- 30th October 2006

Chonbuk National University to Add New Thomas Swan Reactor for High-Brightness LEDs

AIXTRON AG announced that Chonbuk National University, CNU, ordered a Thomas Swan Close Coupled Showerhead (CCS) epitaxial growth system in the second quarter of 2006. It will be supplied in the 3x2-inch wafer configuration and will be used for the development and production of high-brightness gallium nitride based LEDs. The MOCVD system will be installed at CNU’s state-of-the-art cleanrooms in Dukjin-Ku, Chonju, South Korea.

Since its inception, CNU has established a world-class reputation as a leading R&D centre for advanced optoelectronics. The university plays a key role in the education and qualification of future engineers for leading LED manufacturers at South Korea and worldwide.

CNU chose the new system following its successes with their first Thomas Swan system, said Professor Chang-Hee Hong of SPRC (Semiconductor Physics Research Center) of CNU. He added: “We have been one of the first users of Thomas Swan CCS reactors and have built up a strong relationship with AIXTRON and its local support and service team. We find the Thomas Swan Close Coupled Showerhead system to be well-matched to our requirements for very good process flexibility, uniformity in thickness, doping, and composition. These give the CCS clear advantages compared to other vertical reactors, notably in terms of stability and excellent precursor utilization. Together with our existing system we will have an excellent platform on which to base our research into high-brightness gallium nitride based LED structures”.

Earlier, AIXTRON AG also announced that Taiwan’s Visual Photonics Epitaxy Co. Ltd. (VPEC) has ordered two AIX 2600 G3 systems. These have the flexibility of 12x4-inch or 7x6-inch wafer configurations for the production of HBTs and HEMTs or with the 49x2-inch wafer configuration for the production of LEDs and will be installed at the company’s manufacturing facility in Ping-Jen City, Taoyuan, Taiwan. VPEC will be using the systems to increase its current epitaxial wafer production capacity.

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