Cree's success with the ATP project enables the fabrication of electronic devices that can operate at much higher temperatures and withstand high power levels. The ATP project has been highly productive for Cree and the economy at large. The company has used the new technology to produce larger silicon carbide wafers to use in its fabrication process for blue LEDs. It is also offering the larger silicon carbide wafers for sale to other companies. Cree is using the ATP-funded technology to reduce the cost of producing blue LEDs, and their sales have increased substantially.
Production cost is primarily a function of the number of wafers processed.
If wafer size can be increased dramatically, the cost per device will decrease dramatically because so many more devices can be made on a wafer. Benefits for the Economy Benefits from the new silicon carbide technology are already accruing to customers who have bought large volumes of blue LEDs or silicon carbide wafers to use in their own production. Economic benefits from these performance improvements spill over to other producers involved in fabrication and assembly before a wafer-based product reaches the end user. The total of these incremental benefits is expected to be much larger than the profits Cree receives for selling the silicon carbide wafers. Cree's private success has led to public benefit, which is expected to grow as the number of applications for larger silicon carbide wafers increases.