Veeco ships new-generation EPIK 868 MOCVD systems to China for high-volume LED production

Epitaxial deposition and process equipment maker Veeco Instruments Inc of Plainview, NY, USA has shipped multiple TurboDisc EPIK 868 gallium nitride (GaN) metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) systems to several leading Chinese LED makers for the production of light emitting diodes for solid-state lighting applications.

Compared with previous generations, the EPIK 868 MOCVD system enables cost per wafer savings of more than 20%, with a combined advantage of best operating uptime, low maintenance costs and what is claimed to be best-in-class wafer uniformity, as well as a compact architecture with the best footprint efficiency for high-volume LED production.

“The introduction of the lower-cost and higher-productivity EPIK 868 to the China LED market clearly demonstrates Veeco’s long term commitment to this important region,” says president William J. Miller Ph.D. “With the EPIK 868, our Chinese customers can continue to take advantage of Veeco’s leading edge technology development and world-class service offerings at a significantly lower cost of ownership,” he adds.

Based on Veeco’s proven TurboDisc technology, the new EPIK 868 MOCVD system offers a four-reactor platform for the highest productivity and a 35% footprint reduction compared with the competition, it is claimed. Furthermore, the wafer carrier capacity can be increased for greater throughput per batch.

“The EPIK 868 is built upon a production proven TurboDisc platform with over 1000 chambers installed worldwide, providing the highest operating stability and efficiency,” says Peo Hansson Ph.D., senior VP & general manager MOCVD Operations. “Not only will the new EPIK 868 system improve our customers’ productivity and cost of ownership, but it will also provide a highly reliable, leading-edge production tool,” he adds.

The EPIK 868 features proprietary IsoFlange and TruHeat technologies, which provide homogeneous laminar flow and uniform temperature profile across the entire wafer carrier. These innovations produce wavelength uniformity to drive higher yields in a tighter bin. The EPIK 868 system offers a 2.3x throughput advantage over the existing EPIK 700 system due to its four-chamber configuration and the ability to increase wafer carrier capacity. Veeco says that customers can easily transfer processes from existing TurboDisc systems to the new EPIK 868 MOCVD platform for quick-start production of high-quality LEDs.