SBIR-STTR Award

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project proposes to develop a high-speed and flexible prototype Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) system suitable for its adaptation to an in-situ precursor generation and a plasma source to develop novel Gallium Nitride (GaN) thin film processes for fabrication of high efficiency and High-Brightness Light Emitting Diodes (HBELDs). Recent performance of HBLEDs shows tremendous promise to replace the incandescent light bulb and thereby reduce the electricity consumption by 50%. To realize this dream, however, HBLED production equipment and process chemistry must be suitably advanced for large scale production. In the proposed phase I effort, Atomic Precision will develop a novel prototype thin film processing system capable of developing a low temperature, high deposition rate and low-cost thin film deposition process, with monolayer precision and low defects. When successfully implemented, this novel deposition system and process technology will have broader applications ion other areas, such as low-cost solar cells, industrial hard coatings, metallization and conformal coatings on intricate components

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will develop a novel high-speed Atomic Layer Deposition technology comprising an ALD reactor and associated thin film processes for GaN thin films required for fabrication of high-brightness Light Emitting Diode (HBLED). The proposed effort is based on successful demonstration of operation of the ALD reactor in phase-I SBIR project at 5x speed of commercially available ALD reactors. The unique ALD reactor concept can process atomically thin films and also micron thick films in one chamber. Furthermore, point-of-use, safer and low-cost generation of chemical precursors combined with low temperature processing promises low defect density thin films of a variety of compound semiconductors including GaN. Low defect density, low cost GaN thin and thick films are building blocks of an HBLED. An HBLED bulb that consumes 15 Watts, lasts 10+ years and costs a few dollars can effectively replace a fluorescent tube consuming 30 Watts and an incandescent bulb consuming 100 Watts. The proposed ALD technology promises to reduce process cost, and improve the HBLED quality critical to realize ultra-large scale production of affordable HBLEDs for worldwide lighting applications leading to 50% potential electricity savings and tremendous associated environmental benefits.