Low Cost High Reproducibility Method for GaN Seed Production

Although several critical energy saving technologies under development today require Gallium Nitride (GaN) based semiconductor devices, a source of high quality and inexpensive GaN wafers does not yet exist. This lack of GaN wafers adds complexity to GaN device production and makes development of new GaN device based products slower and more costly. Lowest cost, highest volume, wafer production approach is to expand high quality GaN seed wafers into large crystal boules which can then be sliced into hundreds of individual wafers. Though GaN seeds exist, their production is the primary industry bottleneck due to low yield processes ( & lt;20%) or low growth-rate processes (5-10um/hour). Kyma Technologies, in cooperation with Sandia National Laboratory, proposes to develop a new low-cost, high-yield, GaN Seed Wafer production technology. Templates will be produced by Sandia that will enable fast cycle time seed production runs at Kyma. Phase 1 will develop a high yield GaN Seed Wafer process and Phase 2 will improve seed quality, size, and begin GaN boule production processes. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: High-volume low-cost seeds will enable cost reductions of GaN wafers of 40-99% because inexpensive GaN seed wafers will enable GaN boule growth with acceptable yields. GaN based devices will all have simpler growth processes and higher performance.