TDI claims first InGaN substrate

EE Times reports that Technology and Devices International Inc. (Silver Spring, Maryland), a developer of compound semiconductor substrates, has started supplying wafers with a top layer of indium gallium nitride (InGaN) for use in LED production.

InGaN is used for the fabrication of GaN-based ultra violet (UV), blue, green, and white LEDs and blue laser diodes (LDs). InGaN substrates are needed to provide material match for InGaN-based device epitaxial structures and to boost device performance, the company said.

The substrates consist of an InGaN layer deposited on 2-inch diameter GaN sapphire template. The InN content in the InGaN layers ranges from 5 to 20 mol. percent. Targeted applications are high brightness UV, blue, and green light emitting devices including light emitting diodes and, potentially, blue and green laser diodes. Currently InGaN template substrates are available in limited quantities. Volume production of InGaN template substrates is scheduled to begin in early 2008.

"Since the first demonstration of high quality InGaN materials grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) in 2006, we have been receiving continuous requests from our customers regarding these new products," said Vladimir Dmitriev, president and CEO of TDI, in a statement.

"Support provided by the U.S. Department of Energy and Department of Defense for this product development is greatly appreciated. We view this effort as one of the key components to enable advanced light emitting devices, particularly for solid-state lighting applications," he added.