Aixtron grows 8-inch GaAs epiwafers by MOCVD
8-inch GaAs wafers supplied by Freiberger Compound Materials GmbH were used as the growth substrates (see related story).
Process results obtained during Aixtron s development program demonstrated the scalability of the existing 4- and 6-inch processes to 8-inch growth. Uniformities of 1% for thickness and Al composition in AlGaAs were achieved across the entire 8-inch wafer. Even at this early stage, Aixtron claims that material quality and homogeneity do not differ from results obtained on the well-established 6-inch systems.
"We are convinced that 8-inch GaAs will soon become the new standard for high volume manufacturing, especially in the field of high-frequency electronics," said Bernd Schulte, Executive VP and COO of Aixtron. "The continuous efforts of the compound semiconductor industry to increase its productivity will require larger substrates. Thus we decided to develop an MOCVD tool for 8-inch wafers as early as possible."
Several AIX 2600G3 systems have already been installed at customers for the production of SiGe epitaxial structures, using multiple 8-inch substrates.
