Pole Position for Aluminum Nitride

For the first time, German research partners have demonstrated the practical implementation of an aluminum nitride-based value chain for power semiconductors, from base material growth to device fabrication.

In order to make AlN technology accessible to industry in the medium term, the related existing activities in Germany have been combined in a strategic cluster. The aim is to establish a German value chain for AlN-based technology and to build up an international leadership position in this increasingly economically important field. The Ferdinand-Braun-Institut (FBH), the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Systems and Device Technology IISB and the company III/V-Reclaim PT GmbH drive this initiative together. They cover the entire value chain, starting with the growth of AlN crystals using the Physical Vapor Transport (PVT) process, to wafering and polishing of epi-ready AlN-wafers, and the epitaxy of the functional device layers, up to the fabrication of transistors for power electronics and millimeter-wave applications.

For the first time, the consortium has now successfully demonstrated the practical implementation of a value chain for AlN devices in Germany and Europe. To this end, AlN crystals were grown at Fraunhofer IISB and sliced into AlN wafers with a diameter up to 1.5 inches. The company III/V-Reclaim has developed a polishing process for epitaxial wafer production. Functional epitaxial layers were then applied to these wafers at the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, and AlN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) were successfully processed on them. The first transistor generations produced with these wafers already show promising electrical properties, such as a breakdown voltage of up to 2200 V and a power density superior to SiC as well as GaN-based power-switching devices.

Press release