- Email: [email protected]
CVT: Growing with the customer
CVT: Growing With the Customer Since the early 1980s CVT has been quietly getting on with supplying R&D MOVPE systems around the world. The company has been in existence for much longer than that, of course, and continues to provide its international customer base with a wide range of high quality vacuum components. I was not a little surprised to receive an invitation to come over to discuss the company's future plans from their new Managing Director, Dr lan Crossley. C
VT was founded 15 years ago by Ron Ferguson, the present Chairman, as a vacuum components and systems company, making its business entry in M O V P E in early 1980s. Ron's particular specialty was vacuum but he and Richard Davies, a founder member and Techical Director, saw the opportunity to expand into MOVPE. This quickly became a strong contributor to CVT's business. The company's reputation for excellence in engineering soon got a r o u n d the industry and helped expand sales abroad. Today, there are several dozen C V T M O V P E systems in the field and CVT can count among its successes not only many prestigious university and industrial optoelectronics and microwave labs, but also one or two major production clients. Every business must grow to survive, and CVT saw that it would need someone with the right portfolio of technical marketing skills and management to help steer the company for the next 5-10 years. A b o u t three months ago, CVT found the right combination in an ex-Brit recently returned to this side of the pond, Dr lan Crossley. In September, I accepted the invitation to meet Ron, Richard and Ian at the company's Milton Keynes factory. It was something of a re-union because back in the mid-70s I had worked with lan at Caswell, building trichloride VPE reactors to supply Plessey's demand for MESFETs. At the time, the team's reputation had become international and Ian and a couple of colleagues were headhunted to work in the US for Alpha Industries. At Alpha, lan's epitaxy experience was quickly put to good use and under his direction an $8M G a A s IC business was developed. Last year, Ian decided to return to the U K and within a few months had met with Ron and Richard and begun the discussions which would lead him to CVT. I could see the logic on
('I'T',~ n e u Managing Director, Dr lan ('rossh'l I~'ith a .,~'fOVP/~," radial x'as manifidd
CVT's part but wondered what had attracted Ian to the company because it is rather different from Alpha. lan explaine& "CVT has a very sound engineering base and this attracted me. But from what 1 knew about the company I could see that this could be even more fully exploited. Having been a user of epiwafers I knew that in the industry there was a need for a new generation of M O V P E production equipment for the supplier with the right p r o d u c t . This was an opportunity that had also been recognised by CVT and they convinced me that they were serious about pursuing it so I could see that it was also an opportunity for me to put all my skills to good use. "The company's business comprises four main areas: vacuum c o m p o nents, some sub-contract work and special systems which are one off R&D systems with a mix of components and special system parts. Finally there's the M O V P E equipment, the complete systems for IlI-V and II-VI materials and we supply systems throughout the world." Historically, CVT has focused on the R & D style of reactor; single wafer systems with novel features: radial gas manifolds for abrupt interfaces; minim u m deadspace; patented gas inlet design for good uniformity in terms of
both thickness and c o m p o s i t i o n "We think we do this better than the competition and we have been talking to customers and they are anxious to w o r k with us on m u l t i w a f e r capability. These systems will have all the features of the single wafer systems but have pertk)rmance typically better than l~?t, in composition and thickness uniformity over 80% of the working area. "There are two parts of the market. No matter what anybody says. lli-Vs is still maturing and so there will continue to be demand For single wafer systems btll there arc also some devices - solar cells, for cxample, where high performance must be matched with production capacity. Device costs must come d o ~ n and the onus is on the epitaxy equipment suppliers to help meet the n e e d While in some cases, 40-50 wafer capacity, machines are appropriate, tk)r some applications 3-5 wafers per ~un i~ adequate." "CVT is addressing both of these areas a n d new products to meet the demand will be coming oul oxer the next I g months. That is not ~o sa> that wc are rushing into the market because we must carefully balance our resources. CVT is a small company so we work closely with customers to make sure we get it right. We must avoid trying to be all things to all people, Also, we mustnq adverset> affect the other parts of our business. "We have used outside scientific help, such as the Clarendon Lab m Oxford. but we have some very good in-house v a c u u m engineering and epitaxy expertise, and our software is world class. "The new system will, for the first time, give epi-growers the combination of quality and quantity that they need" CVT is not alone in tackling the challenge of providing the industry with production M O V P E reactors and I wondered if lan felt that windo~ of opportunit~ ~as begin-
ning to close. After all, there's already product on the market and there's also the competition from multiwafer MBE to consider. Then there's the c o n t e n t i o u s issue o f a shrinking equipment market; more wafers from fewer but bigger reactors. And the rise o f m e r c h a n t epi: m a y b e c a p t i v e supply will shrink and reduce the number of reactors required? Wouldn't it be better to stick to what you know and not enter the race at all? "At the m o m e n t it is a highly contentious business but then again it's never been an easy business to be in. But we have a lot of experience in it and a strong customer base to help us. You should not forget that we don't have all our eggs in one basket. We have quite a broad product base which gives an excellent s u p p o r t structure for another level of product such as production M O V P E equipment. "We're aware of the other players in the business but we feel it's better to be concerned about what the customer wants rather than totally worry
a b o u t the competition. There are several so-called production epi systems on the market, both M O V P E and MBE, but we know that in many respects customer expectations have yet to be fulfilled. I am convinced that we can, if you'll excuse the pun, grow with our customers. "I think that MBE has its place but it cannot address all the industry requirements. Phosphorus-based c o m p o u n d s and equipment downtime are still major obstacles and not only to MBE but to some M O V P E equipments too! M O V P E is a different market and I ' m convinced that there are some in the industry who will still need in-house reactors for quite some time to come. For the most advanced devices they c a n ' t afford to rely on outside sources so they are likely to remain a customer. P e r h a p s m e r c h a n t epi is a new competitor but it can't be everything to everyone and there's an opportunity for us there too I think. "I should hasten to add that we are certainly not taking this new course at the expense of our existing lines. We
plan to remain strong in single wafer and custom build R & D systems. It's not going to be M O V P E systems v s components; we intend to continue to support and expand our modular gas panels, valves and vacuum components businesses. " F o r example, our modular gas panel has proved very successful in a diversity of applications and we can provide this type of sub-system much better than in-house manufacture by the customer. We will continue to provide and support this vital part of CVT's business. "There is also much new business to be had in the newer areas of materials and device R&D. As the level of R & D on III-Vs gradually diminishes, the work on less mature technologies such as II-VIs, HTSCs, ferroelectrics, silicon carbide and boron nitride etc are coming up. In some cases we have already made in-roads in these newer materials and we expect that our engineering expertise will be equally applicable.
mContact: [44] (0)908 563267/568354.
f USA. Head Office 6780 Sierra Court, Suite I Dublin, CA 94568 Phone: 510-8330553 Fax: 510-8332667
F
A merican X tal
k
T ecbn°lqqY
France Sofr~sil S.A. Center Affaires, Paris Nord Immeuble Le Bonaparte 93153 Blanc Mesnil, France Phone: (33) 1-45910008 Fax: (33) 1-48652193
United Kingdom West Associates 67 Hogshill Lane Cobham, Surrey UK KTll 2AH Tel/Fax: 0932 868006
Taiwan 14F-3, No. 5, Lane 9, Sec.3 Ming-Sheng E. Rd. Taipei, Taiwan, ROC Phone: (886) 2-5016278 Fax: (886) 2-5016279
American Xtal Technology supplies high quality GaAs substrates using the
V E R T I C A L G R A D I E N T F R E E Z E technique for crystal growth. Outstanding characteristics of AXT's wafers include very low dislocation density, low thermal stress, uniform and consistent mechanical and electrical properties from wafer to wafer and boule to boule. Undoped semi-insulating and doped wafers are available in two, three and four inch diameter. (100) or (111) round shape. AXT's wafers have excellent surface morphology and are
E P I - R E A D Y AXT's wafers have the II o w e s t
S P Ds
among a
I I the competition,
Our typical EPDs for undoped S-I wafer range from 500 tO 3000/cm 2 and from 10 to 300/cm 2 for Sidoped wafers. Four mil extra thin wafers are available in two and three inch diameter round shape. For Information Circle 211
J
VT was founded 15 years ago by Ron Ferguson, the present Chairman, as a vacuum components and systems company, making its business entry in M O V P E in early 1980s. Ron's particular specialty was vacuum but he and Richard Davies, a founder member and Techical Director, saw the opportunity to expand into MOVPE. This quickly became a strong contributor to CVT's business. The company's reputation for excellence in engineering soon got a r o u n d the industry and helped expand sales abroad. Today, there are several dozen C V T M O V P E systems in the field and CVT can count among its successes not only many prestigious university and industrial optoelectronics and microwave labs, but also one or two major production clients. Every business must grow to survive, and CVT saw that it would need someone with the right portfolio of technical marketing skills and management to help steer the company for the next 5-10 years. A b o u t three months ago, CVT found the right combination in an ex-Brit recently returned to this side of the pond, Dr lan Crossley. In September, I accepted the invitation to meet Ron, Richard and Ian at the company's Milton Keynes factory. It was something of a re-union because back in the mid-70s I had worked with lan at Caswell, building trichloride VPE reactors to supply Plessey's demand for MESFETs. At the time, the team's reputation had become international and Ian and a couple of colleagues were headhunted to work in the US for Alpha Industries. At Alpha, lan's epitaxy experience was quickly put to good use and under his direction an $8M G a A s IC business was developed. Last year, Ian decided to return to the U K and within a few months had met with Ron and Richard and begun the discussions which would lead him to CVT. I could see the logic on
('I'T',~ n e u Managing Director, Dr lan ('rossh'l I~'ith a .,~'fOVP/~," radial x'as manifidd
CVT's part but wondered what had attracted Ian to the company because it is rather different from Alpha. lan explaine& "CVT has a very sound engineering base and this attracted me. But from what 1 knew about the company I could see that this could be even more fully exploited. Having been a user of epiwafers I knew that in the industry there was a need for a new generation of M O V P E production equipment for the supplier with the right p r o d u c t . This was an opportunity that had also been recognised by CVT and they convinced me that they were serious about pursuing it so I could see that it was also an opportunity for me to put all my skills to good use. "The company's business comprises four main areas: vacuum c o m p o nents, some sub-contract work and special systems which are one off R&D systems with a mix of components and special system parts. Finally there's the M O V P E equipment, the complete systems for IlI-V and II-VI materials and we supply systems throughout the world." Historically, CVT has focused on the R & D style of reactor; single wafer systems with novel features: radial gas manifolds for abrupt interfaces; minim u m deadspace; patented gas inlet design for good uniformity in terms of
both thickness and c o m p o s i t i o n "We think we do this better than the competition and we have been talking to customers and they are anxious to w o r k with us on m u l t i w a f e r capability. These systems will have all the features of the single wafer systems but have pertk)rmance typically better than l~?t, in composition and thickness uniformity over 80% of the working area. "There are two parts of the market. No matter what anybody says. lli-Vs is still maturing and so there will continue to be demand For single wafer systems btll there arc also some devices - solar cells, for cxample, where high performance must be matched with production capacity. Device costs must come d o ~ n and the onus is on the epitaxy equipment suppliers to help meet the n e e d While in some cases, 40-50 wafer capacity, machines are appropriate, tk)r some applications 3-5 wafers per ~un i~ adequate." "CVT is addressing both of these areas a n d new products to meet the demand will be coming oul oxer the next I g months. That is not ~o sa> that wc are rushing into the market because we must carefully balance our resources. CVT is a small company so we work closely with customers to make sure we get it right. We must avoid trying to be all things to all people, Also, we mustnq adverset> affect the other parts of our business. "We have used outside scientific help, such as the Clarendon Lab m Oxford. but we have some very good in-house v a c u u m engineering and epitaxy expertise, and our software is world class. "The new system will, for the first time, give epi-growers the combination of quality and quantity that they need" CVT is not alone in tackling the challenge of providing the industry with production M O V P E reactors and I wondered if lan felt that windo~ of opportunit~ ~as begin-
ning to close. After all, there's already product on the market and there's also the competition from multiwafer MBE to consider. Then there's the c o n t e n t i o u s issue o f a shrinking equipment market; more wafers from fewer but bigger reactors. And the rise o f m e r c h a n t epi: m a y b e c a p t i v e supply will shrink and reduce the number of reactors required? Wouldn't it be better to stick to what you know and not enter the race at all? "At the m o m e n t it is a highly contentious business but then again it's never been an easy business to be in. But we have a lot of experience in it and a strong customer base to help us. You should not forget that we don't have all our eggs in one basket. We have quite a broad product base which gives an excellent s u p p o r t structure for another level of product such as production M O V P E equipment. "We're aware of the other players in the business but we feel it's better to be concerned about what the customer wants rather than totally worry
a b o u t the competition. There are several so-called production epi systems on the market, both M O V P E and MBE, but we know that in many respects customer expectations have yet to be fulfilled. I am convinced that we can, if you'll excuse the pun, grow with our customers. "I think that MBE has its place but it cannot address all the industry requirements. Phosphorus-based c o m p o u n d s and equipment downtime are still major obstacles and not only to MBE but to some M O V P E equipments too! M O V P E is a different market and I ' m convinced that there are some in the industry who will still need in-house reactors for quite some time to come. For the most advanced devices they c a n ' t afford to rely on outside sources so they are likely to remain a customer. P e r h a p s m e r c h a n t epi is a new competitor but it can't be everything to everyone and there's an opportunity for us there too I think. "I should hasten to add that we are certainly not taking this new course at the expense of our existing lines. We
plan to remain strong in single wafer and custom build R & D systems. It's not going to be M O V P E systems v s components; we intend to continue to support and expand our modular gas panels, valves and vacuum components businesses. " F o r example, our modular gas panel has proved very successful in a diversity of applications and we can provide this type of sub-system much better than in-house manufacture by the customer. We will continue to provide and support this vital part of CVT's business. "There is also much new business to be had in the newer areas of materials and device R&D. As the level of R & D on III-Vs gradually diminishes, the work on less mature technologies such as II-VIs, HTSCs, ferroelectrics, silicon carbide and boron nitride etc are coming up. In some cases we have already made in-roads in these newer materials and we expect that our engineering expertise will be equally applicable.
mContact: [44] (0)908 563267/568354.
f USA. Head Office 6780 Sierra Court, Suite I Dublin, CA 94568 Phone: 510-8330553 Fax: 510-8332667
F
A merican X tal
k
T ecbn°lqqY
France Sofr~sil S.A. Center Affaires, Paris Nord Immeuble Le Bonaparte 93153 Blanc Mesnil, France Phone: (33) 1-45910008 Fax: (33) 1-48652193
United Kingdom West Associates 67 Hogshill Lane Cobham, Surrey UK KTll 2AH Tel/Fax: 0932 868006
Taiwan 14F-3, No. 5, Lane 9, Sec.3 Ming-Sheng E. Rd. Taipei, Taiwan, ROC Phone: (886) 2-5016278 Fax: (886) 2-5016279
American Xtal Technology supplies high quality GaAs substrates using the
V E R T I C A L G R A D I E N T F R E E Z E technique for crystal growth. Outstanding characteristics of AXT's wafers include very low dislocation density, low thermal stress, uniform and consistent mechanical and electrical properties from wafer to wafer and boule to boule. Undoped semi-insulating and doped wafers are available in two, three and four inch diameter. (100) or (111) round shape. AXT's wafers have excellent surface morphology and are
E P I - R E A D Y AXT's wafers have the II o w e s t
S P Ds
among a
I I the competition,
Our typical EPDs for undoped S-I wafer range from 500 tO 3000/cm 2 and from 10 to 300/cm 2 for Sidoped wafers. Four mil extra thin wafers are available in two and three inch diameter round shape. For Information Circle 211
J