Suzhou Hyperion Geocrystal Co. Ltd. announced it has achieved volume production of large diameter c-axis sapphire cores using ARC Energy’s CHES™ furnaces. Hyperion offers 50-200mm (2-8 inch) diameter cores, epi-ready wafers, and PSS wafers. The company has already received orders from multiple high-brightness LED (HB-LED) manufacturers and has begun shipping material to a broad customer base. Hyperion prefers CHES furnaces because of their high material utilization and automated operation.

“We are pleased to see our customers achieving success in the marketplace,” said Hap Hewes, ARC Energy senior vice president. “Our CHES furnace customers are in a unique position to deliver large diameter sapphire with high quality at low costs due to the high material utilization inherent with our on-axis growth technology.”

Suzhou Hyperion Geocrystal Co. Ltd. purchased CHES furnaces and related ARC products to grow and sell sapphire to the HB-LED industry. CHES furnaces grow sapphire directly on the c-axis, providing a range of benefits, including very high material utilization that improves as substrate diameter increases. This advantage of scalable yield puts CHES customers, such as Hyperion Geocrystal, in a strong position in the marketplace as the industry moves to larger wafer sizes.

CHES furnaces are automated and require minimal operator input and training. Automation software takes on complex adjustments with precision and repeatability, resulting in more consistent sapphire growth and less operator dependency. At Hyperion Geocrystal, this ensures higher throughput and uniform size sapphire boules with consistently high quality.

The HB-LED industry has advanced rapidly in the past few years with growth in TV backlighting and general lighting applications. Manufacturing of LEDs on 150mm and 200mm substrates is widely identified as key to lowering costs and driving growth for the general lighting market.

Hyperion is at volume production levels and can supply 50mm, 100mm, 150mm, and 200mm (2", 4", 6", and 8") diameter cores, epi-ready wafers, and PSS wafers. More information is available on www.hyperion-gc.com.