CREE and EMKR in potentially big area.....Cree Demonstrates World Record 4 Inch SiC Wafer
Now Selling 3 Inch SiC Wafer Products
Durham, NC, October 11, 1999 - At the International Conference on Silicon
Carbide and Related Materials (ICSCRM '99) being held in Research Triangle
Park (RTP), North Carolina, Cree, Inc. (Nasdaq: CREE) demonstrated the largest
single crystal silicon carbide (SiC) wafers ever exhibited. The wafers have no
visible defects such as microcracks that are typically found in larger diameter SiC
wafers. Samples of the 4 inch (100 mm) wafers in both the 4H and 6H polytypes
were unveiled.
Neal Hunter, chairman and CEO, said, "This powerful milestone is expected to
become the foundation for future products and new innovative applications
requiring larger sized SiC wafers. Development and demonstration of a high
quality 4 inch wafer in less than a one year period is a remarkable achievement
that has cemented our position as the leader in SiC materials research and
production." Hunter added, "We have made extraordinary progress in our
materials development and will continue to push our efforts to exceed
expectations."
Also at ICSCRM '99, the company introduced the immediate availability of 3 inch
on-axis silicon carbide wafers. Additional 3 inch SiC wafer varieties will be added
to the product family. Theoretically, 3 inch SiC wafers can more than double the
number of chips per wafer over existing 2 inch technology. This is expected to
significantly reduce the cost of devices made from SiC and has the potential to
enable the company to increase volume to meet the high demand for its
products.
Dr. Calvin H. Carter, Executive Vice President and Director of Materials
Technology, and co-founder of the company, stated, "We are extremely excited
about the introduction of our new 3 inch SiC wafer and the demonstration of our 4
inch wafer. We anticipate that the larger size wafers will ultimately provide
economies of scale by increasing the number of chips per wafer which are
expected to lower the cost per device." Carter added, "Cree is the only company
known to be using 3 inch SiC wafers for production or to demonstrate a 4 inch
SiC wafer. We expect our research efforts will continue to accelerate advances in
SiC materials technology."
North Carolina based Cree, Inc. is the world leader in developing and
manufacturing semiconductor materials and electronic devices made from silicon
carbide.
The company uses proprietary technology to make enabling compound
semiconductors such as blue and green LEDs, microwave transistors for use in
wireless base stations and radar, SiC crystals used in the production of unique
gemstones and SiC wafers that are sold for research. Cree has new product
initiatives based on its expertise in SiC, including blue laser diodes for optical
storage applications and high power devices for power conditioning and switching.
For more information on Cree visit cree.com. |
