Soitec, Sumitomo to Produce Engineered GaN Wafers
By David Lammers
In a move which could aid cost-reduction efforts by the LED and power IC industries, Soitec and Sumitomo Electric Industries said they plan to produce engineered four-inch and, later, six-inch gallium nitride (GaN) substrates.
Sumitomo Electric, a market leader in GaN wafers, will supply special bulk GaN substrates to Soitec, which will use its Smart Cut layer-transfer process to generate the final engineered wafers with the same thermal expansion (CTE) as conventional GaN wafers.
The two companies have been working together since December 2010 to develop the larger wafers, produced by transferring ultra-thin GaN layers from a single GaN wafer to produce multiple engineered GaN substrates. The development originally focused on two-inch wafers. Now, the partners are establishing pilot production lines in Itami, Japan, and Bernin, France, initially fabricating four-inch GaN wafers with six-inch wafer production to follow quickly.
The larger wafers are aimed at customers manufacturing high-brightness LEDs and power-efficient controllers for the electric vehicle and energy markets.
The companies said the engineered substrates have low defect densities, and will enable lower costs than bulk GaN wafers, partly by using the expensive starting material more efficiently.
“Our partnership’s successful demonstration of four- and six-inch engineered GaN substrates’ scalability is a critical milestone, accomplished by applying very strong innovative capabilities from both sides,” said Frédéric Dupont, vice president of Soitec’s Specialty Electronics Business Unit. “The advanced substrates we are developing will allow the introduction of a new materials platform with novel and advanced functionalities,” Dupont added.
Yoshiki Miura, general manager of the Compound Semiconductor Materials Division at Sumitomo Electric, said, “With layer-transfer technology’s production readiness now proven for larger wafers, the substrates can be made even more cost effectively for large-volume production. We look forward to continuing our successful collaboration with Soitec to fulfill the requirements of the LED and energy markets, which represent amazing business opportunities.”
Soitec has developed epitaxy and Smart Cut techniques aimed at GaN substrates. (Source: Soitec)
Tags: GaN, LEDs, power ICs, Smart Cut, Soitec, Sumitomo Electric