$10.6m fund to propel Crystal IS substrate ramp
Venture firm Lux Capital has led a new $10.6 million investment round in the substrate developer Crystal IS.
Crystal IS, which is based in Green Island, NY, specializes in manufacturing aluminum nitride (AlN) substrates. The company says that it will now be able to ramp production of 2-inch substrates and reduce their prices.
Low-defect AlN, which has a very high melting temperature and a very wide bandgap, should enable the fabrication of higher-efficiency blue and white LEDs, more powerful blue-violet laser diodes, and ultraviolet emitters for applications such as water purification.
To smooth the commercial introduction of these substrates, Crystal IS has also developed trademark GaN ready epiwafers, which feature an epilayer of GaN on top of the AlN base material.
These epiwafers could help to solve the yield problems that have plagued manufacturers of the 405 nm laser diodes that are set to feature in high-definition DVD players and recorders.
Relatively high defect levels in the epitaxial structures that these laser diodes are based on have been blamed for low wafer yields and consequent difficulties in scaling up to volume production.
The problem is thought to be one of the key reasons behind the delayed introduction of the next-generation consumer technology, which will also feature in Sony's PlayStation 3 games console.
Crystal IS claims that its AlN-GaN epiwafers offer the lowest defect-density GaN material currently on the market, and the company is hopeful of penetrating the high-volume GaN laser market as a result.
Having appointed its senior management - including new CEO Ding Day - earlier in the year, the substrate firm is now looking to expand its manufacturing team to meet expected demand for the 2-inch substrates.
