the disruptive semiconductor technologies magazine - I-Micronews

OCTOBER 2010 issue n°100
THE DISRUPTIVE SEMICONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGIES MAGAZINE
COMPOUND SEMICONDUCTORS
Sony releases 400mW-output blue-violet laser diode for blu-ray disc
Sony Corp released the "SLD3237VF," a new blue-violet laser diode expected to be used for recording and playing
Blu-ray discs.
It features a pulsed output as high as 400mW and
supports "BDXL," a new standard for largecapacity
Blu-ray discs.
According to Sony, the SLD3237VF is the industry's
first blue-violet laser diode that has an output of
400mW or higher. The high output allows to use a
wider variety of optical components such as lenses
and prisms and, thus, to design hardware more
freely.
To realize the high output, innovative technologies
are necessary to prevent the end face of a laser
resonator from being melted by the heat from laser (a
phenomenon called "catastrophic optical damage"
(COD)) and to enhance the crystal quality of GaN
crystal, which is a constituent material for ensuring a
high reliability, the company said.
This time, Sony newly developed an end-face coating
material and a film forming method and succeeded in
heightening the optical output level that causes COD,
compared with that of the company's 300mW-class
laser diode.
Moreover, to improve the crystal quality, Sony
developed new MOCVD crystal growth equipment
that is optimized for producing GaN materials. The
equipment can grow crystals on multiple substrates
at the same time and deal with a future increase in the
demand for laser diodes used for Blu-ray discs, the
company said.
Furthermore, Sony developed a process and
processing equipment that realize a high production
efficiency in the process of processing wafers, which
follows the crystal growth process.
The SLD3237VF is mounted in a standard package
with a diameter of 5.6mm. Its operating temperature
range is from 0 to 85°C.
The "SLD3237VF" with an output of 400mW (left) and the
"SLD3237VFR" with an output of 350mW.
This time, Sony also released the "SLD3237VFR,"
which has a pulsed output of 350mW and is mounted
in a package with a diameter of 3.8mm. Its operating
temperature range is from 0 to 90°C.
www.sony.net
Dow Corning to produce 100mm Silicon Carbide epitaxy
Dow Corning announced that it will begin production of 100mm SiC epitaxy, providing a single source for SiC substrates
used in power electronics device manufacturing.
The new product expands Dow Corning’s
product line beyond its existing offerings of
76mm SiC wafers and epitaxy and 100 mm SiC
wafers.
Dow Corning supplies SiC and silicone materials that
can be used in high power applications such as hightech
communications, solar and wind energy systems,
large scale electrical distribution grids, vehicles, and
academic research.
"We are committed to supporting the success of our
customers by developing products that enhance
performance while being cost effective," said Fred
Buether, Commercial Manager, Dow Corning
Compound Semiconductor Solutions. "Dow Corning
is committed to continuing its leadership in supplying
materials solutions to a broad cross section of the
global electronics industry. Our global expertise and
collaborative approach enable us to deliver solutions
that reliably perform, time after time."
www.dowcorning.com
UCSB researchers claim semi-polar nitride light extraction comparable to
conventional LEDs
Researchers at the University of California Santa Barbara report substantial improvement in the extraction efficiency of
LEDs grown on semi-polar nitride substrates.
The researchers claim that the efficiency's are
comparable to those of conventional c-plane
devices. The findings were published in Applied
Physics Express.
At a drive current of 20mA, the devices emitted
SETI drives single chip germicidal UV LED optical output power to a record 100mW
Sensor Electronic Technology Inc (SETI) says that, in its continuing program to develop UV LEDs for germicidal applications,
it has achieved single chip constant current performance of 100mW in the germicidal wavelength range.
According to the firm, this achievement exceeds
the record for maximum optical power out of
a single chip device of this type.
SETI says that although this level of single chip
performance is not yet available in its production
LEDs, high power UV LED lamps are available
under the UVCLEAN trademark with germicidal
powers up to 50mW. “High power UV LEDs are
essential to achieve the level of disinfection required
in point-of-use and point-of-entry water treatment
systems,” said Remis Gaska, president and CEO
of SETI. “This ongoing development of large area
high power UV LEDs will help to reduce the price
per milliwatt and allow UV LEDs to enter cost
sensitive disinfection markets.”
31.1mW, with external quantum efficiency (EQE) of
54.7%.
Researchers expect non-polar and semi-polar nitride
materials to produce improved efficiency LEDs
because of reduced spontaneous and straindependent
(piezoelectric) polarization fields. These
polarization fields tend to pull electrons and holes
apart in the light-emitting active region, thus reducing
the chances of recombination occurring as photons.
www.ucsb.edu
The firm announced that it had been awarded a
$475,000 Small Business Innovation Research
(SBIR) Phase II award from the US National Science
Foundation (NSF) to develop point-of-use (POU)
drinking water disinfection systems based on deep
ultraviolet LEDs (DUV LEDs).
www.s-et.com
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