Monocrystal delivers 150-millionth two inch equivalent wafer
Russian sapphire firm estimates that every third LED and every tenth solar module is made with its products
Monocrystal, a Russian maker of synthetic sapphire growing and processing, has announced the shipment of its 150-millionth two-inch equivalent (TIE) product.
Since its incorporation in 1999, the company has transformed from a niche sapphire market player into a well-established high-volume manufacturer. According to the company's estimates, every third LED and every tenth solar module in the world is made with Monocrystal products.
"Historically more than 60 percent out of 150 million TIE have been large diameter wafers and ingots for LED. We are now seeing an increasing demand for our 6-inch wafers since major LED manufacturers prefer our product due to its impeccable performance during nitride growth," said Monocrystal's CEO Oleg Kachalov.
"Monocrystal's low stress wafers demonstrate low thermal bow in the epitaxial process. As a result, our customers get tighter wavelength uniformity and increase their binning yields by 2-3 percent, which is significant for high volume production. 6-inch wafers are yet to become the driver of efficiency improvement, while Monocrystal's customers are already enjoying the benefits of stable yields and lower costs."
VP marketing Ludmila Zubova added: "The LED industry has made significant progress over the past few years but still there are future opportunities. For instance, microLEDs seem to be a feasible and promising technology. Monocrystal has already delivered ultra-clean wafers for this application. We have several initiatives running to support customers engaged in microLED development."
