HexaTech Inc. has developed a proprietary growth process for the fabrication of single crystalline aluminum nitride (AlN) boules ideally suited for the fabrication of high-quality AlN substrates. The III-nitride industry currently faces a crucial challenge in terms of device quality. The use of lattice-matched, highly thermally conducting, single crystalline AlN substrates will enable the fabrication of sophisticated, next-generation III-nitride devices with superior performance and device lifetimes.

HexaTech's R&D efforts have yielded a wealth of proprietary knowledge in the field of III-nitride compound semiconductors. HexaTech's key developments include a commercially viable process for the seeded growth of AlN single crystals, and recently demonstrated polarity-controlled device layer deposition process compatible with industry-standard MOCVD growth equipment. Control over the polarity opens processing routes leading to novel device concepts that have been inaccessible thus far.

HexaTech has successfully combined the benefits of physical vapor transport (PVT) growth and of seeded growth for the reproducible production of AlN single crystals. Seeded growth enables the fabrication of AlN boules of pre-defined crystallographic orientation, and of reproducible quality. AlN wafers fabricated from these crystals are of well-defined orientation and of highest crystal quality.

High-power, high-frequency electronic devices: high power µ-wave and
surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices for wireless communications, mm-wave and
THz devices for future communication needs.

Ultraviolet lasers, LEDs, and detectors: high-density optical data storage,
high-resolution printers, chemical and bioagent detection, sterilization and disinfection
devices , compact analytical devices for biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry.

Solid-State lighting: solid-state lighting sources with 30-fold increased efficiency
and an order of magnitude longer lifetimes than incandescent lighting sources.

Selected scientific literature related to the bulk growth of AlN crystals:

R. Schlesser, R. Dalmau, and Z. Sitar,"Seeded growth of AlN bulk single crystals by sublimation",
J. Cryst. Growth 241, 416-420 (2002).

B. Raghothamachar, W.M. Vetter, M. Dudley, R. Dalmau, R. Schlesser, Z. Sitar, E. Michaels, J. W. Kolis
"Synchrotron white beam topography characterization of physical vapor transport grown AlN and ammonothermal GaN"
J. Cryst. Growth 246, 271-280 (2002).

V. Noveski, R. Schlesser, S. Mahajan, S. Beaudoin, Z. Sitar, “Growth of AlN crystal on AlN/SiC seeds by AlN powder sublimation in nitrogen atmosphere,” MRS Internet J. Nitride Semicond. Res. 9, 2 (2004).

V. Noveski, R. Schlesser, S. Mahajan, S. Beaudoin, Z. Sitar, “Mass transfer in AlN crystal growth at high temperatures,"
J Cryst Growth 264, 369-378 (2004).