News

13 March 2009

 

ESI scriber enables GaN LED power chip production ramp at China’s AquaLite

Electro Scientific Industries Inc (ESI) of Portland, OR, USA, which provides photonic and laser systems for microengineering applications, says that its AccuScribe 2112 wafer scribing system has helped to enable the aggressive production ramp at AquaLite Co Ltd of Wuhan, China.

AquaLite was founded in 2006 and holds several US and Chinese patents, based on proprietary technology for the mass production of epitaxial wafers and power chips. Sponsored by the Chinese Hi-Tech ‘863’ programs and the National Torch Plan, and with investment from Wuhan Hi-Tech Group, TianDi Growth Capital and InfoTech Ventures, Aqualite undertakes both R&D and high-volume production of gallium nitride (GaN)-based LED power chips for solid-state lighting applications in China. The firm’s roadmap targeted an annual capacity of 3600 millions chips from its 55000m2 plant by the end of 2008.

Delivered last September, the AccuScribe 2112 system has met AquaLite’s stringent production ramp requirements on schedule, says ESI. The AccuScribe 21xx series is the latest system in ESI’s range of scribing solutions, which is reckoned to provide the greatest improvements in high-brightness LED (HB-LED) scribing since the inception of the firm's Titan laser scriber. Using high-efficiency, high-stability UV DPSS (diode-pumped solid-state) laser technology, the production-worthy platform supports 100mm wafer capability.

“The decision to choose ESI’s AccuScribe 2112 system was supported by their continued roadmap developments and support for our fast-paced production ramp schedules,” says Mr Dong, president of AquaLite. “With a strong supplier record and innovative designs that continue to deliver systems with the lowest cost-of-ownership in the industry, ESI is the right choice for the LED market,” he adds.

“Our close customer relationships allow us to develop innovative solutions to meet aggressive production ramps, and further our customers’ product and technology roadmaps,” says Michael Stubelt, marketing director of ESI’s New Wave Research division. “AquaLite is a valued partner and we will continue to develop solutions with significant cost-of-ownership advantages to meet our global customers' manufacturing needs,” he adds.

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