DP Exhibits Esprit 2010 At Interphex Event

DP Technology is to exhibit Esprit 2010 at Interphex Puerto Rico, set to take place on 4-5 March at the Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Representatives from the company will be available to discuss upgrades and perform demonstrations of how to put those upgrades to work. Esprit 2010 is said to offer improvements in the support of integrated multi-tasking, mill-turn machine tools.

All Esprit milling and turning machining capability, from two-axis turning to five-axis milling, is available for any type of mill-turn machine tool, including lathes that perform milling, mills that perform turning, Swiss-style machines and other integrated mill-turn machining centres.

In the 2010 release, support for these multi-tasking machine tools has been enhanced through increased flexibility in cutting tool configurations and orientations, enabling the support of a variety of machines. The newly added support for additional rotary axes (three or more), allows the Esprit customer to program and simulate complex machine tools.

Imec Exhibits GaN-on-Si Double Heterostructure FET

Imec presented a GaN-on-Si double heterostructure field-effect transistor (FET) architecture for GaN-on-Si power switching devices at the recent International Electron Devices Meeting. The architecture meets the normally off requirements of power switching circuits and is characterised by low leakage and a high breakdown voltage, which are said to be essential parameters in reducing the power loss of high-power switching applications. High-voltage power devices are traditionally based on Si-Mosfet structures. However, for a number of applications, Si power devices have reached the intrinsic material limits.

GaN compounds are described as the best candidates to replace Si power devices thanks to their high band gap (transport properties) and their high electrical breakdown field. However, the cost of GaN power devices is high. GaN epilayers grown on large-diameter Si wafers, potentially measuring up to 200mm, offer a lower-cost technology compared to other substrates. Imec obtained a high breakdown voltage of almost 1,000V combined with low on-resistance by growing a SiN/AlGaN/GaN/AlGaN double heterostructure FET structure on a Si substrate.

By combining its double heterostructure FET architecture with in-situ SiN grown in the same epitaxial sequence as the III-nitride layers, the company obtained e-mode device operation. This is typically required in applications for safety reasons. The fabrication is based on an optimised process for the selective removal of in-situ SiN. The resulting SiN/AlGaN/GaN/AlGaN double heterostructure FET is characterised by a breakdown voltage of 980V, an excellent uniformity and a low dynamic specific on-resistance.

Within Imec's industrial affiliation programme (IIAP) on GaN-on-Si technology, the company and its partners focus on the development of GaN technology for both power conversion and solid-state lighting applications. A goal of the programme is to lower GaN technology cost by using large-diameter GaN-on-Si and by leveraging on the scale of economics. Imec is inviting both integrated device manufacturers and compound semiconductor industry members to join the programme.

Huntsman Exhibits Materials At Productronica

Huntsman Advanced Materials has announced it will be exhibiting at Productronica 2009, from 10 to 13 November at the Munich Exhibition Centre, in hall A4, booth 469. Huntsman will exhibit the latest materials developments for electrical applications in the automotive, telecommunications, lighting and general industry sectors. Visitors to Huntsman's booth can find out more about the latest additions of Probimer 77 White to the extensive Probimer 77 'solder resist' range.

It has a white gloss surface and can be used as a reflective background for LED applications. Other brands such as Araldite systems and Probimer solder masks, which provide protective solutions for the build, structure and assembly of printed circuit boards and for the encapsulation, insulation and bonding of electrical and electronic products, will also be on display.