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Sept/Oct 2011
Nitrogen/oxygen plasma improves p-type MgZnO for zinc oxide UV LEDs
LEDs produced with 35x the intensity of devices produced with nitrogen-only plasma at 20mA.
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Metal-nitride semiconductor avalanche for UV detection
Chinese group produces first MSM APDs on free-standing GaN with 400μm x 400μm effective area.
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Record output for single-chip 262nm mid-UV LED
Crystal IS and US ARL approach power needed for specialized use.
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Deep ultraviolet goes deeper on silicon
Epitaxial lateral overgrowth used to improve the quality of aluminum nitride templates for deep UV LEDs.
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Patterned sapphire for nitride enhancements
In the past few years, patterned sapphire substrates have been used to improve performance of nitride semiconductor light-emitting devices. Mike Cooke reports on some recent developments.
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Wet versus dry etching for sapphire wafers
Imtec Acculine’s Derek Mendes discusses how wet etching of patterned sapphire substrates for GaN LED manufacturing can present cost savings over dry etching that multiply dramatically as throughput and wafer size scales up, even if polishing touch-up work is subsequently performed to increase light extraction efficiency.
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More positive threshold with Al2O3 and m-plane nitride semiconductors
UCSB/Rohm produce HFETs with +3V threshold voltage and on/off ratio of 4 million.
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First Chinese Ka-band nitride semiconductor MMIC
Researchers look to higher frequency of ~30GHz for microwave device construction.
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InGaN/GaN DHBTs achieve cut-off of more than 5GHz
Georgia Tech researchers use graded emitter–base and base–collector to reduce V-defects and band discontinuity.
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Passivated AlInN/GaN HEMT pushes past 200GHz cut-offs
Switzerland-based research characterizes 30nm-gate-length high-electron-mobility transistor with cut-off frequency of 205GHz.
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July/August 2011
First room-temperature blue/‘green’ VCSELs with current injection
Nichia has made a VCSEL laser emitting blue light in continuous-wave mode with power output of 0.7mW at an injection current of 11mA.
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Driving forward microLED video displays
Micron-size light-emitting diode arrays based on nitride semiconductors have been developed for displays and light sources for more than a decade. By combining such arrays with silicon CMOS active drive circuits, US researchers have now created microdisplays capable of delivering video images. Mike Cooke reports.
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Reducing LED droop at high current with nitrides
UCSB and Mitsubishi Chemical produce first blue-violet LEDs on (2021) GaN.
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China developing supply chain after its LED sector grows 33.8% in 2010
GaN epi output to surpass AlGaInP epi in 2011, says China’s CCID Consulting.
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Kyoto University makes record current-gain SiC BJTs
Surface recombination and deep-level reduction more than doubles performance of silicon carbide bipolar junction transistors.
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Hot electrons in nitride semiconductors
UCSB demonstrates the first hot-electron transistor in the III-nitride system, promising faster operation through near-ballistic transport.
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Quaternary nitride HEMT with record cut-off frequency
University of Notre Dame and epiwafer maker Kopin have produced an InAlGaN/AlN/GaN transistor with an fT cut-off frequency of 220GHz.
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High-performance 150nm mHEMT on GaAs grown using MOCVD
Highest fT value for 150nm device sets stage for potential high-volume production.
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Si implant enhances AlN spacer HEMT drain current
Japanese researchers achieve maximum current density of 1.3A/mm “competitive with other reported values for AlGaN/AlN/GaN HEMTs”.
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June/July 2011
Built-in charge boosts quantum dot solar cell efficiency
US researchers show how delta doping between layers can increase the performance of quantum dot solar cells by up to 50%.
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Short-wavelength quantum cascade lasing without antimony
ETH-Zürich researchers achieve antimony-free Watt-level emission at room temperature at sub-3.6μm wavelengths.
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ZnO particle enhancement to nitride LED light extraction
Spin-coated zinc oxide nanoparticles have been used to boost nitride LED light power output by 39% without raising the forward voltage.
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Nitrogen-polar advantages for longer-wavelength nitride LEDs
Ohio State University uses new N-polar growth model to create 540nm green emitters.
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Piranha gobbles up hysteresis of aluminium oxide–nitride semiconductor interface
The Naval Research Laboratory shows how nitride surface pre-treatment can cut charge traps to almost a quarter for Al2O3 gate insulator.
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Nitride HEMTs grown on CMOS-compatible silicon
Swiss/French collaboration makes devices with cut-off/maximum oscillation frequencies of 70/93GHz.
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AlN barrier enhancements to nitride HEMTs on silicon
France’s Institute of Electronic, Microelectronic and Nanotechnology (IEMN) has published three reports of record performance for nitride semiconductor high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) on silicon just in the last few months. Mike Cooke reports.
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Compound semiconductor industry continues growth
This year’s CS MANTECH event evidenced the continued economic recovery and technical progress in the compound semiconductor manufacturing industry. Mark Telford reports.
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May/June 2011
Indirect Auger impact on nitride LED droop
Mike Cooke reports on the theory and experimental support from European research. Meanwhile, a US-Korean collaboration has made some observations on real-life internal quantum efficiency dependence on carrier density that does not fit the simple models generally used.
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Re-grown source–drain III-V MOSFETs demonstrate higher drain current
Tokyo Institute of Technology achieves drain current of 1.3mA/μm for InGaAs CMOS field-effect transistors.
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Nitride HEMTs with record 245GHz cut-off frequency
Oxygen plasma treatment reduces gate leakage current more than 100-fold in GaN-based highelectron-mobility transistor.
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Dynamic improvement for nitride semiconductor power switching
HRL Laboratories reduces dynamic degradation of ON-resistance in 1200V normally-off GaN-on-silicon FET to just 1.2x at 350V.
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Developments in the market for UHP hydrogen purifiers
Long treated as the Cinderella material of semiconductor processing, with limited usage in silicon semiconductor, LCD and GaAs manufacture, hydrogen and in particular ultra-high-purity hydrogen is becoming an increasingly important ingredient in new and high-growth areas of semiconductor processing technologies, says Noel Leeson of Power & Energy Inc.
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Simulating way to improved deep ultraviolet LEDs
Taiwan research suggests that thicker barrier layers at p-type end of multi-quantum-well structure could boost DUV LED power by 45%.
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Sapphire patterning boosts green LED light generation and extraction
Effect of reducing total internal reflection and improving crystal quality gives a 3.4x enhancement in external quantum efficiency, says RPI.
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Stepping up EBL in laser diode internal quantum efficiency
‘Simple yet efficient structural design change’ by Georgia Tech yields reduced threshold and increased slope efficiency.
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UCSB reports N-polar HEMT power density record
UCSB has fabricated an N-polar AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistor that matches the power density of devices using Ga-polar material on sapphire.
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Tellurium doping opens up tunnel junction for GaInP/GaAs solar cells
Korean researchers develop tellurium as an alternative to silicon for doping to high n-type carrier concentrations in GaAs-based PVs.
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April/May 2011
Market trends in GaAs RF ICs
Strategy Analytics summarizes how the gallium arsenide radio-frequency IC market will see $3.7bn of power amplifiers being consumed by 1.7 billion handsets in 2014 as multi-band, multi-mode smartphones drive demand.
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2010: a tremendous year for MOCVD suppliers, but will it continue in 2011?
Ross Young of IMS Research forecasts that, driven by demand from China, emerging solid-state lighting, and continued penetration of LED backlighting, the metal-organic chemical vapor deposition market may exceed 1000 tools in 2011.
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Lateral conduction, substrate-free deep UV nitride semiconductor LEDs
South Carolina demonstrates first lateral-conduction substrate-free flip-chip 276nm LEDs grown on thick-AlN/sapphire templates.
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(392 KB)
Liquid phase pushes deep UV LEDs to higher efficiency
Boston University develops MBE process for 273nm LEDs using material with high internal quantum efficiency of 32%.
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(346 KB)
NanoLEDs, a new breakthrough for the LED industry
Xavier Hugon and Philippe Gilet of HelioDEL and Patrick Mottier of Leti explain how nanowire-based LEDs can improve LED efficiency and cost reduction for solid-state lighting applications.
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Making III-V contact with silicon substrates
High-speed logic, high-frequency/high-power transistors and photonics systems could benefit from marrying with silicon substrates. One impediment to this is contact formulations that use gold. Researchers are working to find a way to union through gold-free contacts. Mike Cooke reports.
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Back-barrier to InAlN HEMT short-channel effects
MIT and IQE RF have used an AlGaN back-barrier to increase the cut-off frequency of an InAlN HEMT by 8% from 195GHz to 210GHz.
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InGaAs tunnel FET with ON current increased by 61%
University of Texas at Austin uses n-type doping to reduce tunneling width and increase field in InGaAs tunneling field-effect transistors.
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(430 KB)
Tantalum-based ohmic contacts for nitride semiconductor transistors
Ohmic contacts developed with resistance as low as 0.06Ω-mm.
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(245 KB)
Polarization junctions increase nitride transistor breakdown voltage
University of Sheffield and Japan’s POWDEC demonstrate first polarization junction super HFETs.
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Improving photovoltaic material quality with patterned sapphire
Short-circuit current raised by 26% by growing photovoltaic cells on patterned substrates rather than flat substrates.
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Probing vacuum-deposited copper-zinc-tin-chalcogenide kesterite anneal process
Supplying tin during anneal to block decomposition increases solar cell efficiency.
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March 2011
Seeking to unlock wide-range potential of nitride photovoltaics
Up to now, nitride semiconductor solar cells have only responded to the high-energy, short-wavelength end of the solar spectrum. Mike Cooke reports on recent attempts to extend this range.
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Exploring droop and wide-well nitride LEDs
Researchers at Taiwan’s Chang Gung University conclude that efficiency droop probably dominated by hole injection problems rather than electron overflow.
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Good grades for reducing nitride LED efficiency droop
Taiwan researchers cut LED efficiency droop from 34% to 4% using graded electron-blocking layer.
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(900 KB)
Monolithic InGaAs nanolaser on silicon
University of California at Berkeley is developing a technique that could provide a powerful, new avenue to on-chip nanophotonic devices.
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(680 KB)
UCSB demos recordfrequency normally-off nitride transistor
E-mode N-polar GaN MISFETs with 120GHz current-gain cutoff.
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Normally-off nitride transistor with oxide insulated gate
Electrochemical process used to create native oxide from AlGaN.
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Normally-off nitride semiconductor tunneljunction FET with high drive
Schottky source electrode used to achieve 326mA/mm drive current.
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Other articles in this issue include: Taking the a-plane to higher crystal quality. For this and much more, subscribe for free
February 2011
Short- and long-reach of new VCSEL applications
New applications beckon for vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers.
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Ge doping option for gallium nitride on silicon substrates
Germanium used to create n-type conductivity without cracking.
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Light output boosted 116.7% at 20mA over conventional LED
Substrate removal and reflector layer boost red LED output.
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(1.75 MB)
Self-aligned Ni-InGaAs as source–drain for InGaAs MOSFET
Nickel-InGaAs alloy reduces source–drain resistance by 80%.
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Other articles in this issue include: Two-dimensional hole gas with increased density and mobility, Free-standing GaN from lateral overgrowth and chemical etch, and Use of AlGaAs optical confinement/ cladding with InGaAsN. For this and much more, subscribe for free
Dec/Jan 2010-11
Power, speed and other highlights at IEDM
Mike Cooke rounds up developments reported at December’s 2010 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) in San Francisco.
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SiN raises nitride HEMT breakdown voltage without current collapse
Bilayer approach uses combinations of different SiN films as passivation.
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Corning probes optical losses in nitride laser at wafer level
Corning researchers finds that holes bound to Mg acceptors dominate waveguide loss in blue–green nitride lasers.
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(560 KB)
Other articles in this issue include: AlGaN-channel with more
than 50% Al achieves 1800V
breakdown voltage, Modified p-type layer increases
light output from nitride LED and Taiwan researchers make
steps to improve LED output. For this and much more, subscribe for free
Nov/Dec 2010
New demand puts tension into gallium/indium supply chain
As orders have picked up from the 2008-2009 financial crisis, strain has been put on compound semiconductor raw material supplies. Now, China may be planning stockpiles that could further restrict access to indium and gallium. Mike Cooke reports.
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Non-polar nitride boost to blue and true-green laser diode
University of California Santa Barbara spin-off Soraa achieves record wall-plug efficiency of 23% for a blue laser diode emitting at 447nm.
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Polarized LED from RPI and Kyma promises more efficient displays
A record polarization intensity ratio of 0.77 has been achieved for top surface emission from >500nm-wavelength AlGaInN LEDs.
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(276 KB)
Other articles in this issue include: Singapore researchers create
amber light for nitride LEDs, Developing layer transfer for
mixing compounds with silicon and Free-standing GaN substrate
improves nitride solar cell. For this and much more, subscribe for free
Oct/Nov 2010
ZnO mixes it up with nitride semiconductors
Dr. Mike Cooke reports on research that combines ZnO with nitride semiconductors for transparent conduction, light emission and as a substrate.
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MOCVD automation and fab integration
The LED industry is at a key inflection point, says Aixtron's Dr. Rainer Beccard.
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Trapezoid wells effect reduce LED droop and lower cross-over point
Korean researchers find trapezoidal-well LEDs emit more light than conventional device at 5A/cm2.
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Other articles in this issue include: BeZnCdSe pure-green 545nm laser with threshold current density of 1.7kA/cm2, UCSB achieves CW operation of AlGaN-cladding free nonpolar lasers and Semi-polar light extraction comparable to conventional LEDs. For this and much more, subscribe for free
September 2010
Chinese burn into LED market driving MOCVD
Times are good for the two main MOCVD system makers Aixtron and Veeco, reports Dr. Mike Cooke.
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Simulations cast light on CIGS solar cell efficiency puzzle
German researchers find segregation effects/non-uniformity in CIGS stronger in gallium-rich material.
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(1.82 MB)
Unveiling hot-electron over-spill in nitride LEDs
Staircase injector structures used to thermalize electrons, improving light emission performance in InGaN diodes.
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(376 KB)
Quantum wells with AlGaN barriers boost blue-green laser light output
UCSB sees pathway to high internal quantum efficiency in green and yellow wavelengths.
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Other articles in this issue include: Texas Tech 'significantly' improves InGaN solar cell performance and Self-organized quantum dots reduce green efficiency droop. For this and much more, subscribe for free
July/August 2010
Nitride superluminescence expands blue-violet capability
Potential applications for high spatial coherence of superluminescent light-emitting diodes (SLEDs) include optical coherence tomography, fiber-optic gyroscopes and speckle-free displays. Mike Cooke reports.
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AlN substrate used to make 260–240nm UV LEDs
Crystal IS reduces threading dislocations in strained active layers by growth on high-quality bulk aluminum nitride substrates.
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Low threshold for m-plane nitride semiconductor lasing
UCSB grows m-plane violet lasers with comparable characteristics to state-of-the-art c-plane lasers.
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(620 KB)
InAlN barrier strain used to shift nitride transistor thresholds
Georgia Tech produces normally-off (E-mode) FETs using piezoelectric fields.
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Tohoku and Sony develop first 100W blue-violet ultra-fast pulsed semiconductor laser
High-capacity optical disc storage and nano-fabrication targeted.
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Intel takes further step toward Terabit/s data transmission
III-V/silicon hybrid demonstrates 50Gb/s transmission over fiber.
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June/July 2010
Lattice-matched SiGe on GaAs for triple-junction CPV solar cells
Dr. Andrew Johnson and Mr. Robert Harper explain how IQE has demonstrated the first triple-junction PV device with an epitaxial bottom cell grown lattice-matched on a 6" GaAs substrate.
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MANTECH comes full cycle in Portland
Latest developments reported at this year's CS MANTECH.
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Hopes and fears for high-mobility logic
Dr. Mike Cooke looks at the present state of III-V and germanium MOSFETs as possible future logic devices.
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(1.50 MB)
Deep UV LED efficiency reaches 3%
External quantum efficiency of 5% for 255-280nm single-chip LEDs within reach, says Dr. Mike Cooke.
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Large chip improvements to deep-ultraviolet output
SET characterizes large-area 273nm and 247nm LEDs.
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(480 KB)
Other articles in this issue include: Multi-story production of optoelectronics from GaAs release. For this and much more, subscribe for free
May/June 2010
Combination to unlock high yields and throughput in LED production?
The entry of a leading silicon semiconductor equipment supplier into the nitride LED arena suggests a new era for mass solid-state lighting technology, says Dr. Mike Cooke.
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Tunneling a way to understand efficiency droop in InGaN
The entry of a leading silicon semiconductor equipment supplier into the nitride LED arena suggests a new era for mass solid-state lighting technology, says Dr. Mike Cooke.
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Other articles in this issue include: Capacity of InGaAs to increase drive current in nano MOSFETs, and Sumitomo powers up vertical nitride transistors. For this and much more, subscribe for free
April/May 2010
Going deep for UV sterilization LEDs
Mike Cooke looks at how research to shorten the wavelength of commercial LEDs to ~250nm is progressing.
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(1.66 MB)
Polarization technology for HEMTs and LEDs
University of Notre Dame researchers have been developing techniques to use the spontaneous and strain-dependent polarization electric fields in nitride semiconductor to positive effect in transistors and LEDs.
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Material shortages take the edge off LED boom
Michael Hatcher of Strategy Analytics reports on the booming LED market and its impact on suppliers of materials and MOCVD systems.
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Other articles in this issue include: Sapphire market to exceed $200m in 2010, Tyndall claims first junctionless transistor, and Seeking ultra-low ohmic path to high-frequency nitride transistors. For this and much more, subscribe for free
March 2010
Veeco - Accelerating the growth of the HB-LED industry
Jim Jenson of Veeco's MOCVD business explains how improving MOCVD process uniformity can boost yields and capital efficiency.
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Nitride transistors get ready for market
Dr. Mike Cooke reports on the application of nitrides to transistor devices.
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February 2010
SEI explains polarization clues to optimal GaN green laser stripes
Semi-polar [1014] direction preferred over [1210] for lower threshold current and longer wavelength.
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Producing more light than heat from quantum cascade lasers
QCL wall-plug efficiencies have been boosted from 35% to 40–50%.
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Dielectrics at the III-V logic starting gate
Focus shifts from demonstrating the benefits of high mobility and integration with silicon substrates to developing the gate stack.
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Dec 09 / Jan 10
Advances in nitride precursors pave way to HB-LED mass production
SAFC Hitech discusses the demands on nitride MOCVD precursor manufacturing.
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Digging into SiC etch
Two groups of researchers, at Fujitsu and TriQuint, have been looking at some problems of etching back-side via holes in SiC substrates. Mike Cooke reports.
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Thickening AlN layers on sapphire substrates
Growth of aluminum nitride on a-plane rather than c-plane sapphire yields lower defect densities, reports Mike Cooke.
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Thickening AlN layers on sapphire substrates
Growth of aluminum nitride on a-plane rather than c-plane sapphire yields lower defect densities, reports Mike Cooke.
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November 2009
Management of arsenic-rich waste streams in III-V foundries
Safe practices for waste management associated with the grinding, lapping and polishing of GaAs in wafer thinning. Authors: Keith Torrance and Helen Keenan, University of Strathclyde.
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Progressing etch techniques for compound semiconductors
Dr Mike Cooke reports on recent developments in using various etch processes on compound semiconductors.
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Other articles in this issue include: DARPA awards NEXT contracts for GaN ICs research. For this and much more, subscribe for free
October 2009
Getting a green light from lasers
Dr Mike Cooke reports on approaches to producing green lasers in the III-nitride material system by using InGaN based active layers.
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Other articles in this issue include: Fujitsu develops first mm-wave GaN transceiver amplifier chipset. For this and much more, subscribe for free
September 2009
Extending dot-dash advantages to InP
Dr Mike Cooke reports on recent quantum dot/dash laser diode developments.
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Other articles in this issue include: Buffer boost for InGaN on silicon solar cell. For this and much more, subscribe for free
Jul/Aug 2009
New angle on approach to green lasers
Dr Mike Cooke reports on UCSB’s use of 1º -miscut m-plane GaN substrates to develop blue–green lasers with lower threshold current densities than is achieved using on-axis c-plane GaN.
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Other articles in this issue include: Fujitsu develops GaN HEMT for use in power supplies. For this and much more, subscribe for free
June/July 2009
Wide load potential for electric vehicles
The enhanced material properties of wide-bandgap materials beckon for developers of electric vehicles. Dr Mike Cooke reports.
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May/June 2009
Conference Report: CS MANTECH 2009
Compound Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology conference sees new focus on photovoltaics in light of inventory correction in established wireless markets.
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Other articles in this issue include: OFC conference report.
April/May 2009
LED growth compatibility between 2", 4" and 6" sapphire
By understanding thickness and wafer bow dependence for MOCVD, process conditions can be modified to provide GaN-based blue LEDs on 4” and 6” wafers equivalent to those on 2”, says Veeco.
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Other articles in this issue include: GaAs industry downturns: 2001 versus 2009, and CIGS solar: a new investment landscape. For this and much more, subscribe for free
March/Apr 2009
Heterostructuring for high speed, power and light
Dr Mike Cooke reports on heterostructure materials (III-nitride, III-arsenide, III-phosphide) for power, light and high speed applications.
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February 2009
III-Vs from a logical point of view
Dr Mike Cooke reports on IEDM 2008, with a focus on III-V channels research.
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(1.21 MB)
Other articles in this issue include: ISE raises multi-junction solar-cell efficiency record to 41.1%. For this and much more, subscribe for free
Dec 08/ Jan 2009
Nanowire transistors, lasers and hetero-engineering
Semiconductor nanowires constitute a growing field of research, particularly as the size of commercial devices decrease. Dr Mike Cooke looks at some recent research looking to achieve ultra-small transistors, photovoltaic devices, lasers and bandgap engineering.
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Other articles in this issue include: Probing hydrogen’s impact on ZnO. For this and much more, subscribe for free
November 2008
Solutions don’t solve droop controversy
InGaN LEDs suffer a nasty fall-off in efficiency as the current through the device increases. Although some companies say they have solved the problem, debate about the cause continues. Dr Mike Cooke reports.
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October 2008
Powering up GaN MOSFETs
In the past few years a new application for nitride semiconductors has been developing for high-power radio/microwave frequency amplifiers based on high critical field and carrier mobility properties. Dr Mike Cooke reports on progress.
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Other articles in this issue include: First high-output normally-off GaN HEMT. For this and much more, subscribe for free
September 2008
CdTe PV progresses to mass production
First Solar has accelerated its mass production of CdTe thin-film photovoltaic modules, and others are following the company's lead, says Dr Mike Cooke.
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Other articles in this issue include: Central delivery of TMGa for lower-cost epi. For this and much more, subscribe for free
August 2008
Oxide materials for III–V MOSFET gate stacks
New incentive to find suitable ‘gate oxides’ for III–Vs could lead to early adoption of III–Vs into mainstream logic, reports Dr Mike Cooke.
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Other articles in this issue include: PbSe research resurrects nanocrystal avalanche hopes. For this and much more, subscribe for free
Jun/July 2008
Flash fast forward to quantum dot memory
NAND Flash is driving silicon industry development, but the technology can only continue through adaptation. Dr Mike Cooke looks at how III-V quantum dots offer the prospect of faster non-volatile memory.
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May 2008
Wide-bandgap RF devices: a $100m market by 2010
Yole Développement's Philippe Roussel asks what can displace the LDMOS monopoly.
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Other articles in this issue include: CS-MANTECH 2008 conference report.
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April 2008
Infinera targeting PICs of 4Tb/s within 10 years
Infinera outlines its roadmap to integrating more components and wavelengths into InP-based photonic integrated circuits.
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March 2008
CMOS reaches for 60GHz+ applications?
Dr Mike Cooke looks at the prospects for using CMOS at frequencies of 60GHz and 77GHz.
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February 2008
Lighting up CIGS PVs
Dr Mike Cooke reports on developments in producing lower-cost solar energy based on compounds of the elements copper, indium, gallium and selenium.
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Dec 07/ Jan 08
Are silicon technologies poised to displace GaAs?
GaAs remains cost competitive in high-volume markets, says Asif Anwar.
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Graphene opens up to new possibilities on SiC
A positive bandgap has been found for graphene on SiC, pushing it into the semiconductor domain, reports Mike Cooke.
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November 2007
Towards low-cost high power density devices
GaN power electronics are now ready to address a $3.5bn market, reckons Philippe Roussel of market research firm Yole Développement.
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October 2007
Antimonides - Electromagnetic alchemy
Applications beckon for antimony compounds in high-speed electronics, and for the detection and manipulation of infrared light and magnetic behavior, says Dr Mike Cooke.
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September 2007
Narrow focus, wide scope
Both basic research and applications ranging from gas sensing to tomorrow’s high-speed computer chips use and characterize semiconductor materials with narrow energy bandgaps. Dr Mike Cooke reports on such opportunities as described at the Narrow Gap Semiconductor conference.
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July/Aug 2007
GaAs industry back in equilibrium
The CS MANTECH 2007 conference in Austin, Texas evidenced much optimism about GaAs market growth (despite glitches with Motorola’s handset business), as well as progress in GaN HEMT performance and reliability, reports Mark Telford.
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June 2007
SiC power devices: if only we had a switch...
With 4" diameter substrates and zero-micropipe technology now introduced, Dr Philippe Roussel of market research firm Yole Développement considers what else remains in the path of SiC power device market development.
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May 2007
Charting routes to zinc oxide applications
A wide bandgap and piezoelectric properties make zinc oxide an interesting material for research into producing and detecting light (up to ultraviolet) and for electromechanical systems. Dr Mike Cooke looks at progress in producing p-type doping, allowing light emission from p–n junctions, and new ideas for mechanical coupling and photodetection from nanowires.
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April 2007
Eliminating bowing in blue LED and laser epi
LayTec and Ferdinand-Braun-Institut describe new in-situ technology for optimizing the growth of blue LEDs and laser diodes by reducing wafer bowing during epitaxial growth.
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Other articles in this issue include: Blue laser output boost; Coherent emission from room-temperature excition-polariton; and Restructuring the cascade for Bloch gain. For this and much more, subscribe for free
March 2007
Channel surfing
Nanoelectronics developers are aiming to boost channel properties in metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) as used in mainstream complementary MOSFET (CMOS = nMOS + pMOS) silicon technology. Dr Mike Cooke reports.
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Other articles in this issue include: InGaAs HEMTs challenge Si, and Company profile: AXT Inc. For this and much more, subscribe for free
February 2007
Filling the THz gap with new applications
New imaging opportunities for medical and security applications may launch terahertz technology into the public domain. Semiconductor technology is key to many of these developments, says Dr Mike Cooke.
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Other articles in this issue include: CIGS PV cells progress. For this and much more, subscribe for free
Dec 06/Jan 07
Resonant tunneling barriers in nitrides
The widening applications for nitrides, from LEDs through lasers to high-power HEMTs, has led to work on advanced devices. Dr Mike Cooke reports on GaN/AlN quantum-well-based resonant tunneling diodes.
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Other articles in this issue include: CSIC Conference report - Optimizing technologies. For this and much more, subscribe for free
Nov/Dec 2006
SiC driving interest for power semiconductors
Mark Telford reports on ECSCRM 2006: SiC has formerly been the preserve of niche industrial applications such as power generation and control, but is now attracting interest from major silicon power semiconductor manufacturers.
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Other articles in this issue include: IMEC - Stress control for GaN HEMTs on 150mm Si and Finisar - Doubling fab capacity. For this and much more, subscribe for free
Oct/Nov 2006
Silicon shortage opens window for CIGS PVs
The shortage of polysilicon is constraining uptake of solar power, driving some recent large investments to speed less costly thin-film copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) solar cells on flexible substrates into production.
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Other articles in this issue include: Taiwan's LED makers consolidate and grow, and Emcore refocuses. For this and much more, subscribe for free
September 2006
Transending frequency and integration limits
Dr Mike Cooke reports on how indium phosphide enables higher-frequency transistors and large scale integration of optical communication components.
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Other articles in this issue include: Strained SOI, Silicon lasers, and BluGlass company profile. For this and much more, subscribe for free
August 2006
The wide blue yonder
Dr Mike Cooke looks at blue laser developments in the light of the recent market introduction of HD-DVD and Blu-ray optical storage disks, and surveys future applications and prospects for improvements in the technology.
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Other articles in this issue include: Microsemi profile, and ICMOVPE XIII conference report. For this and much more, subscribe for free
July 2006
Enhanced BiFET boosts wireless integration
Skyworks' Ravi Ramanathan and colleagues detail how the BiFET process is integrated into a high-volume GaAs HBT manufacturing facility, allowing integration of external bias control circuitry into wireless power amplifier die.
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Other articles in this issue include: Beaten-up industry turns upbeat, Nitride substrates bridging the gap, and Fab tools enabling opto device integration. For this and much more, subscribe for free







