Rubicon Technology Inc of Bensenville, IL, USA (which makes monocrystalline sapphire substrates and products for the LED, RFIC, semiconductor and optical industries) has launched what it claims is the first commercial line of large-diameter patterned sapphire substrates (PSS) in 4-inch through 8-inch diameters. The new product line provides LED chip makers with a ready-made source of large-diameter PSS to serve the needs of the rapidly growing LED general lighting industry, says the firm.
The LED general lighting market is expected to grow from nearly 300 million lamps shipped in 2012 to 3 billion by 2020, according to market analyst firm IMS Research. Technology innovation is helping the LED supply chain prepare for this dramatic growth. Most high-brightness LED makers etch a pattern into the sapphire wafers in order to both improve epitaxial growth and extract more light from each chip. Patterned sapphire substrates have been available for purchase in smaller diameters, but Rubicon claims to be the first to offer highly customizable 6" and 8" PSS, increasing chipmakers' throughput and efficiency.
"As LED-based general lighting gains worldwide adoption, large-diameter patterned sapphire substrates will become necessary to meet the demands of the rapidly growing lighting market," says president & CEO Raja M. Parvez. "Rubicon has developed an unmatched technology platform that is vertically integrated from raw material through crystal growth, large-diameter polished wafers, and now custom PSS in 4", 6" and 8" diameters," he adds. "Our vertical integration enables Rubicon to produce progressively larger sapphire products while providing customers with exceptional quality, cost control, reliability and consistency."
Rubicon offers fully customizable sub-micron patterning capability with tight dimensional tolerances (within ±0.1μm). The firm adds that, with an edge exclusion zone as small as 1mm, it offers more usable area to maximize the number of chips per wafer. Patterning is available in a range of shapes including cone, dome and pyramid, and in a range of orientations. Further customization of geometry, pattern and orientation is available upon request.
