Deposition equipment maker Aixtron SE of Herzogenrath, Germany has received an order for an AIX G5+ metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) platform from glō-USA Inc in Sunnyvale, CA, USA.
Started at Lund University’s Nanometer Structure Consortium by professor Lars Samuelson, Sweden-based glō AB established an R&D and product development pilot line in Sunnyvale in 2010. The firm now focuses on commercializing micro-LED (mLED) products based on its proprietary defect-free gallium nitride (GaN) nanowire technology. Such 3D structures enable the growth of mLEDs while maintaining the reliability of an inorganic material system. Aixtron’s AIX G5+ Planetary Reactor system was selected in the scope of glō’s strategic expansion and will be delivered in an 8x150mm configuration during fourth-quarter 2017, as glō aims to deliver micro-LED products in 2018.
According to glō, micro-LED technology is on the roadmap of all tier-one display makers as a challenger to the existing display technology for next-generation consumer products. Micro-LED displays consist of micron-sized LED arrays forming individual sub-pixel elements. Compared with existing LCD and OLED technologies, mLED displays offer low power consumption while exhibiting what is reckoned to be superior pixel density, contrast ratio and brightness, hence opening new horizons for consumer mobile products as well as premium TV displays.
“Based on more than 10 years of experience and know-how in the area of nanotechnology, we have developed a game-changing three-color micro-LED display technology,” claims glō’s CEO Fariba Danesh. “Our three-color pixels are made solely with GaN semiconductor material. We are now focused on taking this exciting technology to a volume production stage. Beyond the epitaxial structure, the manufacturing of mLEDs require scalable processes, very tight uniformity and particle control of the epitaxial wafers to enable the highest yield and therewith cost-efficient transfer to our mLED partners. Aixtron’s AIX G5+ MOCVD system provides all these requirements while maintaining low fab economics due to a batch reactor configuration,” she adds.
“Our AIX G5+ is being recognized as the tool of record for mLED-related applications as it is the sole technology on the market providing on-wafer uniformity control, low particle levels, and unique advanced features such as wafer-level temperature control with Auto-Feed Forward (AFF) and therefore supporting the demanding micro LED requirements,” claims Aixtron’s president Dr Bernd Schulte.
