The Lumina+ System: Scalable Technology for High Volume Production of Compound Semiconductor Devices  

Lumina+, Veeco’s newest Arsenide/Phosphide (As/P) MOCVD system, is now the industry’s highest productivity platform for As/P epitaxy.   Designed to enable production at scale, Lumina+ holds the key to accelerating the adoption of compound semiconductor applications such as optoelectronics including indium phosphide (InP) lasers, microLEDs, and multi-junction solar cells.

TurboDisc at the Core

Veeco’s well-established TurboDisc high-speed rotation technology lies at the heart of our long history of MOCVD systems for As/P epitaxy, providing an advantageous starting point with the following benefits already designed in:

 

• Productivity: Clean chamber operation for long campaigns of 5,000 deposited microns or more with no interruptions between preventive maintenance events
• Stability:  Steady run-to-run operation without the need for in-situ cleaning – nor any of the throughput penalties associated with in-situ cleans that take place after every run (see Figure 1)
• Uniformity: Wide process windows and easy operation that doesn’t require constant uniformity tuning after every run
• Versatility: Conformal 3D coverage ideal for epitaxial regrowth steps over and around patterned features

Innovations for the AI Era

Beyond these starting benefits, the Lumina+ system also incorporates other improvements that allow it to achieve the best uniformity, repeatability, and cost of ownership required to meet the needs of the optoelectronics, microLED, and solar power industries:

• Injection Technology: Additional alkyl and hydride zones to improve uniformity
• Carrier Technology: New designs and geometries optimized to achieve the best performance at the highest throughput for every use case
• Batch Size: Twice the wafer capacity of the previous generation’s Lumina system
• Automation: Fully automated cassette-to-cassette loading option for improved defectivity and fast carrier exchange for minimum idle time

Engineered for Ease of Use

Lumina+ follows the tradition of Veeco MOCVD systems’ renowned ease of use, requiring notoriously low involvement from operators, maintenance staff, and process engineers in day-to-day operations.

• Quick and Simple Preventive Maintenance: Once maintenance is finally needed after thousands of runs, it is completed within one day with no disassembly or replacement of parts leading to a quick recovery and return to production within one run
• Closed Loop Precursor Injection: Consistent precursor delivery through Veeco’s proprietary Piezocon technology enables stable and repeatable runs with minimal operator intervention
• Closed Loop Temperature Control: Continuously purged, clean viewports enable continuous temperature monitoring and control across all wafer locations, independent of carrier rotation

The Lumina+ Advantage:  Lowest Cost of Ownership

Large batch sizes, no run-to-run tuning required, high process stability and repeatability, quick and simple preventive maintenance, and quick returns to production after maintenance events all together result in the lowest operating cost MOCVD system for As/P epitaxy.   Such high productivity results in 50% capital savings, 30% footprint savings, and a significant reduction in skilled labor requirements.

For more information, please get in touch with us at info@veeco.com

 

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Lumina+ FAQs

1. What is the Veeco Lumina+, and what compound semiconductor applications does it support?
Lumina+ is Veeco’s newest arsenide/phosphide (As/P) MOCVD system and is now the industry’s highest productivity platform for As/P epitaxy. Designed to enable production at scale, Lumina+ accelerates the adoption of compound semiconductor applications such as optoelectronics, including indium phosphide (InP) lasers, microLEDs, and multi-junction solar cells. Lumina+ aligns with the compound semiconductor industry’s roadmap for high-performance, cost-effective optoelectronic devices, which will continue to drive innovation across diverse industries, including solar, consumer electronics, automotive, optical communications, and biotechnology.

 

2. What makes Veeco’s TurboDisc technology at the core of Lumina+ different from other MOCVD platforms?
Veeco’s well-established TurboDisc high-speed rotation technology lies at the heart of the Lumina+ system, delivering key advantages that set it apart from competing MOCVD platforms. TurboDisc enables clean chamber operation for long campaigns of 5,000 deposited microns or more, with no interruptions between preventive maintenance events, steady run-to-run operation without the need for in-situ cleaning—eliminating the throughput penalties of after-every-run cleans—and wide process windows that don’t require constant uniformity tuning. It also provides conformal 3D coverage ideal for epitaxial regrowth steps over and around patterned features, making it highly versatile across multiple device architectures.

 

3. How does Lumina+ achieve the lowest cost of ownership for As/P MOCVD epitaxy?
Lumina+ delivers the lowest operating cost for As/P epitaxy through an unmatched combination of features: the MOCVD market’s largest As/P batch sizes, with standard configurations of 34 wafers (4-in.), 15 wafers (6-in.), and 8 wafers (8-in.) representing twice the wafer capacity of the previous Lumina system; no run-to-run tuning required; high process stability; quick and simple preventive maintenance (completed within one day with no disassembly); and rapid return to production within one run. Offering best-in-class throughput, lowest cost per wafer, and industry-leading uniformity and repeatability for As/P processes, Lumina+ delivers 50% capital savings, 30% footprint savings, and requires significantly less skilled labor to operate.  

 

4. What innovations does Lumina+ incorporate for high-volume compound semiconductor manufacturing?
Beyond the proven TurboDisc foundation, Lumina+ incorporates several breakthrough innovations designed for high-volume production. These include additional alkyl and hydride injection zones to improve uniformity, new carrier designs and geometries optimized for the best performance at the highest throughput for every use case, and a fully automated cassette-to-cassette loading option for improved defectivity and fast carrier exchange with minimum idle time. The system also features Veeco’s proprietary Piezocon technology for closed-loop precursor injection and continuously purged, clean viewports that enable closed-loop temperature monitoring and control across all wafer locations, independent of carrier rotation—ensuring stable, repeatable runs with minimal operator intervention. 

 

5. Who is using the Lumina+ MOCVD system and what does it mean for domestic semiconductor production?
Our advanced MOCVD technology is trusted by industry leaders to scale production across critical semiconductor and optoelectronic applications: 

Ennostar Inc. qualified the platform to accelerate next-generation developments in advanced optoelectronic product applications. For more details on this partnership, view the Ennostar Qualification Announcement.

Rocket Lab Corporation selected Veeco’s technology to double its domestic production capacity for space-grade solar cells, supported by the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act. Learn more about this collaboration in the Rocket Lab Order Announcement.