AIXTRON, a worldwide leading provider of deposition equipment to the semiconductor industry, today announced that Taiwanese group Episil Semiconductor Wafer, Inc. has successfully put into operation an AIX G5 WW (Warm-Wall) reactor for silicon carbide (SiC) epitaxy.

Episil President Dr. Ian Chan comments: “We chose the AIXTRON Planetary Reactor system because we have been impressed by the excellent material quality produced on AIXTRON SiC systems. Episil is already a leading producer of silicon-based epitaxy for power management devices and power management integrated circuits. We also have experience with AIXTRON’s MOCVD technology for producing gallium nitride on silicon components (GaN-on-Si) and now plan to expand our portfolio into SiC-based devices.”

SiC and GaN are both being developed for power applications. While SiC devices have already been used in switch mode power supplies, SiC semiconductor material demands very high growth temperatures that requires specific solutions for the epitaxial processing equipment. This is where the AIX G5WW comes into play, perfectly matching the requirements for next generation SiC power electronics. The G5WW system can handle up to 8x150 mm diameter SiC wafers and has the highest wafer throughput in the market, along with fast cycle times and low Cost of Ownership. AIXTRON’s engineers have maximized production yields through improved uniformity on 150 mm SiC and by developing robust processes.

Episil was the first epitaxial processing facility in Taiwan when it was founded in 1985. Today, the company employs more than 1,400 employees and has a total capitalization of about $100 million. The company also operates a device foundry producing wafers with bipolar, CMOS, DMOS, and BCD processes.