24 February 2011

HKUST to use Aixtron CCS reactor for III/Vs-on-silicon research

Deposition equipment maker Aixtron SE of Herzogenrath, Germany says that in third-quarter 2010 the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) ordered its Close Coupled Showerhead MOCVD Platform, a CRIUS CCS reactor in 6x2-inch (3x3-inch or 1x6-inch) wafer configuration.

Following delivery in first-quarter 2011 and commissioning by Aixtron's local support team in a dedicated facility in HKUST’s Institute of Advanced Study Lab and Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, the systems will be used to grow As/P/Sb-based materials on silicon substrates for electronics and photonics research applications.

“We have had a close relationship with Aixtron for many years. This has helped foster a great understanding of the company’s technology expertise, processes and procedures, making it a very easy decision to select one of their reactors for our new projects,” comments chair professor Kei May Lau. “The new reactor will be a vital resource for our further development of III/V growth on silicon wafers research. Its high-temperature (>1000°C) capability will be very important for this exploratory work,” she adds.

“Professor Kei May Lau of HKUST has always been at the forefront of III/V compound semiconductor device research and MOCVD technology,” comments Dr Christian Geng, Aixtron's VP of Greater China. “Aixtron and its customers will be able to be a small part of this innovative project in the frame of a Demo Laboratory Agreement,” he adds. “Lau has been using various Aixtron MOCVD systems, such as single-wafer and multi-wafer reactors for arsenides, phosphides and nitrides. This however will be the first time that Aixtron delivers a Close Coupled Showerhead system,” Geng continues. “The strong reputation that this reactor has earned over recent years is once again proving its capability and versatility as a perfect match to the needs of heteroepitaxial research.”

Lau is a Chair Professor of Electronic and Computer Engineering at HKUST. She joined the university in 2000 and established the Photonics Technology Center for R&D, with a special emphasis on compound semiconductor materials and devices. Lau is an IEEE Fellow and a Croucher Senior Research Fellow. At IEDM 2008, her group reported metamorphic Al0.50In0.50As/Ga0.47In0.53As 1.0μm-gate-length high-electron-mobility transistors (mHEMTs) grown in an Aixtron 200/4 system on silicon substrates with unity current gain cut-off frequency (fT) and maximum oscillation frequency (fmax) of 37GHz and 55GHz, respectively. High-speed InGaAs photodetectors grown on silicon are also being developed.

See: Aixtron Company Profile

Tags: Aixtron MOCVD CRIUS CCS III/Vs-on-Si InGaAs mHEMTs HKUST

Visit: www.ece.ust.hk/~eekmlau

Visit: www.aixtron.com

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