Future Trends of MOCVD in LED Applications

On October 14, 2010, the 7th China International Seminar Lighting Exhibition and Forum Supporting Event - International short-term MOCVD technology training class was successfully held at the 6F Osmanthus Hall of the Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center. The international short-term training course on MOCVD technology was organized by the National Semiconductor Lighting Engineering R&D and Industry Alliance (CSA), and the German ASI Co., Ltd. was the organizer and sponsor support unit. Michael Heuken, vice president of R&D of Aisik Corporation and Li Gang, general manager of Shanghai Sapphire Optoelectronic Materials Co., Ltd., served as guests of the conference. More than ten industry experts from Germany, Singapore, and China Taiwan will analyze the current status and development trend of MOVCD technology from various angles.

The vigorous development of the semiconductor lighting industry in China has brought with it the demand for relevant equipment. AIXTRON is currently one of the manufacturers of MOCVD equipment. Large-size and multi-chip MOCVD equipment has a market share of 70% in the field of LED equipment. The AIXTRON MOCVD system is based on two unique technologies: Planetary Reactor® and Close Coupled Showerhead® (CCS®).

According to statistics, due to the launch of the TV backlight and general lighting market, the demand for high-brightness LEDs has been increased, and the penetration rate of LED TVs has been accelerated. In 2010, it is expected to reach 20%-30%. LED lighting applications have gone from outdoor LED street lamps to indoor lighting applications. LED lighting business opportunities bring endless imagination to the industry. Affected by this, the demand for MOCVD in the Chinese mainland market in 2010 is expected to reach 230 units, accounting for 23% of the global market share. Michael Heuken first predicted the future semiconductor lighting market. He believes that semiconductor lighting will be from 2009 to 2014. The market will maintain a 31% annual growth rate, which will greatly promote the development of semiconductor lighting technology.

AIXTRON believes that the future development of MOCVD equipment will focus on how to improve equipment stability, improve product yield, and reduce material usage. Specifically, the main aspects are as follows: to reduce the outsourcing cost while improving product yield and production capacity; to improve the stability of the machine platform; to reduce the manual operation and human intervention while increasing the production capacity; to reduce the cost and expand the development. The product can reduce the amount of MO source used at the same time as production capacity; develop multi-cavity epitaxial furnaces, etc.

Focusing on the future, LED demand will increase substantially. Aisiqiang has already developed an 8-inch MOCVD machine to help customers reduce production costs, increase efficiency, and expand production capacity. As an organic metal chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) machine manufacturer, Aixtron said that continuous innovation in research and development is also very important to meet the LED general lighting market demand and help reduce the cost of LED chip manufacturers. The first phase of Aixtron's investment in the R&D center is expected to employ 350 researchers and significantly increase the research and development capabilities of the prototype equipment. Similarly, Aixtron believes that China also urgently needs to establish a MOCVD R&D center with foreign partners.