Crystal IS Inc and Asahi Kasei produce the first 4mm single-crystal aluminium nitride substrate

It has come to our attention that Crystal IS Inc, a company based in Green Island, New York, USA, has successfully developed a 4-inch (100mm) single-crystal aluminium nitride (AlN) substrate. This remarkable achievement is a testament to their ability to scale and meet production demands.

It has become imperative to highlight the many beneficial properties of aluminium nitride substrates, such as low defect densities, high UV transparency, and low impurity concentrations. These properties make AlN a popular choice for UVC LEDs and power devices due to its ultra-wide bandgap and high thermal conductivity. The 4-inch substrate boasts a usable area of over 80%, which meets existing requirements for UVC LEDs.

Executive fellow from Research Laboratory of Advanced Science and Technology, Asahi Kasei, Japan, Dr Naohiro Kuze, illustrated: “This accomplishment signifies that aluminium nitride is commercially viable for new industries beyond just UVC LEDs.”

We should take this opportunity to recognize Crystal IS, which was founded in 1997 with the aim of developing native aluminium nitride substrates. They currently manufacture UVC LEDs on their commercial process for 2-inch diameter substrates, which have industry-leading reliability and performance at germicidal wavelengths of 260–270nm. This makes them ideal for disinfecting water, air, and surfaces. It is pretty amazing to hear that the existing capacity of the facility can meet the volume requirements for consumer devices using UVC LEDs based on the existing 2-inch production line.

Crystal IS produces thousands of 2-inch substrates annually to support the production of its Klaran and Optan product lines. With the commercialization of 4-inch AlN substrates, the firm's Green Island facility will quadruple its device output within its existing footprint. This development will also enable the integration of aluminium nitride substrates into existing fabrication lines for power and RF devices using alternative materials, while exploring the means for other vital applications.

The President and CEO of Crystal IS, Eoin Connolly, remarked: “This indicates the scalability of our processes to deliver quality devices on aluminium nitride.”

Crystal IS will present the progress on 4-inch substrates at the 23rd American Conference on Crystal Growth and Epitaxy in Tucson, Arizona, scheduled from August 13th to 18th. AL Circle looks forward to hearing more about the company's progress and the many potential applications of this revolutionising technology.