INDUSTRY SENSORS
record in III-V mid-infrared material research and development, and GSS tapped into this, quickly establishing ties with several universities. This includes a strong link with Glasgow University, which has supported efforts in device design and fabrication.
Initially, GSS outsourced the epitaxial process for making mid- infrared LEDs and photodiodes. However, the partner could not ramp up the supply of these wafers to a high
enough level to cope with high-volume product manufacture, so the Scottish start-up went in search of an alternative supplier.
This failed. “If someone else had been producing mid-infrared LED-photodiodes, we would have happily brought them from them, but they weren’t. So we were left in a position where we had to establish our own development and production capability,” explains Gibson.
As well as having to find the funds to finance the introduction of high-volume production implementation, GSS had to bring in the epitaxial expertise to grow the epiwafers. They did this via a knowledge transfer partnership with Glasgow University, who provided an MBE grower. This know-how has now been transferred to GSS.
The Sprint IR is capable of 20 readings per second
Moving to in-house epiwafer production appears to have been a good move for the company, because it can continue to develop its devices with fewer restrictions. Although there are no plans to replace the LED with a laser – it costs more to make and emits a far narrower bandwidth, so expensive hardware is needed to stabilise the cavities – the Scottish start-up is involved in a project funded by the UK’s Technology Strategy Board (TSB) to investigate the potential of other routes to increased device efficiencies.
Second string
The LEDs and photodiodes made at GSS have dimensions of 1.7 mm by 1.5 mm, and sensor shipments currently are at about 50,000 per year. This figure is well short of the capacity of the MBE tool, which is capable of producing 1.1 million LEDs and photodiodes per annum. So, to address this reactor redundancy, last November Gibson
and his co-workers set-up Quantum Device Solutions, which is a trading
The COZIR sensors produced by GSS are a low-power
product. The 20 mm path length version can detect CO2 levels of 0.2 percent to 100 percent, while the 70 mm version monitors CO2
name within GSS.
“We have a unique capability in terms of mid- infrared III-V material combinations, and we are finding that there are lots of opportunities to sell on the worldwide market. It’s almost now at a level where it pays for the running of the machine,” explains Gibson.
The time that is available for fulfilling these external orders will steadily reduce as production of the portfolio of GSS sensors increases over the next few years. “We’re now ramping into the hundreds of thousands per year, and ultimately this market will go into the low millions,” explains Gibson.
One of the companies that GSS is shipping to is Schneider Electric Industries, the biggest operator in building control systems. The two firms have worked together to develop a specific sensor, which Schneider uses with its own electronics.
This additional revenue stream that results from shipping III-V devices, rather than sensing modules, looks set to grow. “We are seeing a lot of interest in people purely buying LED-photodiodes from us in extremely high volumes,” says Gibson, who reveals that there are firms that are keen to use GSS chips in their own automotive air- conditioning systems. This approach could benefit both parties: The air-conditioning unit maker does not want to have to acquire the expertise in growing mid-infrared III-Vs, while GCS does
August / September 2013
www.compoundsemiconductor.net 33 levels up to 1 percent
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