The UK is buying a specialised chemical reactor to grow thin films of oxide and chalcogenide semiconductors—materials that could outperform silicon in solar cells, power electronics, and light-emitting devices. This matters because the UK currently lacks the equipment to deposit these particular compound semiconductors at high quality. Existing national facilities focus on other materials, such as gallium nitride or indium phosphide. The new reactor—an Aixtron Close Couple Showerhead system—has already proven itself for gallium nitride production and will now be adapted for oxides like gallium oxide and 2-D semiconductors like molybdenum disulfide. If successful, the facility will supply research partners across UK universities and industry with custom-grown materials for applications including high-efficiency photovoltaic solar cells, quantum-wire optoelectronic devices, piezoelectric energy harvesters, and high-voltage power electronics. It complements a £375M investment by IQE Plc in production-scale MOCVD reactors, bridging the gap between laboratory discovery and manufacturing. The reactor will be housed in Swansea University’s Centre for Integrated Semiconductor Materials, with over 140 square metres of dedicated laboratory space. The work supports EPSRC priorities for 21st-century products and sustainable industries by enabling smarter, more resource-efficient devices.
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The history of II-VI metal-organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) goes back as far as IIII-V MOCVD but has not had the traction in applications for lasers, LEDs and high frequency devices that has been experienced by III-V semiconductors. A new generation of MOCVD equipment can more fully exploit the potential of II-VI semiconductors and explore new oxides and chalcogenides in the exiting areas of III-VIs such as Ga2O3 and 2-D semiconductors such as MoS2. There is now a compelling case for the UK to have state-of-the-art MOCVD equipment for compound semiconductors (CS) covering oxide and chalcogenide materials that are not covered by existing centres such as the National Epitaxy Facility at Sheffield, Cambridge and UCL, and Institute of CS at Cardiff. The UK has a golden opportunity to build on our strengths in CS research that will drive innovation across a range of new opto-electronic and power electronic devices. The need arises from a new generation of functional compound semiconductor materials to capture the unique properties of oxide and chalcogenide compound semiconductors (CSs), complementing III-V compounds and silicon, and opening new application areas in optoelectronics, energy and healthcare. It is proposed that we buy the Aixtron Close Couple Showerhead (CCS) reactor that has been proven to be the reactor design of choice for GaN deposition and will be the ideal equipment to deposit high quality oxide and chalcogenide compound semiconductor materials. "The UK needs this facility, which it does not have at present. Swansea is an excellent place for it." - Prof. Sir Colin Humphreys (Cambridge). "This proposed research facility will perfectly complement the installation of ~100 production MOCVD reactors leveraged by a £375M investment by IQE Plc over 2018-2022" - Dr Wyn Meredith (CSC, Cardiff). The CCS reactor will be installed in a new building for the Centre for Integrated Semiconductor Materials (CISM) (due for completion in Q1 2021) on the Swansea University Bay Campus. Over 140 m2 of specialist materials laboratory space will be allocated to the MOCVD reactor and complementary materials and characterisation equipment from Professor Irvine's laboratory. This new laboratory will be managed by Professor Irvine's team to provide high quality oxide and chalcogenide CSs to our research partners in Swansea University, other UK universities, industrial partners and to international collaborators. This will put the UK at the forefront of new science and technology using oxide and chalcogenide CSs for applications including high efficiency photovoltaic solar cells, Light harvesting quantum wire opto-electronic devices, piezoelectric energy harvesting, high breakdown voltage power electronic devices and light emitters. This new science and technology will benefit EPSRC priorities of "21st Century Products" and "Sustainable Industries" through enabling smart new products that could be rapidly prototyped through well proven manufacturing capability for MOCVD in the UK and enabling the application of more sustainable materials and reduced materials usage. This exciting opportunity is detailed in the case for support.
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