The Japan-based LED and materials supplier Showa Denko K.K. (SDK) says it has developed a new process for growing high-quality gallium nitride (GaN) materials on 4-inch substrates to meet growing demand for blue and white LEDs.

The new Hybrid PPD process ensures higher production efficiency than conventional MOCVD growth, and enables the production of high-quality GaN-based layers on 4-inch sapphire substrates.

SDK will build a facility at its site in Chiba, Japan to produce 4-inch epiwafers, and expects to boost its blue LED production capacity to 100 million units a month by the end of 2007.

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