Epitech scales up with 4-inch AlGaInP production
Epitaxy equipment vendor Aixtron has sold three more production-scale MOCVD reactors to Taiwan-based LED epiwafer and chip manufacturer Epitech.
The bulk order is another sign of the strengthening market for high-brightness LED manufacturing equipment, thanks to which both Aixtron and its US rival Veeco Instruments are currently seeing a very strong increase in orders (see related stories).
Epitech, which is involved in a double-merger plan with compatriot LED makers Epistar and Highlink Technology, will use the new AIX 2600G3 machines to mass-produce red, orange and yellow AlGaInP LEDs at its epiwafer fab in the Tainan Science-based Industrial Park.
The reactors will be supplied in a 12x4-inch multi-wafer configuration. AlGaInP LEDs are more usually manufactured on smaller substrates, and Epitech normally works with 3-inch material.
The planned merger between Epitech, Epistar and Highlink Technology will create a Taiwanese LED chip manufacturing company to rival the five established leading players - Nichia, Cree, Philips Lumileds, Toyoda Gosei and Osram Opto Semiconductors.
Epistar alone is already regarded as the world's biggest producer of AlGaInP-based red, yellow and orange LEDs.
