Pioneering Excellence in Sapphire Substrate Technology Since 1997
UniversityWafer, Inc. was founded in 1997 with a singular mission: to provide high-quality semiconductor materials to both academic research institutions and industrial partners. What began as a small operation focused on silicon wafers has grown into a global enterprise with specialized divisions serving diverse material needs, including our dedicated Sapphire-Wafer division.
With headquarters in Massachusetts and production facilities in the USA and Asia, we combine American innovation with global manufacturing capabilities to deliver premium sapphire substrates that meet the exacting standards of today's advanced technology applications.
Company founded, initially focusing on silicon wafers for university research applications.
Began sapphire crystal growth operations, developing proprietary techniques for ultra-pure crystal production.
Expanded into LED manufacturing substrate market, coinciding with the global adoption of LED technology.
Launched dedicated R&D center for advanced sapphire applications, focusing on novel orientations and processing technologies.
Established Sapphire-Wafer as a specialized division to serve growing demand in optoelectronics and aerospace markets.
Recognized global leader in sapphire substrate technology, serving customers in over 45 countries with premium quality materials.
At UniversityWafer, Inc., we've dedicated over two decades to perfecting the art and science of sapphire substrate manufacturing. Our expertise spans the entire production process, from crystal growth to final polishing and characterization, ensuring exceptional quality at every stage.
Our proprietary crystal growth techniques, including modified Kyropoulos and Heat Exchanger Method (HEM) processes, produce sapphire boules with exceptional purity, minimal defect density, and superior crystalline quality. We maintain precise control over temperature gradients and growth rates, resulting in crystals with uniform properties and minimal internal stress.
We specialize in producing sapphire substrates with various crystallographic orientations, including C-plane (0001), A-plane (11-20), R-plane (1-102), and M-plane (10-10). Our X-ray diffraction analysis ensures orientation accuracy to within ±0.1°, critical for epitaxial growth applications like GaN-based LEDs and silicon-on-sapphire RF devices.
Our multi-stage machining and polishing processes achieve industry-leading surface quality with roughness values below 5Å and flatness better than λ/10. We utilize diamond-based slicing, lapping, and chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) techniques specifically optimized for sapphire's exceptional hardness, producing epi-ready surfaces ideal for semiconductor processing.
We've pioneered advanced Patterned Sapphire Substrate (PSS) technology for LED applications, developing precise micro and nano-patterning processes that enhance light extraction efficiency by up to 30%. Our lithography and etching techniques create uniform patterns with controlled feature sizes and depths, optimized for specific LED designs and manufacturing processes.
Our state-of-the-art characterization lab employs advanced techniques including X-ray topography, rocking curve analysis, defect-selective etching, optical transmission spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. These capabilities allow us to verify material quality down to the atomic level, ensuring consistent performance in demanding applications.
We supply precision C-plane sapphire substrates for blue and white LED production, supporting the global shift to energy-efficient lighting. Our patterned sapphire substrates (PSS) enhance light extraction efficiency while reducing defect density in the epitaxial GaN layers.
Our R-plane sapphire wafers are integral to silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) technology for high-frequency RF applications and radiation-hardened electronics. We provide ultra-flat, defect-free substrates optimized for epitaxial silicon growth and device fabrication.