IQE Announces Full Spectrum of Indium Phosphide Based and Metamorphic Electronic Wafers for Next Generation Fiber Optic and Wireless Applications

Source: IQE

IQE plc, the leading pure play provider of epiwafer services to the Global Compound Semiconductor Industry, is pleased to announce the production availability of a full spectrum of InP based and metamorphic electronic wafers for next generation fiber optic and wireless communications applications. IQE has been qualified with major customers since 1995 for supply of InP HEMT wafers and since 1997 for supply of InP HBT wafers. IQE s recent development of world-class metamorphic HEMT and HBT wafers now positions IQE to offer a complete portfolio of advanced electronic wafers.

Full Spectrum Of Next Generation Electronic Wafers

"We are very pleased to be in a unique position to supply the full family of advanced electronic wafers based both on lattice-matched structures grown on InP and metamorphic structures grown on GaAs," stated Tom Hierl, IQE Chief Technology Officer. "InP-based electronic structures are well known to provide significant performance advantages over today s GaAs-based structures and high volume commercialization of such structures is imminent. The metamorphic approach represents an attractive alternative to InP substrate -based electronics and is potentially the lowest cost solution to requirements for next generation applications."

InP HBT Wafers

"Our InP HBT wafer customers have obtained excellent RF performance results on our beryllium-doped wafers. More recently, our university collaborators have demonstrated record performance on our double heterojunction HBT (DHBT) wafers using a compositionally graded base doped at 4x1019 cm-3, obtaining ft and fmax over 210 GHz and 300 GHz, respectively, with high breakdown voltage of BVCEO = 6 V at a current density of Jc = 1. 1 A/cm2. Our commercial partners have obtained ft and fmax over 150 GHz and 250 GHz, respectively, on simpler DHBT wafer designs with base doping levels of 4x1019 cm-3. In this instance, although IQE offers both MBE and MOCVD growth technologies, we have found MBE offers a decided advantage over MOCVD for obtaining high base doping levels in InP HBT structures. Our customers can choose between beryllium and carbon base doping: we have provided a number of structures, which are currently undergoing testing, with base carbon doping levels up to 8x1019 cm-3."

The Metamorphic Approach

"The metamorphic approach, which involves placing a metamorphic buffer between the GaAs substrate and the device active region, benefits in several perspectives relative to InP-based structures. Compared to InP, GaAs substrates are lower cost, mechanically stronger, higher quality, available in larger diameter, and benefit from more mature backside processing. Additionally, the metamorphic approach enables the production of a wider range of epitaxial structures due to the flexibility of designing the buffer layer for a range of active region lattice constants. As a result, metamorphic HEMTs can be realized which operate at higher frequencies than a PHEMT and at higher power densities than InP HEMTs. The metamorphic approach also offers a current InP solution to those customers using 6" diameter processing equipment."

Metamorphic HEMT Wafers

"IQE s metamorphic HEMT (MHEMT) wafers have exhibited state-of-the-art materials and device properties. We have routinely produced MHEMT wafers with dislocation densities below 106 cm-2, with channel mobility and photoluminescence intensity identical to their lattice-matched counterparts, and with rms surface roughness < 1.5 nm, the latter being important for ease of processing. In collaboration with a key customer we have demonstrated excellent RF performance: for a gate length of 0.15microns, we observe ft =150 GHz, fmax = 160 GHz, Vbreakdown= 6.6V, and Idss=200mA/mm. We believe these results, combined with excellent device reliability exhibited in other laboratories, represent an important new technology for next generation applications."

Metamorphic HBT Wafers

"IQE s development effort in metamorphic HBTs (MHBTs), has already shown DC device characterization results from broad area devices which exceed all available published results. Our single heterojunction HBTs with 1x1019 cm-3 base doping show current gain ( = 320, compared with ( = 360 on structures grown lattice-matched to InP. We are presently in discussions with strategic partners to leverage our development efforts into commercial products utilizing this exciting technology," says Ren Jenkins, Vice President of North America Sales and Marketing. "Since we are a pure play epi company it is important for us to work closely with our customers to evaluate the commercial viability of MHBT wafers."

Complete Epi Wafer Services from Development to High Volume Production

"IQE offers a full range of epitaxial wafer services. Our world-class epitaxial process development capabilities, coupled with the industries most comprehensive portfolio of small, medium, and large volume MBE and MOCVD reactors, position us to exceed our customers needs whether they are in the development stage, in pilot production, or in full production. Our most efficient customer-supplier partnerships benefit from close coupling at the development stage, after which we are naturally positioned to transfer processes to larger reactors in step with customer requirements for immediate large volume production. In this way, costs are minimized along the development path while simultaneously reducing time-to-market."

Contact: Dr. Michael D. Scott Director of Sales & Marketing IQE plc Tel: +44 2920-839-400 Fax: +44 2920-839-401 E-mail: mscott@iqep.com Or Reynolds Jenkins Vice President of Sales and Marketing IQE Inc. Tel: 610-861-6930 Fax: 610 861-5273 E-mail: rjenkins@iqep.com