Plessey prepares for LED lighting push

Plessey Semiconductor seems to be gearing up for increased production of its GaN-on-silicon LED devices.

Plymouth-based Plessey has upgraded its production facility by buying the latest Temescal UEFC-4900 material deposition system from Ferrotec.

Plessey manufactures LEDs on 6-inch wafers using a GaN-on-silicon process which it claims is cost-effective because it uses standard semiconductor manufacturing techniques.

It is currently producing its second generation of GaN-on-silicon LEDs. These are 0.2W devices which produce up to 12.3 lm, this is double the efficiency of the first generation.Plessey prepares for LED lighting push

“We have made great strides forward in refining, productising and improving our patented technology,” said Plessey chief technology officer, Dr Keith Strickland.

These second-generation parts represent Plessey’s first attempt at entering the high volume market for entry-level LED lighting products.

The main argument for GaN-on-silicon process is it has the potential to be lower cost than the traditional way of making LEDs using a GaN-on-sapphire process.

The challenge is to match the efficiency of GaN-on-sapphire. Plessey will be hoping the increased layer accuracy of the new deposition system will help with this.

The firm’s proprietary process, dubbed MaGIC, relies on the production of a thin and highly uniform layer of GaN on a silicon substrate. This has necessitated the use of this latest generation deposition system.

“At only 2.5 µm for both buffer and epitaxial layer, our MaGIC process uses a much thinner GaN layer compared to the 8 µm thickness typical on most other LED processes,” said Mike Snaith, operations director at Plessey.

Plessey is competing with larger rivals such as Osram, Cree and Toshiba to win a share of a market for LED lights expected to be worth $200bn by 2020.

 

For more detail: Plessey prepares for LED lighting push


About The Author

Ibrar Ayyub

I am an experienced technical writer holding a Master's degree in computer science from BZU Multan, Pakistan University. With a background spanning various industries, particularly in home automation and engineering, I have honed my skills in crafting clear and concise content. Proficient in leveraging infographics and diagrams, I strive to simplify complex concepts for readers. My strength lies in thorough research and presenting information in a structured and logical format.

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