Compound semiconductor manufacturing has rapidly become one the most compelling segments of the broader semiconductor industry due to its versatility across a wide range of applications, including power electronics, solar cells, photonics, light sources, and radiofrequency (RF) applications in both the industrial and consumer markets.
Most notably, the power, speed, and light properties of compound semiconductors outperform legacy silicon.
Fueled mainly by maturing 5G and emerging 6G networks, display, and power end-markets, the compound semiconductor market is one of the driving forces behind Veeco’s manufacturing expertise in equipment and process development used to manufacture power electronics, microLED displays, RF devices, and photonics.
Power electronics built on compound semiconductors are critical to building out 5G connectivity – and beyond – to support the robust wireless networks that connect everything from smartphones to autonomous vehicles.
Other ubiquitous power electronics applications that rely on compound semiconductors include fast-charging consumer electronics, base stations, data centers, and electric vehicle chargers.
Veeco is enabling ultra-fast connectivity by supporting a variety of technologies used in advanced 5G applications including compound semiconductor products. We apply our leadership in compound semiconductor manufacturing, including wet processing and MOCVD equipment (metal organic chemical vapor deposition) for RF filter and power amplifier devices.
Veeco’s MOCVD equipment and wet processing products are designed to support its customers’ compound semiconductor manufacturing requirements. From the early research and development stages through volume production, Veeco continuously supports technology development to stay on the leading edge of compound semiconductors.
The push for electronic vehicles (EVs) as a solution to reducing the global carbon footprint is driving the power management market to develop sustainably manufactured, energy-efficient electronic devices.
Creating a sustainable future isn’t just about the EVs. There is an entire power management infrastructure to consider, including EV fast-charging stations and 5G connectivity to support autonomy and gather insight from data. Add in renewable energy generation and you’ve got a high-growth market for the latest gallium nitride-on-silicon (GaN-on-Si) technology. Veeco’s expertise in GaN processing equipment gives its customers a platform to develop and deliver GaN-on-Si production breakthroughs.
Mini and microLED technologies are game changers for display technology – larger, flatter TVs are just the beginning.
Cooler smartphones, stadium displays, and holographic heads-up displays for virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) applications are poised to benefit from increasingly smaller microLED displays down to the nanoscale level.
Because microLED displays are more complex to manufacture, Veeco has invested in new methods and transitional technology to help its customers develop display technology. From determining the energy efficiency of electronics displays to creating holographic heads-up displays, advanced photonics are set to take us to wherever the light touches.
Growth in automotive electronics, outdoor displays, and signage is creating demand for red, orange, and yellow (R/O/Y) LEDs in cost-sensitive markets.
The red, orange, or yellow color of R/O/Y LEDs is determined by the distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) under the active region of the LED. Its thickness determines the wavelength of light.
Veeco’s systems are designed to handle any R/O/Y LED application, so customers get the DBR right the first time.
As 5G becomes ubiquitous and companies target the next horizon for wireless connectivity, 5G compliance continues to demand multimode, multiband RF front-end devices.
Compound semiconductors like GaN are ideal for RF front-end devices because they operate at a high power density and a high efficiency – both essential for building a true 5G network that requires a vast number of small-cell base stations that is driving the dramatic increase of novel RF front-end devices.
Veeco’s in-house Process Integration Center works with customers to improve the performance of RF front-end devices by leveraging non-traditional compound semiconductor materials.
Facial recognition and LiDAR applications for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) have taken vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) from obscurity to a hot commodity. These photonics-based devices emit light vertically and are ideal for tracking movement and taking optical measurements.
VCSELs are known for their convenience, flexibility, power, and thermal efficiency. Veeco collaborates with customers to explore new applications for VCSEL technology and provide the systems to take them there.
Veeco continuously strives to make a material difference by combining traditional and innovative approaches that address challenges in the compound semiconductor space, further driving its customers’ success in the market.
