Category Archives: LED Manufacturing

September 14, 2011 – PRWEB — Using a microreactor and control software, Quantum Materials Corporation (QMC) and the Access2Flow Consortium of the Netherlands achieved a continuous flow process to mass produce quantum dots.

With mass production, Quantum Materials Tetrapod Quantum Dots will be available in materials quantities needed for high-volume electronics products, such as solid-state lighting, quantum-dot light emitting diode (QLED) displays, nano-bio apps, etc. This process will also be used for QMC’s subsidiary, Solterra Renewable Technologies, for quantum dot solar cells and solar panels.

The continuous flow process claims yield and conversion improvements over batch quantum dot synthesis. QMC’s goal is 100kg/day production “with a 95% or greater yield,” explained Stephen Squires, founder and CEO of Quantum Materials Corporation. The inherent design of the microreactor allows for commercial-scale parallel modules to achieve large production rates at low cost in a regulated, optimized system. Materials choice for QD production is flexible, enabling work on heavy-metal (cadmium) free quantum dots and other biologically inert materials. Adaptability to other inorganic metals and elements is as important as the scaleability achieved in the process flow, said QMC CTO Dr. Bob Glass.

Also read: E beam litho, etch make identical quantum dots

While quantum dots offer performance improvements for products from LED displays to energy storage systems, lacking high-volume manufacturing methods have limited quantum dot integration into commercial products, say the Quantum Materials representatives. The continuous flow manufacturing process is meant to eliminate the difficulty in manufacturing quantum dots, the lack of quality and uniformity of quantum dots, and the corresponding high cost (average $2500-$6000/gram).

Quantum Materials Corporation uses volume manufacturing methods to establish a growing line of quantum dots. Learn more at http://www.qdotss.com.

Solterra Renewable Technologies Inc develops sustainable and cost-effective solar technology by replacing silicon wafer-based solar cells with Quantum Dot-based solar cells. Solterra is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Quantum Materials, Inc. Go to http://www.solterrasolarcells.com.

Access2Flow is a consortium of FutureChemistry, Flowid and Micronit Microfluidics based in the Netherlands. Access2Flow produces technology for converting small laboratory processes or “beaker batches” to full scale optimized "continuous flow chemistry."

September 9, 2011 – BUSINESS WIRE — QD Vision Inc., nanotechnology-based optical product developer, relocated to a new, high-volume production facility in Lexington, MA, gearing up for new product launches in 2012.

The Lexington building houses QD Vision’s global headquarters and production and development facilities. The company makes quantum dots via a precisely controlled chemical synthesis process. The manufacturing process requires a skilled, educated workforce, said Jason Carlson, QD Vision CEO. The Lexington, MA, site will produce quantum dots in high volume.

QD Vision has partnerships for its Quantum Light optics deploying in consumer electronics products. For displays, quantum dot technology expands the color gamut and reduces manufacturing and operating costs and power use. Solid state lighting companies are using QD Vision products to make warm white high-efficiency LEDs. In August, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of the US Department of Defense (DoD) awarded QD Vision Inc. $900,000 to advance their QD-based infrared materials and deliver two prototype devices over the next 12 months.

QD Vision is a quantum dot (QD) product company serving display and lighting markets. Learn more at www.qdvision.com.

September 6, 2011 — AIXTRON SE received an order from Jiangsu CANYANG Optoelectronics LTD. for four CRIUS II metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) systems in a 55 x 2" configuration. All systems will be dedicated to the growth of high brightness blue LEDs (HB-LED).

Jiangsu is a China-based joint venture with Taiwan-based LED chipmaker Formosa Epitaxy (FOREPI). The company is transferring to the new generation from its existing CRIUS MOCVD reactors. The company chose AIXTRON to minimize risks and production downtime as it ramps high-volume blue LED production at Jiangsu CANYANG, said FOREPI president Dr. Fen-Ren Chien. The CRIUS II MOCVD systems feature Showerhead technology and will transfer recipes from the first-generation systems.

Jiangsu CANYANG placed the order in Q2 2011; delivery is planned between Q2 and Q4; AIXTRON’s local support teams will install and commission the reactors. Jiangsu CANYANG’s capacity is expected to reach 50 sets of MOCVD equipment within the next two years.

Jiangsu CANYANG Optoelectronics LTD specializes in R&D and industrialization of LED epitaxial wafers and chips. The company produces ultra-high-brightness InGaN LED epitaxial wafers and LED chips.

AIXTRON SE is a leading provider of deposition equipment to the semiconductor industry. Learn more at www.aixtron.com.

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August 30, 2011 – SEMICON Taiwan (Sept. 7-9) approaches, the island’s most celebrated event for microelectronics manufacturing, coorganized by SEMI and the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), offers more than 60 programs and sessions and 550 exhibitors spanning the entire semiconductor value chain and related high-growth industries.

A "Market Trend Forum" will host five industry analysts with their takes on future trends in semiconductor markets from up and down the value chain: foundries, DRAM, packaging, and equipment/materials.

The SiP Global Summit presents the latest 3D IC developments from TSMC and ASE, and offers talks on test challenges, 2.5D-3D ICs, and device-embedded substrates, dubbed "the last mile" in heterogeneous integration in SiP packaging.

A gathering for celebration, to see and be seen: The 2011 Leadership Gala Dinner will honor TSMC’s Morris Chang, recipient of the 2011 Akira Inoue award, and we’re told that President Ma Ying-jeou will talk as well. Other invited guests listed are Vincent Siew, VP representing the ROC; Wu Den-Yih, Premier of the Executive Yuan; Yen-Shiang Shih from the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA); and Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-Bin.

For networking, the CEO Forum presents a range of talks from top industry execs (Mentor Graphics, IMEC, Applied Materials, TSMC), addressing market differentiation, future "hyper-intelligent systems," equipment technology inflection points, and other silicon IC technology challenges and opportunities. And there’s the annual SEMICON Taiwan golf tournament and luncheon.

Other forums cover a range of hot industry topics:

– MEMS: Litho for 3D TSV MEMS, etching, simulation, test
– LEDs Cost and technology trends, manufacturing efficiencies, packaging
– Green Manufacturing: Reducing and efficiently managing consumption of energy, water, hazardous substances, waste, etc. Talks include ISO and SEMI standards, TSMC’s "total chemical management," pump/abatement, automation, etc.
– More: Manufacturing/design collaboration, CMP, secondary equipment, and a number of themed pavilions including a Cross-Strait and several national ones.

To learn more about the show and register, go to www.semicontaiwan.org.

August 30, 2011 — The IEEE Photonics Conference 2011 (previously known as the IEEE LEOS Annual Meeting) takes place October 9-13 in Arlington, VA, will gather more than 550 technical presentations on lasers, optoelectronics, lightwave technologies, and other photonic applications. The event aims to tackle important issues, as well as entice students and young photonics professionals. The conference is complemented by a manufacturer’s exhibition.

Attendees — engineers, suppliers, technologists, and students — work in quantum electronic fields involving light, such as displays, sensors, imaging systems, optics & optoelectronics, photovoltaics, interconnects, microwave and nanophotonic devices and systems, planar waveguide technology, lasers, and more.

The presentations focus on technological advances that will benefit communications, energy conservation, computing, medicine, sensing, displays, and other important areas, noted David Plant, IPC-2011 Program Chair and James McGill Professor in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at McGill University.

Plenary speakers on October 10 and 11, 3:30

August 25, 2011 — Cintelliq’s "OLED lighting: A review of the patent landscape" report shows the fastest growth in organic light emitting diode (OLED) patents 2008-2010 came from the materials sector. During the 2-year period, the total number of OLED patents published grew by 56% from 1,767 to 2,760, with no signs of slowing. The largest group of OLED patents (>260) went to traditional lighting companies.

Patent filings by academic and research institutes grew by nearly 200%. During the same period, device patents growth was the highest in terms of absolute numbers, but the highest growth rate was in terms of patents for ‘ancillary’ aspects of OLED panels: drimmer units, power units, mountings and fixtures. Applications patents, materials, fabrication and outcoupling all grew by more than 50%.

Figure. OLED patents by type, through 2010

Increasingly, patents refer to LED and OLED as the solid-state light source, suggesting that — from an applications persepctive — the two technologies are interchagable.

Table. Numbers of Industry Sector  Patents Assignees
Lighting 640 33
Imaging/optics 498 9
Technology providers 414 14
Display 331 38
Materials 289 40
Academia 159 51
Automotive 129 19
Other 300 92
Total 2,760 296

"OLED lighting: A review of the patent landscape" identifies more than 2,760 patents focused on white OLED technology for lighting applications, notes Craig Cruickshank, lead analyst, cintelliq Limited. Cruickshank expects OLED patent filings to continue to increase as "companies seek to secure exclusive technology domains." The research for this report is based on more than 2,700 patents – 310 granted patents (EP and US) and 2,450 published (EP, JP, US and WO), that have been made public up to December 2010.

Contact [email protected] to purchase the report.

Companies mentioned in the report:
3M, Acuity Brands, Airbus Operations, Applied Films, BASF, Beijing Visionox, Boeing, Cambridge Display Technology, CEAG Notlichtsysteme, Changchun Institute, CEA, Corning, CSIR, Dai Nippon Printing, Dongbu Hitek, Dongwoo Fine Chemicals, Doosan, DuPont, Eastman Kodak, FED, Foshan Nationstar Optoelectornics, Fraunhofer, Fuji Photo Film, Fujitec Intl., Furukawa Electric, General Electric, Global Energy Group, Global OLED Technology, Group IV Semiconductor, Harison Toshiba Lighting, Hitachi Chemical, Hitachi Lighting, Hitachi,  Idemitsu Kosan, ITRI, Jiaotong University, Johnson Controls Interiors, Kaneka, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Koizumi Lighting Technology, Konica Minolta, KETRI, LG Chemical, LG Display, LG Electronics, LG Philips LCD, Lighting Science Group, Lightronik Technology, Matsushita Electric Works, Merck, Mitsubishi Chemical, National Tsing Hua University Taiwan, NEC Lighting, Nitto Denko, Nokia, Novaled, Nth Degree Technologies, Osram, Panasonic Electric Works, Philips Electronics, Pioneer, Plextronics, Princeton University, Qinghua University, RIKEN, Rohm,  Saint Gobain Glass France, Samsung Electronics, Samsung Mobile Display, Samsung SDI, Sanyo Electric, Schott, Seiko Epson, Semiconductor Energy Lab, SFC, Sharp, Solvay, Sony, Stanley Electric, Sumitomo Chemical, TDK, Technische Universitaet Dresden, University of California, University of Michigan, University of St Andrews , Tohoku Pioneer, Toppan Printing, Toshiba, Toshiba Lighting, Toshiba Materials, Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology, Toyo Ink Manufacturing, Toyota Industries, Tridonic Atco, Universal Display, Vitex Systems, Yamagata Univeristy, Zeolux Corp, Zeon Corp.

August 22, 2011 — Nanowires tend to grow in unruly tangles, but a new structured substrate from the Weizmann Institute of Science is producing long, straight, aligned semiconductor nanowires for semiconductors like LEDs and transistors, photovoltaics, lasers, storage media, and other applications.

Figure 1. Nanowires growing along nanogrooves.

Prof. Ernesto Joselevich, Ph.D., of the Weizmann Institute’s Chemistry Faculty, Ph.D. student David Tsivion and postdoctoral fellow Mark Schvartzman of the Materials and Interfaces Department grew nanowires made of gallium nitride (GaN), using a sapphire base. Instead of growing nanowires vertically (which become tangled when manipulated into arrays), the researchers cut the sapphire along different planes of the crystal, creating a nanoscale step pattern with accordion-like, V-shaped grooves in which nanowires grew horizontally. The team therefore combined synthesis and assembly of the nanowires.

Figure 2.Top view of the nanowires, scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

The surface steps and grooves guide mm-long nanowire arrays to grow along their edges and within the depressions of the grooves. Optical and electronic properties were as good or better than those of vertically grown nanowires, without the defects that Joselevich expected horizontal growth to induce. The team credits its vertical-growth process, tuned to produce horizontal growth, for this high quality, though more research is needed to better understand what’s happening.

The results are published in Science at http://www.sciencemag.org/content/333/6045/1003.short

Learn more at the Weizmann Institute of Science, http://wis-wander.weizmann.ac.il/ (English)

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August 18, 2011 – BUSINESS WIRE — Sapphire substrates maker Rubicon Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:RBCN) completed company-wide enhancements to its proprietary crystal growth furnaces, upgrading all furnaces to Rubicon Furnace Version ES2-XLG3.0, which produces large-diameter sapphire material with greater automation and higher yields.

Rubicon operates high-efficiency crystal growth furnaces in Batavia and Bensenville, IL, USA, for semiconductor, optical, and LED manufacturers. Sapphire crystal growth is "extremely complex" compared to other substrates, said Raja Parvez, Rubicon president and CEO. The upgraded furnaces handle power and cooling requirements, complex growth profiles, and process control for larger-diameter sapphire wafers.

Also read: LEDs are fundamentally semiconductors, running up against fab and packaging issues

RBCN is focusing on large-diameter equipment platforms, citing the industry trend toward larger wafers. Rubicon has shipped more than 100,000 6" sapphire wafers. Major LED manufacturers are transitioning to larger-diameter wafers in the 2011-2012 timeframe. Migration to 4" wafers is "booming" with announcements by Osram and Showa Denko among others, while Samsung is planning to shift to 6" nitride LED production, and Monocrystal is working on 8" c-plan sapphire. The sapphire substrate market will grow at a 21% annual clip through 2012 to top $400M, says Yole Development.

Larger-diameter wafers can have higher warpage that impacts manufacturing.

Rubicon Technology (NASDAQ: RBCN) develops, manufactures and sells monocrystalline sapphire and other crystalline products for light-emitting diodes (LEDs), radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), blue laser diodes, optoelectronics and other optical applications. Rubicon is a vertically-integrated manufacturer with capabilities in crystal growth, high precision core drilling, wafer slicing, surface lapping, large-diameter polishing and wafer cleaning processes. Further information is available at www.rubicon-es2.com.

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August 18, 2011 — A rising light emitting diode (LED) surplus surpressing prices, slower LCD/LED panel growth, a slow-to-ramp LED lighting market, tighter credit in China, and other factors are converging to stall out metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) equipment installs in 2011. Once the LED oversupply is drained off, LED manufacturers will kickstart capacity expansions, likely in 2012, according to IMS Research.

IMS Research has released the MOCVD chapters of its 300-page Quarterly LED Supply and Demand Report, which reveals significant shifts in MOCVD adoption for LED manufacturing. In Q2 2011, GaN MOCVD shipments were down year-over-year for the first time since 2008 (falling 14% if Veeco’s MaxBright reactors were excluded as Veeco has not yet recognized revenues for this new tool in according with GAAP; falling 2% if MaxBright is included).

As the LED oversupply grows, LED manufacturers are holding off on many MOCVD system installs in 2011, causing IMS Research to downgrade its MOCVD shipment forecast significantly.

IMS Research expects 833 reactors to ship in 2011, lowering its 2011 GaN MOCVD forecast by 24%. 2011 will see 4% growth over 2010 (see figure).

This slower MOCVD growth should help alleviate the LED oversupply, which in turn could stabilize pricing. Near-term, LED makers will see a profitability boost. This, of course, will kickstart capacity expansions again, so expect more tool sales in 2012.

Figure. 2009-2012 GaN MOCVD results and forecast. SOURCE: Q3 2011 IMS Research Quarterly GaN LED Supply/Demand Report.

In addition to restarted expansions, 2012 should see 15 new Chinese LED manufacturers stocking fabs. 569 GaN MOCVD tools will ship, down 36% vs. 2011, but higher than previously expected and "healthy," according to IMS Research. The new LED makers are a major capex driver, accounting for 110 of the 569 tools. Tool shipments are forecasted quarterly and identified by customer and wafer size.

Taiwan and Korea, which are in the low double-digits for 2011 market share, will challenge China’s MOCVD tool demand in Q4 2012, shrinking China’s MOCVD demand to 61% of the total market. Epistar is expected to be the #1 MOCVD customer in 2012 followed by San

August 15, 2011 — Gallium nitride is typically grown on sapphire substrates, as the coeffecient of thermal expansion (CTE) between gallium nitride and silicon can lead to cracks and bowed wafers. Two companies are now announcing advances with gallium nitride grown on silicon (GaN-on-Si), opening up the fabless/foundry economies of scale and production expertise/capital equipment infrastructure of the silicon fab industry to LEDs. Translucent launched its Si wafer templates commerically for GaN growth, and Bridgelux set a new Lumens/W record for Gan-on-Si LEDs.

Translucent Inc., rare-earth-oxide (REO) engineered silicon substrates maker, launched its vGaN (virtual gallium nitride) family of silicon-based wafer templates commercially, offering lower-cost epitaxial surfaces for gallium nitride (GaN) device growth. The main target applications include light-emitting diodes (LED) and field-effect transistors (FET).

The III-N semiconductors family uses scalable GaN-on-Si wafers: crystalline REO layers provide stress relief and wafer flatness is acheived through customized lattice engineering. The REO layer’s wide bandgap of the REO layer could create higher breakdown-voltage characteristics for FETs grown on vGaN.

vGaN provides a semiconductor growth surface that has the physical properties of GaN, but utilizes a silicon substrate upon which is grown an epilayer of REO material that accommodates a top epilayer of Group III nitrides such as GaN. The vGaN substrate enables industry-standard metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) growth processes.

GaN is typically grown on sapphire substrates, which are significantly more expensive at large diameters, especially 200 mm and larger. Additionally, a major challenge facing device manufacturers today is the handling of the large, heavy, and expensive sapphire wafers. Such handling may require the purchase of special handling equipment for the fabrication plants. Conversely, the widely-used infrastructure of fabrication plants that are ready to run silicon wafers up to 200 mm already exists. This makes large-diameter silicon an ideal choice to bring economies of scale into the lighting (LED) and power electronics (FET) industries.

Translucent’s vGaN wafers are available at 100mm diameters; 150 and 200mm will be available during the next year.
 
Translucent, Inc., a subsidiary of Australian listed company Silex Systems Limited. (SLX: ASX), is a materials-based company focuses on using rare-earth oxides to provide low-cost, silicon-based templates for epitaxial growth of semiconductors. More information is available at www.translucentinc.com and www.silex.com.au.

LED lighting developer Bridgelux Inc. set a new company record for Lumen per Watt values for GaN-on-Si. Dr. Steve Lester, Bridgelux chief technology officer, claims LED performance comprable to sapphire-based LEDs, fabbed using Bridgelux’s proprietary buffer layer technology. Lester credits a focus on epitaxial process technology for the new Lumens/W numbers. Crack-free GaN layers were demonstrated on 8" silicon wafers, without bowing at room temperature.

Bridgelux suggests that GaN-on-Si LEDs could offer a 75% cost reduction from conventional LEDs made using sapphire or silicon carbide substrates.

Bridgelux’s first commercially available GaN-on-Si products are on schedule for delivery to the market within the next two years, the company says.

GaN-on-Si Lumens/W results: Cool white GaN-on-Si LEDs showed efficiencies as high as 160Lm/W at a CCT of 4350K. Warm white LEDs delivered 125 Lm/W at 2940K color temperature and CRI of 80. Encapsulated 1.5mm blue LEDs emit 591mW with wall plug efficiencies as high as 59% at 350mA. The LEDs have very low forward voltages, 2.85V at 350mA, making them ideal for use at high current densities. At a drive current of 1 amp the LEDs emitted 1.52 Watts of blue power at a forward voltage of 3.21V, resulting in a wall plug efficiency of 47%. Wavelength uniformity of sigma 6.8nm has been demonstrated for 8" LED wafers with median wavelength of 455nm.

Bridgelux develops and manufactures technologies and solutions for the global lighting industry, using solid-state lighting (SSL). For more information about the company, please visit www.bridgelux.com.

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