Deposition equipment maker Aixtron SE of Herzogenrath, near Aachen, Germany says that UK-based Plessey Semiconductors Ltd has ordered an AIX G5+ C cluster system (for delivery in third-quarter 2016) to expand its production capacity for gallium nitride LEDs manufactured on silicon wafers (GaN-on-Si).
The AIX G5+ C cluster for Plessey consists of two multi-wafer AIX G5+ reactors, supplemented by Aixtron's next-generation cassette-to-cassette wafer handler for large-scale, fully automated epitaxy production. Plessey purchased the Aixtron planetary system mainly to expand its 150mm GaN-on-Si wafer production but it is also working towards 200mm production qualification mid-term, as Aixtron's G5+ system enables the processing of eight 150mm wafers or five 200mm wafers at the same time.
"We are now moving from proof of capability for our GaN-on-Si LED products into a capacity expansion phase," says Plessey's operations director Mike Snaith. "In the meantime, we have built significant demand for a range of our LED products. We have decided to purchase Aixtron's latest planetary system, as the AIX G5+ C combines outstanding on-wafer uniformity and run-to-run performance at lowest cost of ownership – aspects that are crucial for efficient high-volume GaN-on-Si production," he adds.
"We have a longstanding and trustful relationship with Plessey," comments Dr Frank Schulte, vice president Aixtron Europe. "Our AIX G5+ C planetary system resolves the common challenges of high-yield, high-quality and high-throughput production of GaN-based materials on large-area silicon wafers through its fully automated cassette-to-cassette loader and a thermally activated gas etch of the MOCVD chamber," he adds.