Riber’s MBE 49 GaN Aims To Compete With MOCVD For 200mm GaN-on-Si

17 October 2023

Riber S.A. of Bezons, France – which makes molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) systems as well as evaporation sources – says that it continues to improve and develop its system portfolio with the advent of the MBE 49 GaN, a mass-production machine dedicated to growth the growth of gallium nitride (GaN).

Riber highlights the latest order for an MBE 49 production machine for III–nitride applications (GaN, AlN), announced on 3 October, in the context of a particularly competitive ecosystem with metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD).

“This order results from significant research and development work to optimize our 200mm MBE 49 production machine in order to meet the production challenges of advanced GaN- and AlN-based optoelectronic components,” says Dr Jean Louis Guyaux, Riber’s chief technology officer. “It also confirms the relevance of our partnership initiated in 2018 with CNRS–CRHEA [Centre de Recherche sur L’Hétéro-Epitaxie et ses Applications – Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique] in Sophia Antipolis, France [which specializes in epitaxial growth of wide-bandgap semiconductor materials] through the development of a joint laboratory. Riber is delighted with the excellent results of this collaboration and the exceptional performance achieved with the MBE 49 GaN, which is generating real interest from the scientific and industrial community worldwide,” he adds.

“Developing a technology that is ahead of its time on the market has required Riber to combine strategic vision with a willingness to invest in a bold and ambitious R&D program,” comments CNRS–CRHEA director Philippe Boucaud. “CRHEA was a pioneer in GaN growth by MBE. It was therefore natural for it to make a long-term commitment to Riber, taking a significant risk on 200mm GaN by MBE… This [the MBE 49 GaN] is a remarkable success in the context of an exemplary partnership between CNRS and Riber.”

The MBE 49 GaN is a fully automated production platform, compatible with ammonia and nitrogen plasma, that enables the production of high-quality optoelectronic and electronic devices, including UV LEDs, micro-LEDs, RF components, and N+ GaN ohmic contacts.

In particular, the MBE 49 GaN is a suitable for producing high-quality GaN layers on silicon with improved voltages, considerably reduced RF losses and higher throughput with the required diameters, says Riber.

Advantages of MBE for GaN processing are said to include in particular a lower growth temperature than MOCVD, excellent p-doping quality, enhanced by the use of a valve cell, and excellent process control due to integrated in-situ instrumentation. The work carried out by the joint Riber/CRHEA laboratory has enabled the RF plasma source to be optimized to combine growth speed and deposition uniformity.

The joint Riber/CRHEA laboratory gives the community the opportunity to evaluate the structural, optical and electronic qualities of epiwafer demonstrators, up to 200mm. It also opens its doors to all users wishing to see the machine in operation.

See related items:

EasyGaN, Riber and CRHEA grow first 200mm AlN-on-Si template using ammonia-based MBE

Tags: Riber MBE

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