Epitaxy
Epitaxy is the growth on a crystalline substrate of a crystalline substance that mimics the atomic orientation of the substrate and is a form of nanotechnology or atomic engineering.
An epiwafer is a disc of semiconducting material made by epitaxial growth (called epitaxy) for use in making microelectronic devices such as chips for mobile phones, advanced laser products and high efficiency solar cells. There are three methods of growing the epitaxial layer on existing silicon or other wafers: metal organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD), molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and chemical vapour deposition (CVD).
These wafers are typically semiconductor materials such as gallium arsenide (GaAs), gallium nitride (GaN), indium phosphide (InP) or some combination of the elements gallium, indium, aluminium, nitrogen, phosphorus, arsenic, silicon or germanium.
Atomically engineered substrates
for power, efficiency and performance
Compound semiconductors are critical to the operation of many electronic and optoelectronic systems including mobile telephony systems, satellite communications and power systems, automotive applications, and more. Because of their unique properties, compound semiconductors have emerged as key enabling materials in facilitating the dramatic advancements and improvements in these industries.
By producing atomically engineered substrates using the epitaxy process, engineers can make materials with a diverse range of wireless, electronic and optoelectronic.
In particular, compound semiconductors are extremely efficient at generating light from electricity and converting light back into electricity, compared with existing alternatives. Because of this, they have been key materials enabling the operation of semiconductor lasers, LEDs and detectors, which are at the heart of almost all optoelectronic systems, such as fiber-optic communication systems, optical storage systems, display technology and satellite power systems.
In the electronic domain, the range of electronic properties created by compound semiconductors includes the ability of electrons to travel much faster in these materials than in silicon, by a factor of up to ten, enabling the operation of much higher frequency, lower noise and more power-efficient electronic systems.
The use of compound semiconductors has enabled manufacturers to realize significant improvements in areas such as mobile telephony, satellite communication, wireless communications and highly efficient solar energy sources.