UCSB Spin-Off, Inlustra Starts Nonpolar Gallium Nitride Production
Source/Type: Reported News

Author: CompoundSemi News Staff

April 13, 2009... Inlustra Technologies, a California-based startup spun out from the famous gallium nitride research laboratories at the University of California at Santa Barbara, has now developed what they claim is a scalable production process for nonpolar and semipolar GaN substrates.  The company also reports that it is expanding its production facilities and has recently started to fill orders from customers.  While conventional GaN devices are produced on the c-plane (known as the polar plane), Inlustra is using its propietary technology to produce mostly m-plane and a-plane gallium nitride. Such substrates in theory would help increase internal quantum efficiency and efficacy of high brightness LEDs.

The company is reportedly putting an m-plane or a-plane oriented GaN film on a GaN substrate to overcome lattice mismatch and much of the crystal defects. The company’s Chief Technology Officer, Paul Fini, worked on GaN research for some time at UCSB alongside the famous GaN and blue LED breakthrough artist, Shuji Nakamora. The company says it is currently offering nonpolar GaN substrate sizes between 5x10 mm and 10x20 mm but plans to scale up its process to 2” over the next 9 - 12 months. "Our proprietary crystal growth techniques significantly reduces the number of microscopic defects in the substrates, which will enable our customers to realize improved yields in their device production processes," said Fini.  Company News Release

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