Jul 17 2007
First Nano, a division of CVD Equipment Corporation has announced today the release of it’s ET2000-SS and ET3000-SS solid source deposition systems specifically designed for producing Semi-Conducting Nanowires.
Single-Crystalline nanowires made from materials such as Zinc Oxide (Zno) and Gallium Nitride (GaN) have been the focus of researchers for many years because of their remarkable properties as electronic and optoelectronic materials.
GaN is a semi-conducting material used for Blue, Green and UV Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) and Lasers. Blue LEDs are also treated with phosphors to create the white light LEDs that are currently used in flashlights, signage and other lighting applications.
ZnO is a semi-conducting material used for Blue-LEDs and Lasers, and is thought to be a less expensive alternative to GaN. ZnO is also well known for absorbing UV radiation making it an important ingredient in personal products such as cosmetics and sun blocking lotions.
Researchers have been able to demonstrate that using solid sources such as Gallium and Zinc powders are a less expensive and safer alternative to using the conventional Metal Organic Sources used by the current Metal Organic Vapor Deposition Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) method for manufacturing LEDs.
To date, GaN and ZnO nanowire LEDs and lasers have been possible only on a research scale. One of the major issues for producing larger samples has been to control the temperature of the solid source (Zn or Ga) and the temperature uniformity of the sample.
The typical process for depositing these materials is called the “Vapor-Solid” (VS)” or “Vapor-Liquid-Solid” (VLS) method of CVD. In the case of ZnO, the source is heated to ~900o Celsius to vaporize the source powders and the sample is placed in the chamber where the temperature drops to ~800o Celsius. In most systems this leaves a non-uniform area for the substrate, hence a very narrow processes area for the sample to be placed.
Our solid source deposition systems have been specifically designed to accommodate the “Vapor-Solid” (VS)” and “Vapor-Liquid-Solid” (VLS) method of nanowire deposition. This new design provides better temperature control of the source material and substrate temperature uniformity by providing distinct temperature zones and separate closed loop temperature control systems. The improved temperature control along with the increased capacity of the ET2000-SS and ET3000-SS systems are the first step in bringing these remarkable materials to full production levels.