IQE plc is the leading global supplier of advanced wafer products and material solutions to the semiconductor industry. IQE’s core business is the design and manufacture of compound semiconductor wafers or “epiwafers” using a process called epitaxy. IQE’s epiwafers are used in advanced electronic and photonic components which enable a broad portfolio of today’s technology products.
The epitaxy process is the most critical and demanding step in the RF semiconductor manufacturing chain.
IQE offers the industry's broadest range of RF epitaxial wafer products for wireless communication, radar, and RF heating applications across the radio frequency spectrum spanning 1 MHz to 300 GHz.
Our III-V epitaxial products are manufactured from GaAs, GaN, and InP, complemented by our Group IV silicon and germanium semiconductor materials. In addition, IQE is the only RF epitaxial wafer producer that can offer MOCVD, MBE and CVD production epiwafer deposition technologies, including new heterointegration III-V on Silicon. Depending on substrate material, IQE can provide group III-V wafer sizes of 100mm, 150mm, and 200mm and group IV wafer sizes from 150mm to 300mm.
IQE has offered GaAs epiwafers since our founding in 1988, and was instrumental in supplying products to drive the mobile phone revolution. Currently IQE supplies the majority of the worldwide demand for GaAs HBTs, pHEMTs, and BiFETs/BiHEMTs.
In addition, IQE supplied the first GaN HEMT epiwafer over 20 years ago. Since that time, by improving performance and manufacturing techniques we have helped to position GaN as the best solution for MIMO sub-6 GHz 5G base station transmitters, as well as new defensive radars and electronic countermeasures.
IQE’s development of InP epiwafer HBT and HEMT structures has enabled our customers to develop transceiver chipsets at terahertz (THz) frequencies, setting records for the highest frequency for signal transmission.
Group III-V RF Epitaxial Wafer Structures offered:
GaAs GaN InP
GaAs pHEMTs
GaAs MESFETs & HFETs
GaAs PIN Diodes
GaAs Schottky Diodes
InGaP GaAs HBTs
InGaP GaAs BiFETs/BiHEMTs
AlGaAs GaAs HBTs
AlGaAs GaAs BiFETs / BiHEMTs GaN HEMTs on SiC*
GaN HEMTs on Si
GaN PINs on SiC
GaN on GaN
GaN on Sapphire
*Optional Barrier (InAlN, AlGaN, & Cap Structures InP HBTs
InP HEMTs
Group IV Silicon and Germanium Epitaxial Wafer Structures offered:
Silicon Germanium
Silicon Epitaxy on Buried Layers
Multilayer Epitaxy
High Resistivity Silicon Epitaxy
Epitaxial Silicon on Sapphire
Silicon on Insulator (SOI)
Strained Silicon Silicon Germanium (SiGe)
Selective Silicon, Silicon Germanium or Germanium Epitaxy
Germanium Epitaxy on Germanium
Germanium Epitaxy on Silicon
Germanium Epitaxy on Insulator (GOI)
IQE’s industry leading range of epitaxial wafer products have been at the forefront of Photonics for over 30 years.
Our depth of expertise and breadth of materials technology provide our customers with a complete portfolio of growth technologies which serve a wide range of applications in 3D sensing, data communications, telecommunications and infrared detection.
3D Sensing
IQE is a pioneer in VCSEL technology; virtually every 3D sensing enabled mobile handset is powered by our epitaxial wafers. Our proven track record in high volume 940 nm VCSEL manufacture perfectly positions IQE to meet its customer’s requirements in the 3D sensing and illumination space, whether for facial recognition, LiDAR, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) or autonomous vehicles. Additionally, in fast moving markets where technology leadership is key, IQE is paving the way for new applications which benefit from compound semiconductor materials. Our dilute nitride VCSEL technology enables behind OLED (BOLED) display proximity sensing and our VCSEL on Germanium (IQGeVCSEL 150™) makes possible the integration of photonics devices with CMOS technology on large diameter substrates (ultimately 300 mm). Being a market leader as well as transformational in the VCSEL products that we offer, Photonics Epitaxial Wafers continue to be a core strength of IQE.
IQE's 3D Sensing products include:
940 nm VCSEL (3D Sensing)
13xx nm VCSEL and EEL (3D Sensing/BOLED)
IQGeVCSEL 150TM (VCSEL on 150 mm Ge)
Infrared Imaging
Our industry leadership in extended wavelength detector and laser epitaxy places IQE at the forefront of intelligent sensor technologies. Our advanced GaSb and InP infrared materials enable land, sea and airborne defence and security sensing platforms. IQE’s technology is at the heart of multiple target detection, identification, tracking, and border protection systems. Building on our market leading position, IQE continues to innovate in this field, developing material technologies for applications such as Smart City connected sensors that will be used to detect incidents and share data as they occur.
Our laser and detector epitaxy in the long wavelength infrared is found in multiple medical, environmental, HAZMAT detection and chemical identification applications. Whether measuring harmful pollutants, assessing releases of hazardous materials or determining key vital body signs, non-invasively with smart healthcare technology, IQE’s wide range of material types provides a complete wavelength sensing solution, whatever the application.
IQE's Infrared Imaging products include:
InP Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL)
GaSb MW-LW Infrared Photodetector
InP SWIR and Extended Wavelength Infrared Photodetector
GaAs Quantum Well Photodetector
GaSb MW Infrared Emitter
Telecommunications & Datacommunications
In 1988, InP was the material upon which IQE, then EPI, was established, supporting a nascent fibre optic communications industry as an innovator in the outsourcing of compound semiconductor epitaxy. Today, IQE offers a broad range of InP telecom and datacom products which are suitable for fibreoptic transceiver needs, spanning 2.5G-50G speeds. This includes Full Service epitaxy which features our Nanoimprint Lithography grating technology that enables our customers to rapidly fabricate devices, thus reducing time to market. Additionally our 850 nm GaAs VCSEL products are a key enabling technology for high speed data-communication applications and can be found in the fibre optic links within hyperscale data centres which power the Internet of things (IoT), cloud and 5G wireless networks. Fast evolving network technologies and our unquenchable demand for data will benefit from decades of IQE experience supporting the photonics materials requirements of its customers.
IQE's Telecommunications & Datacommunications products include:
InP FP 13xx & 15xx nm (2.5G/10G) and Extended Wavelength
InP DFB 13xx & 15xx nm (2.5G/10G/25G) and Extended Wavelength
DFB Full Service with NIL Grating
InP APD 2.5G/10G/25G
InP PD 2.5G/10G/25G
Zinc Diffusion
850 nm VCSEL (10G/25G/High Power)
GaAs PD
Displays
Current trends in consumer device display technology are driving the need for extremely small, highly efficient LEDs. The footprint and efficiency requirements of devices for next gen applications presents challenges that cannot be met by traditional, well-established GaAs and GaN LED technology. IQE is engaged in multiple partnerships whereby it leverages the power of its technology portfolio to directly address the requirements for mobile devices, wearables, and ultra high-definition displays.
IQE's GaAs & GaN display products include:
GaAs Red Laser
GaAs Red LED/µLED
GaN LED/µLED
Compound semiconductor substrates are the base material from which all photonics and wireless devices are fabricated. Also known as a wafer, the substrate is composed of a unique combination of two elements from columns III and V of the Periodic Table. Widely used compound semiconductors include InP, InAs, GaSb and InSb.
A substrate provides the foundation upon which all microelectronic devices are built. It is the base material upon which epitaxial layers are deposited to form structures which in turn undergo many microfabrication processes which ultimately lead to the formation of the end product. This could be in the form of a chip, be it a GaAs VCSEL for smartphone 3D sensing, InP laser for high speed broadband internet or a GaSb sensor array for aircraft night vision; it all starts with a highly engineered starting substrate material made by IQE.
An Industry Pioneer
IQE has a long and well established history in the manufacture of GaAs, InP, GaSb, InSb and InAs compound semiconductor substrates and offers the widest product range in the industry. Through its Wafer Technology and Galaxy Compound Semiconductor subsidiaries, an unrivalled choice of material types and product forms are offered which enables the company to serve a very broad and diverse range of device technologies and end markets.
Our substrate manufacturing locations in Milton Keynes, UK and Spokane, WA, USA offer an industry leading range of compound semiconductor production technologies; high and low pressure Czochralski growth, horizontal synthesis chambers (for polycrystalline material production) and vertical gradient freeze furnaces.
2” to 6” wafering equipment includes an extensive installation of sawing tools, precision edge rounders and automated laser marking equipment. Epitaxy-ready polishing is performed in class 10,000, class 1,000 or better cleanroom areas. An advanced suite of in-house materials characterisation tools are used to ensure product quality and conformity, including Surfscan, high resolution X-Ray diffractometry, ellipsometery, atomic force microscopy and x-ray topography.
Collectively, our flexible substrate manufacturing footprint enables us to serve the requirements of our customers whatever their volume needs; whether at the level of R&D materials development or in high volume production at substrate diameters up to 6” in size.
Substrate Products
IQE offers the following range of compound semiconductor materials in single crystal substrate, ingot and polycrystalline forms. Additionally, we also offer a range of specialist application products and high purity MBE source materials.
IQE substrate products:
GaAs
InP
InAs
InSb
GaSb
CZT
Custom Size or Geometry Wafers
Polycrystalline Materials
High Purity Group III/V Source Materials
Bespoke Orientation Substrates
Nanoimprint Lithography (NIL)
IQE has added Nanoimprint Lithography (NIL) to its technology portfolio as a non-epitaxial, value-add technique that complements its core materials expertise.
NIL is a method for wafer patterning with the ability to routinely achieve feature sizes down to <50 nm, dimensions typically reserved for electron beam lithography (EBL). Unlike EBL, NIL is a high throughput process and therefore significantly less expensive than EBL for volume applications. IQE has employed its NIL technology to create a turnkey DFB product offering for both 10G and 25G devices.
