Nov 30 2007
AIXTRON AG today announced that QinetiQ, an international defence and security technology company has placed an order for one Close Coupled Showerhead (CCS) MOCVD system.
The order, which is for a CCS 6x2" Flip Top configuration tool, will be used for the development of gallium nitride (GaN) devices for high-performance applications. The reactor will be installed at QinetiQ’s Micro and Nano Technology laboratories in Malvern, UK alongside their existing epitaxy systems, which include a CCS 3x2" reactor.
The new system will be supervised by Dr Trevor Martin who comments: “We have had a long and successful relationship with the AIXTRON group, and this new larger scale reactor is the best tool for our new development plans for nitride-based devices. It will also serve us well for small-scale prototype runs of epiwafers for our international customers. We have great confidence that the new AIXTRON reactor will give us excellent run-to-run, wafer-to-wafer reproducibility and uniformity with minimal downtime."
QinetiQ provides state-of-the-art expertise across a wide range of optical and electronic technologies including compound semiconductor devices. QinetiQ has a strong track record in the preparation of complex thin films using MOCVD and in-house expertise in the growth of III-V materials and device processing using several epitaxial growth systems. The reactor will be used initially in support of a program to develop a route to low cost LEDs for solid state lighting which is sponsored by the UK department of Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR).
Even though the bulk of today’s market for GaN epitaxial materials is for the optoelectronics market such as LEDs, laser diodes and other devices, this material has great potential for microelectronic devices. A growing number of institutes and companies worldwide are also developing the technology for the commercialization of nitride based power devices. Next-generation telecoms and high-performance radar systems are planned which will exploit the high-frequency and high-performance potential of GaN-based epitaxial materials.