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Riber is a world leading supplier of MBE products and services to the compound semiconductor community.

Founded in 1964, Riber is a French company that has started by supplying the Research Laboratories and Universities with ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) pumps and components. In 1976, Riber became a division of Instruments S.A., a Scientific Instrumentation Company. Its experience with ultrahigh vacuum enabled it to become rapidly the world leader in the industrial development of Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE), a crystal growth technique used for processing the base layers of semiconductor devices and brought to light in the seventies by several Physics Nobel prizes and Riber pioneer customers. In 1978, Riber began offering to the semiconductor research institutes the first turnkey MBE systems with guaranteed performance (MBE500 & MBE 1000 Series). During the next decade, the company introduced most of the innovative devices such as the substrate load lock concept,
continuous rotating substrate, B-A flux gauge for BEP flux calibration, multi zone effusion cells, CBE and gas-source MBE machines, UHV-CVD reactors and automated multiwafer production tools (picture). In the last 5 years RIBER introduced many new cells devices specialized for the OLED flat panel displays production lines and for the CIGS solar cells Today, Riber is a world leading manufacturer and supplier of front-end equipment for the semiconductor, oxides, novel devices, nitrides , solar cells and OLED communities; its product line is made up of three basic groups:

Production and RD MBE systems
Effusion cells and Sources for MBE/OLED and Solar Cells
Accessories for MBE and Services

What is MBE ?
Molecular beam epitaxy is a critical enabling technology because it is an essential first step allowing for the manufacture of many electronic and optoelectronic devices made of compound semiconductors.
MBE-grown materials are used for the research of compound semiconductors, such as gallium arsenide, indium phosphide, nitrides, silicon alloys (SiGe, SiC), diamond and other advanced materials (oxides, metals, ferroelectrics, superconductors, etc), while MBE-grown epitaxial wafers are used for the volume production of commercial micro- and optoelectronic devices, such as monolithic microwave ICs (MESFETs , PHEMTs and HBTs), or pump lasers and VCSELs used in optical fiber networks.
Compound semiconductor-based devices have several key features, including the ability to operate at high frequencies with low power consumption while generating less electronic noise and distortion than silicon-based products. MBE is the preferred technology for many of the compound semiconductor devices used in a variety of high technology growing applications for wireless and satellite communications, high-speed fiber optic networks, computers, defense systems and consumer electronics such a set-top boxes for Internet services and DVD players.

Epiwafers

Products
Riber designs, develops, manufactures, and markets a wide range of MBE systems and related products for use in both research on compound semiconductor materials and for volume production of epiwafers. Riber also proposes ultra-high vacuum chemical vapor deposition (UHVCVD) machines for the R&D of epitaxial growth techniques to be applied in the manufacture of silicon germanium-based compound semiconductor devices and oxides. In addition to MBE systems, a comprehensive range of MBE related-components is also available. This includes effusion cells, valved crackers, gas flow control systems and valved injectors, computerized process controllers as well as UHV hardware components such as MBE source flanges, substrate heaters, beam flux shutters, cooling panels, and more.

Services Riber services and maintains over 800 systems worldwide. Fast maintenance and upgrading service to this base is provided by its Customer Service department supported by regional customer centres. All centres are staffed by MBE experts and maintain stocks of spare parts.

Applications
Riber offers additional support through its in-house Applications Laboratory, which is exclusively devoted to the qualification of MBE components and accessories. Growth related consulting and training are also provided to users under the supervision of highly qualified Ph.D. scientists. Today, Riber is playing a leading role in the development and dissemination of the MBE technology through collaborations and joint R&D projects with major partners worldwide.