NGK Introduces New Wafer Products for Electronic Devices at SEMICON Japan
NGK Insulators, Ltd. (President: Taro Kato; Headquarters: Nagoya, Japan) has developed new wafer products for electronic device applications, such as ultra high brightness (UHB) LEDs and smartphones. The Company will exhibit samples of these wafers for the first time at SEMICON Japan 2011, which will be held December 7 through 9 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan.
NGK targets wafer products as a major research and development theme in the electronics field. In the R&D lineup, there are bonded wafers that achieve new functions previously unavailable with a single material wafer, and gallium nitride (GaN) single crystal wafers that have low defect density and colorless transparency. The Company has accelerated the development of wafer products including wafers for next-generation semiconductors which do not include rare metals.
The wafers to be exhibited in SEMICON Japan 2011 are as follows:
Bonded wafer for SAW filter application:
NGK successfully accomplished creating a new functional wafer by combining NGK’s own ceramic technologies, i.e. wafer bonding technology which bonds two different materials without a void, and precise crystal polishing technology with sub-micron accuracy.
For example, there is the bonded wafer which has a piezoelectric layer 20 µm thick on a silicon substrate which demonstrates a low coefficient of thermal expansion in the full range of operating temperature. The surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters fabricated on this bonded wafer eliminate frequency drift due to thermal fluctuation. The filters enhance the performances of smartphones and other radio communication devices.
NGK is also developing bonded wafers for different uses, such as frequency doublers which convert an infra-red laser beam into a green or blue beam, optical filters, temperature sensors, next-generation wireless devices and pressure sensors.
Gallium nitride (GaN) single crystal wafer:
NGK has established the manufacturing technology for GaN single crystal wafers which is optimum for UHB-LEDs. The GaN wafer has low defect density and colorless transparency over the whole wafer surface. This innovative feature is realized by original liquid phase epitaxial growth technology. NGK’s GaN wafer has unprecedentedly high, efficient luminescence, which makes UHB-LEDs applicable for business projectors and head lamps of automobiles. Application for power devices used in hybrid and electric vehicles is also anticipated.
