16 September 2013

Kyma's AlN template production ramp leverages equipment design improvements

Kyma Technologies Inc of Raleigh, NC, USA, which provides crystalline gallium nitride (GaN), aluminum nitride (AlN) and aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) materials and related products and services, has provided an update on its aluminum nitride (AlN) template manufacturing capability.

The fabrication of most of Kyma’s products starts by using the firm’s patent-protected plasma vapor deposition of nanocolumns (PVDNC) crystal growth process, which is implemented on its patented and proprietary PVDNC crystal growth tools. The AlN templates are produced for both commercial sale and internal use for fabricating GaN templates, bulk GaN substrates, and related products.

Until 2011 Kyma’s PVDNC effort relied on early-generation PVDNC crystal growth tools which were useful for the firm’s R&D stage but were not designed for high volumes. To keep up with growing demand for AlN and GaN products and the interest in larger-diameter products, in 2011 Kyma designed and built its first PVDNC production tool, which featured a larger-diameter platter and much faster growth cycle time. Related announcements made in 2011 and 2012 include (1) the expansion of AlN template manufacturing capacity, (2) the demonstration of a 12” AlN on Si template, and (3) the demonstration of a 10” AlN-on-sapphire template.

Primary applications for Kyma’s AlN templates are for visible LEDs and power switching electronics. Recently, demand has also grown for ultraviolet (UV) LED applications. There is interest in both AlN-on-sapphire and AlN-on-silicon for LED applications, while interest for power electronics applications is focused mostly on AlN-on-silicon.

Chief marketing officer Dr Ed Preble and technical sales engineer Tamara Stephenson have just completed a sales and marketing trip in the Asia-Pacific, focusing on application of Kyma’s materials for LED applications.

Tags: Kyma AlN UV LEDs

Visit: www.kymatech.com