19 July 2018

NexGen using Aixtron’s AIX G5 HT MOCVD platform for vertical GaN-on-GaN transistors

© Semiconductor Today Magazine / Juno PublishiPicture: Disco’s DAL7440 KABRA laser saw.

Deposition equipment maker Aixtron SE of Herzogenrath, Germany is providing high-end metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) technology to NexGen Power Systems Inc of DeWitt, NY, USA (which was founded in 2017) for the continued development of gallium nitride (GaN)-based electronic devices enabling more compact, lighter and cost-efficient power conversion systems. NexGen has ordered Aixtron’s AIX G5 HT planetary platform, scheduled for shipment in third-quarter 2018.

Aixtron claims that, as the only MOCVD system on the market embedding wafer-level control, the AIX G5 is highly efficient for the epitaxy of GaN-on-GaN, GaN-on-Si and GaN-on-SiC for power electronic and RF applications. The fully automated tool offers in-situ cleaning for the best process robustness and defect control while it is also equipped with the latest Laytec InSide P400 UV pyrometer for non-contact temperature measurement. Coupled with Aixtron’s Auto Feed-Forward (AFF) individual on-wafer temperature control, this enables a matching of all epitaxial wafers - within a run as well as run-to-run.

“Our disruptive True GaN VJFET (vertical junction field-effect transistor) technology is able to outperform silicon, silicon carbide or GaN-on-silicon technology by providing higher breakdown voltage, lower on-resistance and higher switching frequency,” claims NexGen’s CEO Dinesh Ramanathan. “NexGen’s True GaN power devices enable the design of compact power conversion systems while increasing their efficiency with applications in data-center power supplies, motor drivers, solar inverters and electric car drive-trains. Aixtron’s planetary technology in combination with its batch reactor concept will provide us both the performance control we need as well as the cost effectiveness to ensure a rapid adoption of our groundbreaking power devices,” he believes.

“We are looking forward to support NexGen’s efforts to revolutionize existing power conversion systems,” comments Aixtron’s president Dr Felix Grawert. “In recent years, our AIX G5 HT planetary tools have built a solid reputation as precise, reliable and cost-efficient manufacturing equipment in the semiconductor industry – unlocking a more rapid adoption of GaN devices against their silicon equivalents.”

Tags: Aixtron MOCVD AIX G5 HT

Visit: www.nexgenpowersystems.com

Visit: www.aixtron.com