IQE and BluGlass sign strategic partnership
IQE, a manufacturer of advanced semiconductor wafers, has entered into a formal collaboration agreement with Australian cleantech developer BluGlass.
The 15 month joint R&D agreement is an exclusive arrangement whereby IQE and BluGlass agree to collaborate to develop technology for high quality III-N films deposited by Remote Plasma Chemical Vapour Deposition (RPCVD) on both silicon and cREO-on-silicon templates.
BluGlass' RPCVD technology is a low temperature process targeted at the production of more efficient semiconductor devices at lower cost. IQE's crystalline Rare Earth Oxide (cREO) technology provides a buffer to integrate GaAs, InP, GaN and other compound semiconductors with silicon, allowing the potential of producing compound semiconductor epitaxial layers on lower cost silicon wafers up to 300mm diameter.
Rodney Pelzel, VP, IQE Group Technology commented: "We are extremely pleased to announce our collaboration with BluGlass. BluGlass' world leading RPCVD technology is highly complementary to IQE's existing technology portfolio, and the collaboration is a key step in overcoming challenges inherent to epi-growth of cutting edge materials.
"This arrangement marks another key milestone for IQE as it continues to explore ways to expand its technology portfolio in order to provide market leading solutions to its customers. This arrangement comes on the heels of our announcement earlier this year of successful transfer of cREO epi capability to IQE's North Carolina manufacturing site. IQE remains committed to fully exploiting cREO technology for III-N as well as other III-V and group IV materials. This collaborative arrangement is a key step in furthering this technology."
BluGlass managing director, Giles Bourne said: "We are delighted to have formed a strategic partnership with IQE, one of the world's leading compound semiconductor foundries, supplying many of today's leading semiconductor manufacturers.
"We have chosen to work with IQE, based on the enormous market potential and impact that the applications that we will be co-developing could have on the semiconductor industry in the future. IQE is committed to cutting-edge innovation and their diverse product portfolio makes them a very compelling partner to be working with."
