News: Suppliers
8 July 2020
BluGlass wins AMGC grant to develop large-scale plasma deposition source
BluGlass Ltd of Silverwater, Australia (which was spun off from the III-nitride department of Macquarie University in 2005) has been awarded a AUS$250,000 matched-funding innovation grant by the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) to manufacture more efficient plasma deposition sources for the firm’s 300 series remote plasma chemical vapor deposition (RPCVD) manufacturing platforms.
The project aims to design and produce a high-density, large-scale plasma source to produce ultra-precision uniformity for the deposition of high-value semiconductor devices such as laser diodes and next-generation LEDs. The unique distributed plasma source design aims to provide a scalable, uniform platform suitable for the retrofit of even the largest industrial systems, accommodating multiple wafers up to 8-inch diameter. The grant project will specifically focus on a new plasma source for the BLG-300 system to upgrade its capability for uniform deposition on a single 12-inch wafer or multiple 4-inch wafers. The 4-inch wafer size will be important for the firm’s laser diode product roadmap.
“BluGlass is a great example of an Australian manufacturer embracing the competitive advantages borne from a commitment to deep research and development,” comments AMGC’s managing director Dr Jens Goennemann. “Its technology promises laser diodes that are higher performing and more efficient. It’s a game-changing development that delivers better-value products to the market.”
BluGlass is collaborating with several industry partners and organizations including AKELA Laser on laser diodes device packaging and testing and Objective 3D on metal 3D design, testing and rapid prototyping of critical plasma source components for the successful delivery of the project.
The project “aims to give RPCVD a number of new competitive edges for commercialization,” says BluGlass’ chief technology officer Dr Ian Mann. “The new design will also support scalability on virtually any MOCVD platform in the industry and be capable of hybrid (both MOCVD and RPCVD growth) in a single deposition chamber, enabling for the first time the advantages of each growth technique in a single platform”.
The project is expected to improve advanced manufacturing capabilities in Australia and help to facilitate the revenue growth of BluGlass’ direct-to-market laser diode business.
