World's First Freestanding 2 And 4-Inch Aluminum Nitride Substrate Developed By Kyma Technologies

Source: Kyma Technologies

Research Triangle Park, NC. Kyma Technologies, an RTP-based developer and supplier of nitride substrates has completed the world s first 2 and 4-inch aluminum nitride (AlN) wafers to be used as the base technology in a variety of applications within the optoelectronic, communications and semiconductor industries.

The new freestanding AlN substrates mean high IR, visible, and UV transmission, high thermal conductivity and better lattice matching for manufacturers who rely on substrates as a core material for AlN and GaN-based wide bandgap semiconductor devices. The new AlN substrates will be commercially available by the end of the year 2000, with plans to produce larger wafers in the future.

Kyma Technologies has been exploring ways to optimize production of high purity AlN since 1998, when it received funding through a Ballistic Missile Defense Organization STTR contract to explore the feasibility of developing AlN materials. Since then, Kyma has received a Phase II STTR contract award to expand AlN research and a Phase I SBIR contract with EMCORE, one of the world s leading semiconductor equipment companies, to co-develop AlN substrates for solar blind UV photodetectors.

"The research Kyma is conducting on large area AlN substrates far surpasses any other efforts. By partnering with Kyma, we are strengthening our own position in the industry, specifically as a co-developer of a substrate that improves UV photodetector manufacturing efforts," EMCORE Corporation.

EMCORE Corporation (www.emcore.com) is an integrated provider of compound semiconductor solution focused on boradband wireless telecommunications.

Until now, the largest AlN wafers in development were only ½ inch in diameter and there are no AlN substrates available for commercial use. Examples of AlN-based device applications that will be enhanced by use of the larger substrates include: high brightness UV LEDs, advanced RF communications components, short wavelength semiconductor lasers, UV photodetectors, infrared and microwave windows, and high power microelectronic devices.

About Kyma Technologies

Founded in 1998 by Chief Scientific Officer Jerry Cuomo, PhD, and Mark Williams, Director of AlN Research and Development, Kyma Technologies is a spin-off from North Carolina State s Department of Materials, Science and Engineering and is a leading developer of nitride substrates. The company has received a series of STTR and SBIR contracts to fund various phases of nitride research, playing a pivotal role in bringing the highest purity AlN and GaN to nitride device manufacturers reliant on high quality core materials.

Since 1998, Kyma Technologies has expanded its development and manufacturing facilities to accommodate its rapid growth and is currently applying for additional contracts to support its research objectives, with a strong focus on gallium nitride as well as aluminum.

To learn more about Kyma Technologies, please visit the company s Website at www.kymatech.com.

Kyma Technologies, Inc. Company Backgrounder

Kyma Technologies was founded in 1998 by Chief Scientific Officer Jerry Cuomo, Ph.D. and Director of AlN Research and Development Mark Williams as a spin-off from North Carolina State s Department of Materials, Science and Engineering and is the world s leading developer of nitride substrates.

Based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, the company s primary focus is to develop high purity nitride substrates as core materials in a range of aluminum nitride and gallium nitride based devices for the optoelectronic, communications and semiconductor industries.

Kyma Technologies has been exploring ways to optimize production processes for fabricating high purity AlN substrates since 1998, when it received funding through a Ballistic Missile Defense Organization STTR contract award. Since then, Kyma has also received a Phase II STTR contract award to expand research and development efforts of AlN wafers and a Phase I SBIR contract to co-develop AlN substrates for solar blind UV photodetectors with EMCORE, one of the world s leading semiconductor equipment companies.

In addition to developing high purity AlN substrates, Kyma Technologies is aggressively exploring the development of GaN substrates as part of a Phase I SBIR contract. Kyma is focused on developing GaN substrates with superior lattice and thermal expansion matching for GaN based device application - resulting in fewer processing steps and improved device quality for device manufacturers.

Kyma s substrate manufacturing technique addresses manufacturers needs beyond the current 2-inch industry standard substrate and allows them to improve economies of scale by moving to a larger, 4-inch AlN substrate. Kyma will also offer 2-inch AlN substrates to meet current generation device equipment and tooling requirements and also has plans to develop both 2 and 4-inch GaN substrates.

Contacts: Ed Pupa, CEO of Kyma Technologies Tel: 919-789-880 and Wendy Helmick Tel: 919-465-2062