Aviza displaces rival at 'top-five' LED maker
Aviza Technology, the semiconductor equipment vendor with a renewed focus on the compounds sector, has scored a major win with a substantial order for its etch and CVD tools.
According to Kevin Crofton, the company s senior VP of product business units, the multiple orders (see related newsfeed entry) were placed by one of the world's top-five makers of high-brightness LEDs.
Aviza s Delta i2L plasma-enhanced CVD (PECVD) and Omega i2L etch systems are now set to help produce both GaAs- and InGaN-based LEDs at the customer s high-volume fab.
Crofton says that although the LED maker was an existing Aviza customer, and already owned a previous-generation CVD system, the latest deal is significant, as the Omega etch tool is now recognized as the "process tool of record" (PTOR).
"We believe the fact that we are the PTOR for etch applications speaks volumes about our position there," Crofton said.
On the deposition side, Aviza is one of the LED maker s new tool suppliers for the PE-CVD application. "To win this business, [we] displaced an incumbent," Crofton told compoundsemiconductor.net.
The deal suggests that Aviza s recent change of strategy "“ in which it has exited the cut-throat DRAM industry to focus more on growth markets such as III-Vs, power semiconductors, LEDs and MEMS "“ is already bearing fruit.
"Our product mix has shifted significantly towards [these] growth markets in just the past year," added Crofton, noting market research from Strategies Unlimited that suggests 20 per cent year-on-year growth of HB-LED sales for the next few years.
"As long as these markets continue to demonstrate growth, we will continue to pursue them, where our products deliver proven advantages."
High productivity, increased uptime, superior reliability and better process stability are the advantages said to be delivered by Aviza's etch and PECVD tools.
