February 7, 2012 — Veeco Instruments Inc. (Nasdaq:VECO) reported three major wins for its TurboDisc K465i gallium nitride (GaN) metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) tools at light emitting diode (LED) makers and electronics manufacturing materials suppliers. The same tool will be used for high-volume LED fab, GaN-on-Si research, and Si-based LED development.
The K465i achieves up to 90% yield (5nm bin) with high uniformity and run-to-run repeatability from its Uniform FlowFlange technology. It also offers full automation and shortened recovery period after maintenance.
SemiLEDs Corporation (Nasdaq:LEDS) qualified the TurboDisc K465i GaN MOCVD system for high-volume production of high brightness light emitting diodes (HB-LEDs) at its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Taiwan. Chuong A. Tran, Ph.D., president and COO, SemiLEDs, noted that Veeco offers "enhanced local support with their technology center in Hsinchu" for this Taiwan installation. Veeco is a new supplier for SemiLEDs.
SemiLEDs develops and manufactures LED chips and LED components primarily for general lighting applications. Internet: http://www.semileds.com/.
LG Siltron, a South Korean epi wafer manufacturer, selected the TurboDisc K465i tool to make gallium nitride on silicon (GaN-on-Si) wafers for power electronics and LED devices. GaN is an alternative to traditional silicon-based power transistors. GaN-on-Si may also offer an alternative approach to LED manufacturing. Dr. Hee Bog Kang, GM, LG Siltron R&D, noted that this is their first GaN-on-Si production system, praising the tool’s throughput, uniformity, and low particle count.
LG Siltron is a major electronics materials manufacturer providing epitaxial wafers in 150mm, 200mm and 300mm diameters and solar substrates. For more information, visit http://www.lgsiltron.co.kr.
Epistar Corporation installed the K465i TurboDisc to develop LEDs on silicon substrates. Epistar is moving to larger wafer sizes for higher-yield LED production, with the GaN-on-Si development, noted M. J. Jou, Ph.D., president of Epistar. "Large-diameter silicon wafers offer…a low-cost alternative to sapphire for volume production of lower-cost LEDs," added William J. Miller, Ph.D., Veeco EVP, process equipment.
Epistar Corporation manufactures HB-LEDs for diverse applications. Go to http://www.epistar.com.tw/about-e.htm
Veeco makes equipment to develop and manufacture LEDs, solar cells, hard disk drives (HDDs) and other devices. Watch a video of the TurboDisc K465i at http://www.veeco.com/movies/TurboDisk_01_K465GAN.swf