News: Suppliers
13 October 2022
Epitaxial deposition and process equipment maker Veeco Instruments Inc of Plainview, NY, USA has received an order from Justus Liebig University Giessen (University of Giessen) in Germany for an integrated GENxplor R&D molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and Fiji atomic layer deposition (ALD) system.
The GENxplor MBE system enables the epitaxial growth of high-quality materials for III-nitride semiconductors for photonic and electronic applications focusing on material research and the development of cubic gallium nitride (GaN) material. This dual platform allows for in-vacuum wafer transfer from the GENxplor system to the plasma-enhanced Fiji ALD system and back, and will further enable research breakthroughs for applications such as micro-LEDs, optical memory and next-generation materials for photocatalysis and water splitting.
According to professor Sangam Chatterjee, head of the University of Giessen Spectroscopy and Optics Group, the integrated GENxplor and Fiji systems were chosen because of Veeco’s process and system design expertise. “The decision to partner with Veeco was based on their knowledge of the epitaxial process and their ability to realize an innovative solution that enables our research,” says Chatterjee. “This gives my team confidence that working with Veeco will make our research go beyond established optoelectronics, developing new materials for photocatalysis towards the pressing goals of realizing regenerative energy production and storage.”
The GENxplor system deposits high-quality epitaxial layers on substrates up to 3-inch in diameter. The Fiji ALD system is a thin-film next-generation ALD system capable of performing thermal and plasma-enhanced deposition in a modular, high-vacuum, flexible architecture that accommodates a wide range of deposition modes using multiple configurations of precursors and plasma gases. The system’s intuitive interface is said to make it easy to monitor and change recipes and processes as required by customers.
“We have seen great interest in combining our proven MBE and ALD technologies to advance semiconductor device performance and this platform, delivered to professor Chatterjee, exemplifies our ability to create novel solutions that allow our customers to solve difficult material challenges,” says Ganesh Sundaram Ph.D., Veeco’s VP of research & engineering technology.
The research initiative at the University of Giessen is being supported by the European Union and the European Regional Development Fund. The goal of this development fund is to strengthen economic, social and territorial cohesion in the EU by correcting imbalances between its regions.
