Plessey invests in Aixtron equipment

The contract is for the first of a set of production ready CRIUS II-XL reactors in a 7x6-inch wafer configuration. The reactors are dedicated to the growth of high brightness LED wafers based on gallium nitride on silicon (GaN-on-Si) materials. Aixtron’s local support team will install and commission this first reactor before the end of June 2012 in Plessey’s state-of-the-art cleanroom facility located in Plymouth, UK. Barry Dennington, COO of Plessey Semiconductors, comments, “We are on schedule for the production of a world class LED that will become the high performance lighting LED at the price break-through the market has been waiting for. We completed the acquisition of the University of Cambridge spin-off company CamGaN in February 2012 and are now installing the capability for the full commercial exploitation of GaN-on-Si technology. Furthermore, we will be in early prototype production before the end of Q3 2012 and in full production by Q2 2013.” Neil Harper, HB LED Programme and Product Line Director, adds “The CRIUS II-XL reactor will form the basis of our commencement of full production of materials for LEDs. Plessey’s branded MAGIC (MAnufactured on GaNICs) LEDs will be fabricated on large area silicon substrates through our 6-inch integrated circuit fabrication line in Plymouth. Aixtron’s latest CRIUS technology has many advantages that meet our needs, such as the best cost-of-ownership for GaN epi-layer growth on 6-inch silicon substrates and eventually on 8-inch silicon substrates.”