Siltronic AG and Imec team up to make GaN-on-Si wafers for next-generation LEDs
Munich, Germany and Leuven, Belgium--Siltronic AG and Imec are teaming up to develop 200-mm-diameter silicon (Si) wafers that have a gallium nitride (GaN) layer; the wafers are intended for the production of next-generation white-light LEDs, as well as for power-semiconductor devices. The collaboration is part of Imec's GaN-on-Si industrial-affiliation program.
Such wafers will allow cheaper and more-efficient fabrication of LEDs for lighting using epitaxial deposition of GaN-based structures on larger Si wafers. Imec has experience in GaN deposition on Si substrates with diameters of 50 to 150 mm; Siltronic AG has decades of experience in epitaxial deposition of materials on Si substrates, and can manufacture hyperpure Si wafers up to 300 mm in diameter.
Other participants such as integrated device manufacturers, foundries, SI compound producers, and substrate manufacturers are also involved in the platform. Siltronic will use Imec's facilities and technical resources in Leuven.
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John Wallace | Senior Technical Editor (1998-2022)
John Wallace was with Laser Focus World for nearly 25 years, retiring in late June 2022. He obtained a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and physics at Rutgers University and a master's in optical engineering at the University of Rochester. Before becoming an editor, John worked as an engineer at RCA, Exxon, Eastman Kodak, and GCA Corporation.