10 October 2011

SETi wins STTR Phase II award to develop AlInN/GaN HFETs

Sensor Electronic Technology Inc (SETi) of Columbia, SC, USA has been awarded an STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) Phase II program to further develop aluminum indium nitride/gallium nitride (AlInN/GaN)-based heterojunction field-effect transistors (HFETs) on free-standing bulk GaN substrates.

The Phase II program was awarded through the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) following successful demonstration of the epitaxial growth of an entirely strain-free HFET structure, consisting of lattice-matched AlInN on bulk GaN substrates in the Phase I program. During Phase I, AlInN/GaN heterostructures were deposited on bulk GaN substrates with indium compositions ranging from 0-25%, with minimum sheet resistances of ~235 ohm/square.

The new program will target further reductions in defect density in the epitaxial GaN and AlInN layers and aims to demonstrate increased device reliability over conventional AlGaN/GaN HFETs. SETi says that increased reliability in GaN HFETs is essential in the defense and satellite markets, which account for more than a quarter of the entire GaN RF device market.

Known for its UVTOP and UVClean deep-UV LED products (emitting light at wavelengths shorter than 365nm), SETi specializes in Al(In)GaN material technologies, and has a patented process MEMOCVD (migration-enhanced metal-organic chemical vapor deposition) process for defect reduction in AlGaN-based epitaxial structures on sapphire substrates. It says that the application of MEMOCVD in UVLED structures has enabled it to become the first UV LED firm to offer LEDs with wavelengths shorter than 365nm on the commercial market.

SETi adds that it has now demonstrated the benefits of its Al(In)GaN materials growth technologies on bulk nitride substrates and, through further development from programs such as the MDA-funded program, aims to push AlInN material technology further to the development of next-generation high-power, very high-frequency RF components.

Tags: Sensor Electronic Technology AlInN/GaN HFETs Bulk GaN substrates

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