Sumitomo Electric to begin 150mm GaN-on-SiC production after ordering Aixtron AIX G5+ MOCVD system

Deposition equipment maker Aixtron SE of Herzogenrath, near Aachen, Germany says that Japan’s Sumitomo Electric Device Innovations Inc (SEDI), a subsidiary of Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd, has ordered an AIX G5+ metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) system with 8x6-inch wafer configuration (for delivery in 2019) in order to expand its production capacity of gallium nitride-on-silicon carbide (GaN-on-SiC) radio frequency (RF) devices for wireless applications such as radars, satellite communication and base stations for the rapidly expanding 5G mobile networks.

SEDI has already been relying on Aixtron’s Showerhead technology for the production of 4-inch GaN high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) epitaxial wafers. The progressive deployment of 5G networks but also the introduction of new technologies like beamforming is expected to drive a rapid upturn in demand, steering the adoption of more efficient 6-inch substrates for RF applications on Aixtron’s proven Planetary systems.

The new reactor is equipped with an EpiCurve TT metrology system as well as Auto-Feed Forward and P400 UV Pyrometer Close Loop temperature control. Aixtron adds that the system’s wafer uniformity and precise process control is especially important for device production on cost-intensive silicon carbide wafers.

Sumitomo Electric Device Innovations Inc has an established portfolio of RF components, including a range of GaN HEMT devices for radar, mobile phone base stations, and general applications. The GaN-on-SiC HEMT devices enable high power amplification at operating frequencies of 28-40GHz and beyond, as required by new 5G communication standards.

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II-VI and Sumitomo collaborate on 150mm GaN-on-SiC HEMT production

Tags: Aixtron GaN-on-SiC HEMT SEI

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