[Source: "High-tech LED - Research and Review" June issue / Hu Yanling]
In order to improve production efficiency, more and more LED chip factories are accelerating the investment of 4-inch or even 6-inch epitaxial and chip manufacturing processes.
South Korea's Samsung LED began mass production of 4-inch MOCVD machines in 2010, and Philips Lumileds announced the official production of 6-inch LED epitaxial wafers at the end of 2010. In Taiwan, China's LED chip maker Jingdian and AUO's Ronda Electronics have also begun to expand their 4-inch epitaxial wafer production capacity in 2011.
LED chip manufacturers have recently gradually developed toward large-scale epitaxial processes, mainly to improve production efficiency. Compared with the capacity of MOCVD machines of various sizes, the production capacity of 6-inch epitaxial wafers can reach 2 times that of 4-inch epitaxial wafers, which is equivalent to 3-4 times of 3-inch epitaxial wafers, and is also 2-inch epitaxial wafers. 8-9 times. The 4-inch epitaxial wafer production capacity is about four times that of the current mainstream 2-inch epitaxial wafer.
According to the reporter's understanding, at present, only the Dehao Runda family of domestic LED epitaxial enterprises are using the 4-inch epitaxial process for mass production. “The company’s earliest technical team came from South Korea, so when it first designed the production line, it was positioned to produce 4-inch epitaxial wafers.†A middle-level person from Dehao Runda told reporters that there are more than 30 4-inch MOCVDs in operation.
"2-inch epitaxial wafers are the absolute mainstream in the domestic market, because the cost of 2-inch epitaxial wafers is lower, and the technology is easier to master." Liu Gang, general manager of Nantong Tongfang Semiconductor Co., Ltd. disclosed that "High-tech LED" revealed that the company currently only has 2 A 4-inch MOCVD is in the trial phase.
"Although we have mastered the production process of 4-inch epitaxial wafers, we will not upgrade the 2-inch production line to 4 inches for the time being, because the production cost of 4-inch is higher." Wuhan Huacan Optoelectronics Vice President Di Fei gave the reporter a calculation. In the current account, the current price of a 2-inch sapphire substrate is $8/piece, and the price of a 4-inch sapphire substrate is $55/piece, which is nearly seven times higher. He laughed and said that when the price came down, consider replacing the production line.
According to the reporter's understanding, many domestic LED extension companies, including Sanan Optoelectronics and Tongfang, are still in the stage of 4-inch process trial production.
A veteran in the industry told reporters that the current 2-inch process of MOCVD upgrade to a 4-inch process is relatively easy, just replace the 2-inch tray in MOCVD with 4 inches, and change the internal environment such as airflow and gas.
The real challenge is the change in chip technology, "Upgrading from 2 inches to 4 inches, the cost of this adjustment is very large. On the one hand, the cost is increased, on the other hand, the chip making process, the equipment required for 4 inch production and 2 The equipment required for inch production, such as photolithography, coating, etc., is not matched." The above-mentioned person told reporters.
Therefore, even if you master the 4-inch epitaxial wafer growth technology, because the upgrade requires the equipment to be reconfigured for the chip process, the one-time investment is too large, and the upstream chip companies will not easily change the original 2-inch production line to the 4-inch production line.
"If the expansion will use 4-inch equipment in the future, the original equipment will still maintain the status quo." Many domestic LED extension companies told reporters that, for a long time, domestic enterprises will still The 2-inch process is dominant.
In contrast, Chinese Taiwanese manufacturers, according to the statistics of the High-tech LED Industry Research Institute (GLII), the 4-inch epitaxial process has begun to spread. Among them, as of 2011, China's Taiwan's largest epitaxial chip company, Jingyuan Optoelectronics' 4-inch epitaxial capacity has accounted for 50% of the company's total capacity. Another LED epitaxial manufacturer, New Century Optoelectronics 4-inch process MOCVD has also accounted for more than 20% of the company's total capacity.
“In fact, in Taiwan, the production cost of 4 inches is lower than 2 inches. The epitaxial wafers are processed one by one in the process of lithography, cutting and cleaning. Each processing of a 4-inch epitaxial wafer is equivalent to processing 4 2 inches. The output of the epitaxial wafers is therefore much lower in terms of time and material costs," the senior person told reporters.
"And the labor costs are still rising." He pointed out that in combination with the above factors, the large-scale epitaxial process is an irreversible trend in the future, but mainland manufacturers still have to wait for a while.
In order to improve production efficiency, more and more LED chip factories are accelerating the investment of 4-inch or even 6-inch epitaxial and chip manufacturing processes.
South Korea's Samsung LED began mass production of 4-inch MOCVD machines in 2010, and Philips Lumileds announced the official production of 6-inch LED epitaxial wafers at the end of 2010. In Taiwan, China's LED chip maker Jingdian and AUO's Ronda Electronics have also begun to expand their 4-inch epitaxial wafer production capacity in 2011.
LED chip manufacturers have recently gradually developed toward large-scale epitaxial processes, mainly to improve production efficiency. Compared with the capacity of MOCVD machines of various sizes, the production capacity of 6-inch epitaxial wafers can reach 2 times that of 4-inch epitaxial wafers, which is equivalent to 3-4 times of 3-inch epitaxial wafers, and is also 2-inch epitaxial wafers. 8-9 times. The 4-inch epitaxial wafer production capacity is about four times that of the current mainstream 2-inch epitaxial wafer.
According to the reporter's understanding, at present, only the Dehao Runda family of domestic LED epitaxial enterprises are using the 4-inch epitaxial process for mass production. “The company’s earliest technical team came from South Korea, so when it first designed the production line, it was positioned to produce 4-inch epitaxial wafers.†A middle-level person from Dehao Runda told reporters that there are more than 30 4-inch MOCVDs in operation.
"2-inch epitaxial wafers are the absolute mainstream in the domestic market, because the cost of 2-inch epitaxial wafers is lower, and the technology is easier to master." Liu Gang, general manager of Nantong Tongfang Semiconductor Co., Ltd. disclosed that "High-tech LED" revealed that the company currently only has 2 A 4-inch MOCVD is in the trial phase.
"Although we have mastered the production process of 4-inch epitaxial wafers, we will not upgrade the 2-inch production line to 4 inches for the time being, because the production cost of 4-inch is higher." Wuhan Huacan Optoelectronics Vice President Di Fei gave the reporter a calculation. In the current account, the current price of a 2-inch sapphire substrate is $8/piece, and the price of a 4-inch sapphire substrate is $55/piece, which is nearly seven times higher. He laughed and said that when the price came down, consider replacing the production line.
According to the reporter's understanding, many domestic LED extension companies, including Sanan Optoelectronics and Tongfang, are still in the stage of 4-inch process trial production.
A veteran in the industry told reporters that the current 2-inch process of MOCVD upgrade to a 4-inch process is relatively easy, just replace the 2-inch tray in MOCVD with 4 inches, and change the internal environment such as airflow and gas.
The real challenge is the change in chip technology, "Upgrading from 2 inches to 4 inches, the cost of this adjustment is very large. On the one hand, the cost is increased, on the other hand, the chip making process, the equipment required for 4 inch production and 2 The equipment required for inch production, such as photolithography, coating, etc., is not matched." The above-mentioned person told reporters.
Therefore, even if you master the 4-inch epitaxial wafer growth technology, because the upgrade requires the equipment to be reconfigured for the chip process, the one-time investment is too large, and the upstream chip companies will not easily change the original 2-inch production line to the 4-inch production line.
"If the expansion will use 4-inch equipment in the future, the original equipment will still maintain the status quo." Many domestic LED extension companies told reporters that, for a long time, domestic enterprises will still The 2-inch process is dominant.
In contrast, Chinese Taiwanese manufacturers, according to the statistics of the High-tech LED Industry Research Institute (GLII), the 4-inch epitaxial process has begun to spread. Among them, as of 2011, China's Taiwan's largest epitaxial chip company, Jingyuan Optoelectronics' 4-inch epitaxial capacity has accounted for 50% of the company's total capacity. Another LED epitaxial manufacturer, New Century Optoelectronics 4-inch process MOCVD has also accounted for more than 20% of the company's total capacity.
“In fact, in Taiwan, the production cost of 4 inches is lower than 2 inches. The epitaxial wafers are processed one by one in the process of lithography, cutting and cleaning. Each processing of a 4-inch epitaxial wafer is equivalent to processing 4 2 inches. The output of the epitaxial wafers is therefore much lower in terms of time and material costs," the senior person told reporters.
"And the labor costs are still rising." He pointed out that in combination with the above factors, the large-scale epitaxial process is an irreversible trend in the future, but mainland manufacturers still have to wait for a while.
Cixi Xinke Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. , https://www.cxxinke.com