like monolithic high-efficiency power amplifiers or discrete HEMTs.”
GaN-based components enable higher power densities at higher frequencies with potential applications that include satellite communication and radar, in addition to mobile phone network base stations.
