text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Jan 10, 2012
|Filing date
|Jan 22, 2011
|Priority date
|Jul 6, 2001
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|Vladimir A. Dmitriev, Yuri V. Melnik
|Original Assignee
|Freiberger Compound Materials Gmbh
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (15), Non-Patent Citations (1), Referenced by (13), Classifications (17), Legal Events (1)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 12/235,370, filed Sep. 22, 2008, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/483,455, filed Jul. 10, 2006, now abandoned, which is a divisional of and claims the benefit of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/778,633, filed Feb. 13, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,501,023;
U.S. application Ser. No. 10/778,633 claiming the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/449,085, filed Feb. 21, 2003;
U.S. application Ser. No. 10/778,633 claiming the benefit of and being a continuation-in-part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/355,426, filed Jan. 31, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,936,357, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/900,833, filed Jul. 6, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,613,143;
U.S. application Ser. No. 10/778,633 claiming the benefit of and being a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/903,047, filed Jul. 11, 2001, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/900,833, filed Jul. 6, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,613,143;
U.S. application Ser. No. 10/778,633 claiming the benefit of and being a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/632,736, filed Aug. 1, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,279,047, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/903,299, filed Jul. 11, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,656,285, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/900,833, filed Jul. 6, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,613,143;
the priority of all of which are claimed under 35 U.S.C. ��119 and 120, and the disclosures of all of which are incorporated herein by reference for any and all purposes.
The present invention relates generally to semiconductor materials and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for growing Group III nitride semiconductor materials with improved characteristics.
Group III nitride materials (e.g., GaN, AlN, InN, BN, and their alloys) are perspective semiconductor materials for the next generation of high power, 5 high frequency, high temperature electronic devices, including short wavelength opto-electronic devices. Unfortunately, these materials suffer from a variety of problems that limit their performance as well as their commercial viability.
One of the principal problems associated with Group III nitride materials is their tendency to crack, a problem that has been described in numerous scientific papers. During the growth of the Group III nitride, as soon as its thickness reaches a certain value, typically on the order of a few microns or less, cracks are formed in the growing layer. Occasionally cracks even form in the substrate on which the layer is being grown. As a result, devices that would otherwise benefit from the use of thick Group III nitride layers are prohibited.
Accordingly, a means of fabricating thick Group III nitride layers and wafers is desired. The present invention provides such a means.
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for growing low defect, optically transparent, colorless, crack-free single crystal Group III nitride epitaxial layers with a thickness exceeding 10 microns. These layers can be grown on large area substrates. Suitable substrate materials include silicon (Si), silicon carbide (SiC), sapphire, gallium nitride (GaN), aluminum nitride (AlN), gallium arsenide (GaAs), aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) and others.
In one aspect of the invention, monocrystalline, crack-free Group III nitride layers are grown using gas transport techniques based on the hydride vapor phase epitaxial (HVPE) approach. During growth, the shape and the stress of the nitride epitaxial layers can be controlled, thus allowing concave, convex 30 and flat layers to be controllably grown. The crack-free Group III nitride layer can be grown to a thickness of at least 1 micron and, depending upon the desired application, to a thickness of greater than 5 microns, 10 microns, 15 microns, 20 microns, 30 microns, 50 microns, 1 mm or more. The Group III nitride layer can be grown on any of a variety of substrates, including substrates of Si, SiC, sapphire, quartz, GaN, GaAs, AlN and AlGaN, with substrate sizes ranging from 2 inches to 6 inches or more. Assuming that the grown Group III nitride layer is formed of AlN, the material is electrically insulating with an electrical resistivity at 300 K of at least 106 Ohm-cm. Defect density in the as-grown layer is less than 108 cm−2, and can be held to levels of less than 106 cm−2 or even less than 104 cm−2. Thickness uniformity of the as-grown layer is better than 10 percent, typically on the order of between 1 and 5 percent. Thermal conductivity of the as-grown AlN layer is 3 W/K-cm or greater. The surface of the grown layer can be polished to a surface roughness rms of less than 0.5 nm, and if desired to a surface roughness rms of less than 0.3 nm or less than 0.1 nm
In another aspect of the invention, a method and apparatus for producing free-standing, monocrystalline, crack-free, low defect Group III nitride wafers is provided. Preferably the Group III nitride wafers are comprised of AlN and are grown on SiC substrates. After the growth of the AlN is completed, the substrate is removed. The thickness of the MN wafer can exceed 5 mm with diameters larger than 2, 3, 4 or even 6 inches being achievable. As such, the volume of the AlN wafer can exceed 10 cm3, more preferably 100 cm3, and still more preferably 200 cm3. The defect density of the electrically insulating wafers is less than 108 cm−2, and preferably less than 106 cm−2. Once initial fabrication of the wafer is complete, the wafer can be sliced into thinner AlN wafers. The resultant AlN wafers can be polished and prepared to provide epi ready surfaces of varying orientation, including (0001) Al face and (000-1)N face.
In another aspect of the invention, a semiconductor device comprising at least one thick, monocrystalline, crack-free AlN layer is provided. The thickness of the AlN layer is typically in the range of between 1 micron and 50 microns, although thicker layers can be used. The semiconductor device can be an electronic device or an opto-electronic device. The semiconductor device can contain one or more heterojunctions or homojunctions, for example 3 comprised of AlGaN/AlGaN. The device can also include doped and/or undoped nitride epitaxial layers. Preferably the substrate is of SiC or AlN, although other substrates can also be used.
A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the present invention can be realized by reference to the remaining portions of the specification and the drawings.
Gas Phase Growth
In order to grow crack-free Group III nitride materials from the gas phase, preferably a modified hydride vapor phase epitaxial (HVPE) approach is used with a horizontal reactor tube as illustrated in
The furnace is comprised of multiple temperature zones, preferably obtained through the use of multiple heaters, each of which at least partially surrounds the reactor tube and each of which preferably has its own temperature controller. In the preferred embodiment, a six zone configuration with resistive heaters 103-108 is used. Although reactor tube 101 preferably has a cylindrical cross-section, other configurations can be used such as a 'tube' with a rectangular cross-section. Within the reactor tube are one or more source tubes 111. As noted with respect to the reactor tube, source tube 111 preferably has a cylindrical cross-section although the invention is not limited to cylindrical source tubes. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that as used herein, the terms source tube and source channel are interchangeable and considered to be equivalent.
In order to grow undoped thick crack-free AlN, at least one single Al source tube is required (e.g., source tube 111). It will be appreciated that in order to grow other Group III nitride materials, sources other than, or in combination with, Al must be used (e.g., Ga). Within source tube is a source boat 113. As used herein, the term "boat" simply refers to a means of holding the source material. For example, boat 113 can be comprised of a portion of a tube with a pair of end portions. Alternately, the source material can be held within the source tube without the use of a separate boat. Alternate boat configurations are clearly envisioned by the inventors.
In at least one embodiment of the invention, the desired growth temperature depends upon the stage of crystal growth (e.g., crystal nucleation versus high growth rate). Accordingly the temperature of a source is preferably controllable, for example by varying the heat applied by specific zone heaters.
In at least one preferred embodiment of the invention, the location of a particular source within reactor tube 101 can be controllably varied, typically by altering the position of the source. For example, in source tube 111 a control rod 115 is coupled to boat 113, control rod 115 allowing the position of boat 113 and thus the source within the boat to be varied within the reactor. Control rod 115 can be manually manipulated, as provided for in the illustrated configuration, or coupled to a robotic positioning system (not shown).
Coupled to each source tube are one or more sources of gas (e.g., gas sources 117 and 119). The rate of gas flow through a particular source tube is controlled via valves (e.g., valves 121 and 123), either manually or by an automatic processing system.
At least one substrate 125 is located on a pedestal 127 within the growth zone of reactor. Although typically multiple substrates are manually loaded into the reactor for co-processing, a single substrate can be processed with the invention. Additionally, substrates can be automatically positioned within the furnace for automated production runs. In order to vary the temperature of the growth zone, and thus the temperature of the substrate or substrates, either the position of the substrates within the reactor is changed or the amount of heat applied by heaters proximate to the growth zone is varied.
Although reactor 100 is preferably a hot-wall, horizontal reactor and the process is carried out in an inert gas flow at atmospheric pressure, other reactor configurations can be used to perform the modified HYPE process of the invention. Preferably source tube 111 and source boat 113 are comprised of quartz. Other materials can be used for boat 113, however, such as sapphire or silicon carbide. Within boat 113, or simply within tube 111 if no separate boat is used, is source 129. Assuming that the invention is to be used to grow AlN, source 129 is comprised of aluminum metal.
In order to achieve extended growth and thus the growth of very thick layers, the inventors have found that multiple sources are preferably used, the sources being maintained at more than one temperature in order to limit the amount of source participating in the layer forming reaction. For example, assuming that the intended layer is to be comprised of AlN, reactor 100 includes at least two Al sources (e.g., sources 129 and 131). During layer formation, the temperature of the source designated to participate in the reaction is held at a relatively high temperature, typically between 750� C. and 850� C. and preferably at a temperature of approximately 800� C., while the second (or additional) sources are maintained at a lower temperature. By using multiple sources it is possible to replace one source (e.g., a depleted source) while continuing the growth process with a different source.
In order to grow thick crack-free AlN according to the preferred embodiment of the invention using a modified HYPE approach, a source 117 of halide gas, preferably HCl, is coupled to the source tube(s) along with a source 119 of inert gas, preferably Ar, which is used as a carrier gas to transfer materials from the source tubes to the growth zone. A source 133 of nitrogen containing gas, preferably ammonia gas, is also coupled to reactor. Substrate crystal pedestal 127 is preferably fabricated from quartz, although other materials such as silicon carbide or graphite can also be used.
In order to grow thick AlN, preferably substrate(s) 125 is comprised of SiC or AlN, thus providing a lattice and coefficient of thermal expansion match between the seed and the material to be grown. As a result of using AlN substrates, improved quality in the as-grown material is achieved. Alternately, substrates can be comprised of sapphire, GaAs, GaN, or other material as previously noted. Assuming the use of AlN substrates, the substrates can have less than 1018 cm−3 oxygen atomic concentration, less than 1019 cm−3 oxygen atomic concentration, or less than 1020 cm−3 oxygen atomic concentration. The FWHM of the .omega.-scan x-ray (0002) rocking curve for the seed substrate can range from 60 arc seconds to 10 arc degrees. Although the diameter of the substrate depends on the size of the reactor, the inventors have found that the invention is not limited to any specific substrate size (i.e., diameters of 1 inch, 2 inches, 3 inches, 4 inches, 5 inches, 6 inches and greater can be used). Similarly the inventors have found that the invention can use substrates of thickness 0.1 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.5 mm or greater.
Prior to layer growth, the substrate can be polished and/or etched by reactive ion etching (RIE) or wet etching. After introduction into the growth zone, HCl, aluminum chloride, or a gas mixture containing HCl and aluminum chloride can be used to etch the substrate. The surface of the substrate can have a (000-1)N or a (0001) Al polarity. The surface can be mis-oriented from the (0001) crystallographic plane at an angle ranging from 0 to 90 degrees. Additionally the seed substrate can contain cracks with a density from 0 to 10,000 per micron while still resulting in crack-free layer growth. The substrate(s) can be mounted face up or face down within the reactor. Alternately, substrates can be simultaneously fixed to the substrate holder in both the face up and face down configurations, such configuration increasing the number of wafers that can be grown in a single run.
Initially reactor 100 is flushed and filled with an inert gas, preferably Ar, from gas source 119. The inert gas can enter the reactor through the source tube(s), thereby flushing the source tube(s), through a separate entry line (not shown), or both. The flow of inert gas is controlled by a metering valve and is typically in the range of 1 to 25 liters per minute. Substrate(s) 125 is then heated to the desired growth temperature. In one embodiment of the invention the growth zone, and thus the substrates within the growth zone, are heated to a temperature within the range of 600� C. to 1500� C., more preferably within the range of 850� C. to 1050� C., and still more preferably within the range of 900� C. to 950� C., and yet still more preferably within the range of 900� C. to 920� C. Although temperatures within the most preferable range yield relatively slow growth rates, these temperatures assure a higher quality material in the as-grown crystal.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention and as illustrated in
In at least one embodiment of the invention, the gas flows introduced into the growth zone are directed at an angle to the substrate holder surface, such geometry improving material uniformity and reducing defect density. As illustrated in
Initially the substrate(s) within a particular growth sub-zone is heated to a high temperature within the range of 900� C. and 950� C., thus 10 initiating high quality crystal growth and controlled sample shape. Once crystal growth has been initiated, the source temperature is lowered and maintained at a temperature within the range of 850� C. and 1,000� C., thus allowing rapid crystal growth to be achieved. Preferably the period of high quality crystal growth is at least 10 minutes and the period of rapid crystal growth is at least 12 hours. More preferably the period of high quality crystal growth is at least 30 minutes and the period of rapid crystal growth is at least 24 hours.
During the growth process, after the source material is heated a halide reactive gas, preferably HCl, is introduced into the source tube at a flow rate of 0.1 to 10 liters/minute. Assuming an Al source, AlCl3 and other gas components are formed due to the reaction between the reactive gas and the source. The AlCl3 is transported to the reactor's growth zone by the flow of the inert gas (e.g., Ar), the inert gas having a flow rate of 0.1 to 40 liters/minute. Simultaneously, ammonia gas (NH3) from source 133 is delivered to the growth zone at a flow rate of 0.1 to 10 liters/minute. The ammonia gas and the aluminum chloride gas react to form AlN on the surface of substrate(s) 125. The growth rate is in the range of 1 to 100 microns per hour, and preferably in the range of 20 to 40 microns per hour. After the desired AlN layer thickness has been achieved, the flow of HCl and NH3 gas is stopped and the substrate(s) is cooled in the flowing inert gas.
During crystal growth the growing layer is not allowed to come into contact with any portion of the reactor, thus insuring high quality crystal growth. If required, for example during a long growth run, the growth can be interrupted in order to allow parasitic deposits to be etched off of the reactor's internal components. The quality of the as-grown material can be further improved by introducing buffer or interrupting layers during crystal growth. These layers can be single layer or multi-layer structures and can be comprised, for example, of GaN, InGaN, InGaAlN or other materials. The thickness of these buffer or interrupting layers can be in the range of 50 angstroms to 100 microns. Preferably these layers are grown using the same process used for the boule growth, for example the HVPE process.
The AlN layer can be grown in the direction parallel to the (0001), (11-20), (10-10) and other crystallographic directions. AlN wafers sliced from the as-grown thick AlN layer can have their surface parallel to the (0001), (11-20), (10-10) or other crystallographic planes. The surface-can be on-oriented or mis-oriented by an angle from 0 to 90 degrees toward a specific crystallographic 15 direction, for example a (0001) plane mis-oriented by 8 degrees to the (11-20) direction.
During crystal growth, AlN layer (boule) can be doped with any of a variety of impurities including, but not limited to, magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn), silicon (Si), oxygen (O), tin (Sn), iron (Fe), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), erbium (Er) and indium (In). Doping allows the conductivity of the growing material to be controlled, thereby resulting in n-type, p-type or i-type conductivity. The atomic concentration of these impurities can be varied in the grown material from 1015 cm−3 up to 1020 cm−3. The impurities can be introduced into the growth zone using Ar as a carrier gas with a gas flow rate between 0.1 and 50 liters/minute. Metal source temperatures range from 200� C. to 1200� C. Impurity sources (for example Mg metal) can be etched by HCl before the growth inside the HVPE reactor. Si doping can be done by supplying gaseous silane (for example 50 ppm silane in Ar). Doping uniformity in the (0001) plane is better than 10 percent, preferably better than 5 percent, and still more preferably better than 1 percent.
During crystal growth, the substrate can be moved (e.g., rotated) in order to maintain the desired gas composition and to avoid the negative influence of parasitic deposition on reactor parts.
Wafer Preparation
After a thick crystal layer is grown, for example in accordance with the preferred embodiment previously described, wafers can be sliced from the grown boule. Preferably the slicing operation is performed with a diamond wire saw with a cut width of approximately 200 microns. Depending upon the thickness of the grown boule, 10, 20, 30 or more wafers can be manufactured from a single boule. After slicing, the wafers are ground, polished and etched to remove the damaged surface layer.
The wafers fabricated by the invention can then be used directly, for example as a substrate for a device structure. Alternately, the Group III nitride wafers sliced from the underlying seed substrate can be polished, prepared and used for a seed substrate for the growth of additional wafers. For example, AlN can be initially grown as outlined above using any of a variety of possible substrates (e.g., SiC). After completion of the growth of the AlN thick, crack-free layer, it can be sliced from the underlying substrate and prepared as noted above. Once preparation is complete, the AlN freestanding wafer can be used to grow additional AlN material using the process of the invention. In this example the new AlN material can be grown on either the (000-1)N face or the (0001) Al face of the AlN substrate. Once growth is complete, multiple thin wafers can be cut from the boule of crack-free, AlN material.
Scrubbing System
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the growth apparatus is equipped with an air scrubbing system to effectively remove all hazardous components and solid particles from the HVPE process exhaust. Such a waste utilization system allows the present HYPE apparatus to operate for the extended periods required to achieve the desired layer thicknesses.
The air scrubbing system consists of a wet scrubber sequentially connected to a wet electrostatic precipitator (ESP) where the scrubber and ESP 11 are either separate units or placed within a single unit with the ESP above the scrubber. The air flow capacity of the scrubbing system is within the range of 50 ACFM to 5000 ACFM. The efficiency to remove HCL and ammonia gases is not less than 99 percent and the efficiency to remove solid particles is not less than 99.9 percent. Typically the gas inlet concentration before the scrubber is up to 15800 PPM for ammonia, up to 6600 PPM for HCl, and up to 2.8 GR/ACFM for solid particles. Up to 100 percent of the solid particles may be comprised of ammonia chloride (NH4Cl) with a particle size in the range of 0.1 to 3.0 microns.
The wet ESP's parts having contact with the gas flow to be scrubbed as well as the wet scrubber and sump tank are preferably constructed of FRP or Hastelloy C-276. The scrubbing liquid is water which is circulated in both the scrubber and the ESP. Prior to discharge, the pH of the scrubbing liquid must be adjusted to be within an allowed level.
Process Applicability
For AlN growth by HVPE processes, layers can be grown on both the (0001) Al face and the (000-1)N face of an AlN substrate.
Applicable to large area substrates (i.e., 2 inch, 3 inch, 4 inch, 6 inch and larger)
Applicable to a variety of substrates (e.g., SiC, AlN, GaAs, sapphire, GaN, etc.)
Applicable to flat, concave, convex or patterned substrates
Applicable to oriented or mis-oriented surfaces (preferably with the mis-orientation angle less than or equal to 0.8 degrees.
Achievable Material Characteristics
Crack-free Group III nitride layers (e.g., AlN, AlGaN, GaN, InN, InGaAlBN, etc.) when the epitaxial growth takes place in the flat growth subzone, the layers grown either directly on the seed substrate or on a buffer layer or an intermediate layer
Crack-free Group III nitride (e.g., AlN, AlGaN, GaN, etc.) large area wafers by forming thick, crack-free layers of the desired composition and then separating the grown layer from the initial substrate
Layer thickness of 10 microns to 1 cm or more
Defect density in as-grown thick layers of less than 109 cm−2 preferably less than 108 cm−2, and still more preferably less than 106 cm−2. These defect densities were achieved without applying lateral overgrowth techniques. Defect densities were measured by calculating etch pit density after etching the samples in hot acid. Low defect densities were verified by measuring the x-ray diffraction rocking curves with an x-ray diffractometer (e.g., full width at a half maximum of the x-ray rocking curve using .omega.-scan geometry was less than 300 arc sec).
Thermal conductivity in as-grown AlN layers of up to 3.3 W/K cm
Electrical resistivity in as-grown layers ranging from 107 to 1015 Ohm cm (at 300 K)
Optically transparent AlN layers in a wavelength range from 200 nm to 6 microns with an optical absorption of less than 5 percent for AlN wafers polished on both sides
Shape, stress and lattice constant of the as-grown materials can be controlled by using the multiple growth sub-zones (i.e., concave, convex and flat growth zones) and transferring the substrates from one growth sub-zone to another during the growth process.
Fabrication of semiconductor devices on large area crack-free single crystal Group III nitride wafers (e.g., AlN wafers)
Fabrication of large area substrates (2 inch, 3 inch, 4 inch, 6 inch or larger) of high quality, semi-insulating and of high thermal conductivity substrates for use in ultra high power nitride based high frequency devices, the substrates of the invention allowing the lattice constants and thermal expansion coefficients to be matched to the desired device structures (e.g., AlGaN/GaN-based devices)
No peripheral polycrystalline regions
The growth of AlN material by the inventive process was performed in an inert gas flow at atmospheric pressure in a hot-wall, horizontal reactor chamber. SiC substrates were placed on a quartz pedestal and loaded into the growth zone of the quartz reactor. The growth was performed on the (0001)Si on axis 6H—SiC substrate, the substrates having a surface rms roughness of approximately 0.3 nm or better.
Approximately 1 pound of Al metal (5N) was placed in a sapphire source boat for use in growing the AlN thick layer. For extended runs, typically those requiring a growth cycle of more than 48 hours, multiple Al sources/boats were used, either in parallel or sequentially. The source boat was placed in a quartz source tube (i.e., source channel) within the source zone of the reactor. This source tube (or tubes when multiple Al sources were used) supplied AlCl3 to the growth zone of the reactor. Additional quartz tubes (i.e., channels) were used for ammonia (NH3) delivery and HCl gas delivery to the growth zone, the separate HCl tube being use to etch the SiC substrates.
The reactor was filled with Ar gas, the Ar gas flowing through the reactor at a rate of between 1 and 25 liters per minute. The substrates were then heated in the Ar flow to temperatures in the range of 900� C. to 1150� C. and the Al was heated to temperatures in the range of 700� C. to 900� C. HCl gas was introduced into the growth zone through the HCl channel. As a result of the HCl gas flow, the (0001) Si faces of the SiC substrates were etched prior to film growth. After substrate etching, the HCl gas was introduced into the source zone, i.e., the Al channel(s). As a result of the reaction between HCl and Al, aluminum chloride (AlCl3) was formed and delivered to the growth zone by the Ar flow. At the same time, ammonia gas (NH3) was introduced into the growth zone. As a result of the reaction between the AlCl3 and the NH3, a single crystal epitaxial AlN layer was grown on the substrates. The substrate temperature during the growth was held constant at a temperature within the range 800� C. to 1200� C., different temperatures being used for different epitaxial runs.
Shape controlled epitaxial growth was observed at growth temperatures within the range of 900� C. to 950� C. Depending on HCl flow rate, the growth rate of the AlN material ranged from 0.1 to 1.2 microns per minute. Different epitaxial runs utilized different growth cycle durations, these durations ranging from 10 hours to 100 hours. After a particular growth cycle was completed, all gaseous flows were stopped except for the flow of Ar. The samples were cooled down in the Ar flow and then unloaded from the reactor. The as-grown surface had a (0001) Al orientation.
The SiC substrates were removed from the grown AlN layers by grinding on a grinding wheel and/or reactive ion etching (RIE). For the mechanical grinding process, the sample was glued to a wafer holder by wax and ground with a liquid abrasive. After ungluing the wafer, the traces of wax were removed in hot acetone for 20 minutes. Any residual SiC was removed by RIE and/or wet etching in molten KOH.
The freestanding AlN wafers were then cleaned using a conventional cleaning process and placed in the HVPE reactor. AlN homoepitaxial growth was then performed on the as-grown AlN surface of the AlN wafers. Once again, multiple epitaxial runs were performed in which the growth temperature of a particular run was held constant. The growth temperatures for the various runs were within the range of 900� C. to 1150� C. The growth durations for the various runs were between 10 hours and 100 hours resulting in AlN plates up to 1 cm in thickness. After the sample cool down procedure was complete, wafers ranging from 0.1 to 1 mm in thickness were cut from the AlN plates using 0.005″ wire saw. Both sides of the AlN wafers were ground and polished.
Using a modified HVPE process, a 400 micron thick AlN boule was grown on a 2 inch SiC substrate at a growth temperature of 900� C. and at a growth rate of 30 microns per hour. The AlN boule was grown in the growth subzone yielding substantially flat layer growth. After completion of the growth cycle, the SiC substrate was removed by a combination of chemical etching, RIE and mechanical polishing. The resultant AlN wafer was polished, etched and cleaned and then re-introduced into the flat growth sub-zone of the HVPE reactor. A 1 centimeter thick AlN boule was grown on the (0001)N face of the prepared AlN seed wafer, the resultant boule being crack-free.
The AlN boule was sliced into 8, 2-inch AlN wafers with thicknesses ranging from 200 to 500 microns. X-ray diffraction studies showed that the AlN wafers had a single crystal structure (e.g., the FWHM of the x-ray RC was less than 300 arc sec).
The AlN wafers were subjected to chemical-mechanical polishing, the resultant wafers exhibiting a surface roughness of less than 0.3 nm The damaged surface sub-layer was removable by wet and/or dry etching. A RHEED study showed that the surfaces of the wafers were damage free. The final wafers were crack-free, colorless and transparent and had less than 20 microns of bowing.
The growth of AlN material by the inventive process was performed in an inert gas flow at atmospheric pressure in a hot-wall, horizontal reactor chamber. Two inch SiC substrates were placed on a quartz pedestal and loaded into the growth zone of the quartz reactor, positioned for AlN deposition on the (0001)Si on-axis surface.
Approximately 1 kilogram of Al metal was placed in the source boat. After purging the reactor with Ar gas, the growth zone and the Al source zone were heated to 920� C. and 750� C., respectively. To prepare the substrates for AlN deposition, HCl gas was introduced into the growth zone to etch the SiC substrates. The HCl gas was then introduced into the Al source zone, thereby forming aluminum chloride that was transported into the growth zone by the Ar carrier gas. Simultaneously, NH3 gas was introduced into the growth zone, the NH3 gas providing a source of nitrogen. As a result of the reaction between the aluminum chloride and the NH3 gases, an AlN layer was grown on the SiC surface. The NH3 and aluminum chloride gases were expelled from the reactor by the flow of the Ar gas. After allowing the growth process to continue for a period of 2 hours, the flow of HCl and NH3 gases was stopped and the furnace was slowly cooled down to room temperature with Ar gas flowing through all of the gas channels. The reactor was then opened to the air and the sample holder was removed. As a result of this growth process, a crack-free AlN layer 51 microns thick was grown on the SiC substrates.
To prepare AlN substrates for further processing, the SiC substrates were removed from the grown AlN material by chemically etching the material in molten KOH. The etching was carried out in a nickel crucible at a temperature within the range of 450� C. to 650� C. Prior to beginning the etching process, the molten KOH was maintained at the etching temperature for several hours to remove the moisture from the melt and the crucible. Once the substrates were placed within the molten KOH, only a few hours were required to etch away most of the SiC substrates from the grown AlN. This process for substrate removal is favored over either mechanical or laser induced substrate removal. The remaining SiC substrate was removed by RIE in a Si3F/Ar gas mixture. For some of the samples, polycrystalline material was noted in the peripheral regions, this material being subsequently removed by grinding. Additionally, in some instances the surface of the as-grown material required mechanical polishing to smooth the surface. In these instances, after the polishing was completed, RIE or chemical etching was used to remove the thin surface layer damaged during polishing. As a result of this procedure, the desired AlN seeds were obtained. The high quality of the resultant material was verified by the x-ray rocking .omega.-scan curves (e.g., 300 arc sec for the full width at half maximum (FWHM) for the (0002) AlN reflection). X-ray diffraction measurements showed that the as-grown material was 2H—AlN.
The inventors have found that SiC substrates are preferable over sapphire substrates during the initial growth process as the resultant material has a defined polarity. Specifically, the resultant material has a mixture of aluminum (Al) polarity and nitrogen (N) polarity. The side of the as-grown material adjacent to the SiC substrates has an N polarity while the opposite, outermost layer of the material has an Al polarity.
Prior to growing the next thick AlN layer, those samples that had had the most material removed during the substrate removal and surface preparation steps underwent further preparation. Specifically a thin AlN layer, typically in the range of 10 to 100 microns thick, was grown on one or both sides of the AlN wafers in question. The additional material improved the mechanical strength of these substrates and, in general, prepared the AlN surface for bulk growth. Prior to bulk growth, the AlN seed substrates were approximately 1 millimeter thick and approximately 6 centimeters in diameter.
The growth of the AlN thick layer (boule) used the same reactor as that used to grow the AlN layers described above. The substrates were positioned within the reactor such that the new material would be grown on the (0001) Al on-axis face. It should be noted that the (0001) surface can be tilted to a specific crystallographic direction (e.g., [11-20]) and that the tilt angle can be varied between 0.5 and 90 degrees. In the present embodiment, the tilt angle was zero.
In addition to loading the seed substrates into the growth zone of the reactor, two kilograms of Al was loaded into the source boats of multiple Al source tubes. After purging the reactor with Ar gas, the growth zone and the Al source zone were heated to 930� C. and 750� C., respectively. Prior to initiating AlN growth, a mixture of NH3 and HCl gas was introduced in the growth zone to refresh the surfaces of the substrates. As in the previous growth, HCl was introduced into the Al source zone to form aluminum chloride that was then transported to the growth zone by the Ar carrier gas. At the same time, NH3 gas used as a source of nitrogen was introduced into the growth zone. The AlN was formed by the reaction between the gallium chloride and the NH3 gases.
This growth process was allowed to continue for approximately 40 hours. After that, both HCl flow and NH3 flow were stopped. The furnace was slowly cooled down to room temperature with Ar flowing through all gas channels. The reactor was then opened to the air and the sample holder was removed from the reactor. The resultant boule had a diameter of approximately 6 centimeters and a thickness of approximately 1 centimeter. The crystal had a single crystal 2H polytype structure as shown by x-ray diffraction measurements.
After growth, the boule was machined to a perfect cylindrical shape with a 5.08 centimeter diameter (i.e., 2 inch diameter), thereby removing defective peripheral areas. One side of the boule was ground to indicate the (11-20) face. Then the boule was sliced into 12 wafers using a horizontal diamond wire saw with an approximately 200 micron diamond wire. Before slicing, the boule was oriented using an x-ray technique in order to slice the wafers with the (0001) oriented surface. The slicing rate was about 1 millimeter per minute. The wire was rocked around the boule during the slicing. Thickness of the wafers was varied from 150 microns to 400 microns. Wafer thickness uniformity was better than 5 percent.
After slicing, the wafers were polished using diamond abrasive suspensions. Some wafers were polished only on the Al face, some wafers were polished only on the N face, and some wafers were polished on both sides. The final surface treatment was performed using an RIE and/or a chemical etching technique to remove the surface layer damaged by the mechanical treatment. The surface of the wafers had a single crystal structure as shown by high-energy electron diffraction techniques. The surface of the finished AlN wafers had a mean square roughness, rms, of 2 nanometers or less as determined by atomic force microscopy utilizing a viewing area of 5 by 5 microns. The defect density was measured using wet chemical etching in hot acid. For different wafers, etch pit density ranged from 10 to 1000 per square centimeter. Some AlN wafers were subjected to heat treatment in an argon atmosphere in a temperature range from 450� C. to 1020� C. in order to reduce residual stress. Raman scattering measurements showed that such heat treatment reduced stress from 20 to 50 percent.
In order to compare the performance of devices fabricated using the AlN substrates fabricated above to those fabricated on SiC and sapphire, AlN homoepitaxial layers and pn diode multi-layer structures were grown. Device structures included AlGaN/GaN structures. Prior to device fabrication, surface 30 contamination of the growth surface of the AlN wafers was removed in a side growth reactor with a NH3—HCl gas mixture. The thickness of individual layers 19 varied from 0.002 micron to 200 microns, depending upon device structure. For example, high frequency device structures (e.g., heterojunction field effect transistors) had layers ranging from 0.002 to 5 microns. For high power rectifying diodes, layers ranged from 1 to 200 microns. In order to obtain p-type layers, a 5 Mg impurity was used while n-type doping was obtained using a Si impurity. The fabricated device structures were fabricated employing contact metallization, photolithography and mesa insulation.
The structures fabricated on the AlN wafers were studied using optical and electron microscopy, secondary ion mass spectrometry, capacitance-voltage and current-voltage methods. The devices showed superior characteristics compared with devices fabricated on SiC and sapphire substrates. Additionally, it was noted that the wafer surface cleaning procedure in the reactor reduced defect density, including dislocation and crack density, in the grown epitaxial layers.
In this embodiment, AlN material was grown in an inert gas flow at atmospheric pressure utilizing the hot-wall, horizontal reactor described in Embodiment 3. Two inch diameter SiC substrates of a 6H polytype were placed on a quartz pedestal and loaded into the flat growth sub-zone of the quartz reactor. The substrates were located such that the (0001) Si on-axis surfaces were positioned for AlN deposition. Approximately 0.5 kilograms of Al (7N) was located within a quartz boat in the Al source zone of the reactor. This channel was used for delivery of aluminum chloride to the growth zone of the reactor. A second quartz tube was used for ammonia (NH3) delivery to the growth zone. A third separate quartz tube was used for HCl gas delivery to the growth zone.
The reactor was filled with Ar gas, the Ar gas flow through the reactor being in the range of 1 to 25 liters per minute. The substrates were then heated in Ar flow to a temperature of 920� C. and the hot portion of the metal Al source was heated to a temperature in the range of 750� C. to 800� C. HCl gas was introduced into the growth zone through the HCl channel. As a result, the SiC seed substrates were etched at Ar—HCl ambient before initiating the growth procedure. Additionally the seed was etched with aluminum chloride gas.
To begin the growth process, HCl gas was introduced into the Al source zone, creating aluminum chloride that was delivered to the growth zone by Ar gas flow. Simultaneously, NH3 was introduced into the growth zone. As a result of the reaction between the aluminum chloride gas and the ammonia gas, a single crystal epitaxial AlN layer was grown on the substrates. The substrate temperature during the growth process was held constant at 920� C. After a growth period of 20 hours, the flow of HCl and NH3 were stopped and the samples were cooled in flowing Ar.
As a result of the growth process, six AlN/SiC samples were obtained in which the AlN thickness was in the range of 1 to 3 millimeters. To remove the SiC substrates, the samples were first glued to metal holders using mounting wax (e.g., QuickStick™. 135) at a temperature of 130� C. with the AlN layer facing the holder. The holders were placed on a polishing machine (e.g., SBT Model 920) and a thick portion of the SiC substrates were ground away using a 30 micron diamond suspension at 100 rpm with a pressure of 0.1 to 3 kilograms per square centimeter. This process was continued for a period of between 8 and 24 hours. After removal of between 200 and 250 microns of SiC, the samples were unglued from the holders and cleaned in hot acetone for approximately 20 minutes.
The residual SiC material was removed from each sample using a reactive ion etching (RIE) technique. Each sample was placed inside a quartz etching chamber on a stainless steel holder. The RIE was performed using Si3F/Ar for a period of between 5 and 12 hours, depending upon the thickness of the residual SiC. The etching rate of SiC in this process is about 10 microns per hour. After the RIE process was completed, the samples were cleaned to remove possible surface contamination. As a result of the above processes, freestanding AlN plates completely free of any trace of SiC were obtained.
After completion of a conventional cleaning procedure, the AlN plates were placed in the HYPE reactor. An AlN homoepitaxial growth was started on the as-grown (0001) Al surface of the AlN plates. The growth temperature was approximately 910� C. After a period of growth of 10 minutes, the samples were cooled and unloaded from the reactor. The AlN layer grown on the AlN plates was intended to cover defects existing in the AlN plates. Accordingly, the samples at the completion of this step were comprised of 2 inch diameter AlN plates with approximately 10 microns of newly grown AlN. Note that for some samples an AlN layer was grown not only on the (0001) Al face of the AlN plates, but also on the (000-1)N face of the plates. Peripheral highly defective regions of the AlN plates were removed by grinding.
Three of the AlN plates from the previous process were loaded into the reactor in order to grow thick AlN layers. Aluminum chloride (this term includes all possible Al—Cl compounds, for example AlCl3) and ammonia gas served as source materials for growth as previously disclosed. In addition, during the growth cycle the AlN boules were doped with silicon supplied to the growth zone by S2H4 gas. Growth temperatures ranged from 910� C. to 920� C. and the growth run lasted for 48 hours. Three layers with thicknesses of 5 millimeters, 7 millimeters, and 9 millimeters, respectively, were grown in the flat growth zone.
The layers were sliced into AlN wafers. Prior to wafer preparation, some of the boules were ground into a cylindrical shape and peripheral polycrystalline AlN regions, usually between 1 and 2 millimeters thick, were removed. Depending upon wafer thickness, which ranged from 150 to 500 microns, between 7 and 30 wafers were obtained per boule. The wafers were then polished on either one side or both sides using an SBT Model 920 polishing machine with a 15 micron diamond suspension at 100 rpm with a pressure of between 0.5 and 2 kilograms per square centimeter for 9 minutes per side. After cleaning all parts and the holder for 5 to 10 minutes in water with soap, the polishing process was repeated with a 5 micron diamond suspension for 10 minutes at the same pressure. After subjecting the parts and the holder to another cleaning, the wafers were polished using a new polishing cloth and a 0.1 30 micron diamond suspension for an hour at 100 rpm with a pressure of between 0.5 and 2 kilograms per square centimeter.
After cleaning, the AlN wafers were characterized in terms of crystal structure, electrical and optical properties. X-ray diffraction showed that the wafers were single crystal AlN with a 2H polytype structure. The FWHM of the x-ray rocking curve measured in .omega.-scanning geometry ranged from 60 to 760 arc seconds for different samples. After chemical etching, the etch pit density measured between 100 and 10,000 per square centimeter, depending upon the sample. Wafers had n-type conductivity with a concentration Nd—Na of between 5�1018 and 9�1018 per cubic centimeter. The wafers were used as substrates for device fabrication, particularly for AlN/AlGaN multi-layer device 10 structures grown by the MOCVD process.
After growing AlN on SiC substrates and separating the SiC substrate as disclosed above, a crack-free 5 mm thick AlN layer was grown at 910� C. by the previously described HYPE process on the (0001) Al face of the 3 inch diameter freestanding AlN substrate. The (0001) Al face was prepared for thick AlN epitaxial growth by RIE. The AlN growth rate was 50 microns per minute, the duration of the growth cycle was 100 hours, and the growth process was performed in the flat growth sub-zone.
The 5 mm thick AlN layer was sliced by diamond wire into eight AlN wafers. These wafers were polished by a chemical-mechanical process to reduce the surface roughness rms down to 0.1 nm as measured by AFM. For some wafers the (000-1) N face was polished and for other wafers the (0001) Al face was polished. A sub-surface layer of about 0.1 microns that was damaged by the mechanical treatment was removed by dry etching. The resultant 3 inch AlN wafers had more than 90 percent usable area for device formation. Some wafers were on-axis and some wafers were mis-oriented from the (0001) surface in the range of 0 to 10 degrees. The wafers had a bow of less than 30 microns. The wafers contained no polytype inclusions or mis-oriented crystal blocks. The AlN wafers had a 2H crystal structure. Cathodoluminescence measurements revealed near band edge luminescence in the wavelength range from 5.9 to 6.1 eV. The wafers were crack-free, colorless, and optically transparent. Etch pit 23 density measured by hot wet etching was less than 107 cm−2. The defect density at the top of the thick AlN layer was less than in the initial AlN wafer. The wafers had between 1 and 5 macrodefects with a size larger than 0.1 mm. For different samples, the FWHM of x-ray rocking curves ranged from 60 to 1200 arc sec. The 5 atomic concentrations of Si and carbon contamination was less than 1018 cm−3. The oxygen concentration in the wafers ranged from 1018 to 1021 cm−3.
A number of devices were fabricated to further test the benefits of the presently developed, crack-free AlN layers. In all of the devices described within this section, the AlN or other Group III nitride substrates were fabricated in accordance with the techniques described above. Additionally, where thick homoepitaxial layers were grown on the substrate prior to the device fabrication, these thick layers were grown in accordance with the invention.
A high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) was fabricated as shown in
Light emitting diodes (LEOs) capable of emitting light in a color selected from the group consisting of red, green, blue, violet and ultraviolet were fabricated (shown in
As will be understood by those familiar with the art, the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Accordingly, the disclosures and descriptions herein are intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention which is set forth in the following claims.
|Cited Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|Dec 21, 1994
|Dec 24, 1996
|Sumitomo Chemical Company, Limited
|Method for manufacturing group III-V compound semiconductor crystals
|Dec 3, 1997
|Dec 5, 2000
|Advanced Technology Materials, Inc.
|GaN-based devices using (Ga, AL, In)N base layers
|Apr 16, 1999
|Jan 30, 2001
|Cbl Technologies, Inc.
|Compound gas injection system and methods
|Nov 18, 1998
|Apr 17, 2001
|Technology And Devices International, Inc.
|Process for producing III-V nitride pn junctions and p-i-n junctions
|Mar 28, 2002
|Jun 3, 2003
|Technologies And Devices International, Inc.
|Method of epitaxially growing device structures with sharp layer interfaces utilizing HVPE
|Mar 28, 2002
|Dec 2, 2003
|Technologies And Devices International, Inc.
|Method of epitaxially growing submicron group III nitride layers utilizing HVPE
|Mar 28, 2002
|Dec 9, 2003
|Technologies And Devices International, Inc.
|Method of epitaxially growing device structures with submicron group III nitride layers utilizing HVPE
|Aug 9, 2002
|May 10, 2005
|Technologies And Deviles International, Inc.
|Method for fabricating a P-N heterojunction device utilizing HVPE grown III-V compound layers and resultant device
|Feb 13, 2004
|Mar 10, 2009
|Technologies And Devices, International, Inc.
|Method and apparatus for fabricating crack-free Group III nitride semiconductor materials
|Oct 8, 2007
|Nov 3, 2009
|Technologies And Devices International, Inc.
|Reactor for extended duration growth of gallium containing single crystals
|Dec 5, 2000
|May 3, 2001
|Sony Corporation
|Method of manufacturing nitride system III-V compound layer and method of manufacturing substrate
|Title not available
|Title not available
|Apr 13, 2000
|Oct 26, 2000
|Cbl Technologies, Inc.
|Compound gas injection system and methods
|Mar 12, 2001
|Sep 20, 2001
|Advanced Technology Materials, Inc.
|Iii-v nitride substrate boule and method of making and using the same
|Japanese Office Action dated Apr. 26, 2011, from JP published application 2005-225756: published Aug. 25, 2005.
|Citing Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|Dec 30, 2009
|Jun 18, 2013
|Cbl Technologies, Inc.
|Modern hydride vapor-phase epitaxy system and methods
|Dec 14, 2009
|Oct 29, 2013
|Applied Materials, Inc.
|HVPE chamber hardware
|Jun 4, 2009
|May 20, 2014
|Sixpoint Materials, Inc.
|Methods for producing improved crystallinity group III-nitride crystals from initial group III-nitride seed by ammonothermal growth
|May 5, 2010
|Jul 1, 2014
|Sixpoint Materials, Inc.
|Growth reactor for gallium-nitride crystals using ammonia and hydrogen chloride
|Nov 23, 2009
|Oct 7, 2014
|Sixpoint Materials, Inc.
|Methods for producing GaN nutrient for ammonothermal growth
|May 22, 2014
|Sep 13, 2016
|Sixpoint Materials, Inc.
|Growth reactor for gallium-nitride crystals using ammonia and hydrogen chloride
|Oct 17, 2005
|Aug 13, 2009
|Armin Dadgar
|Process for the production of gan or aigan crystals
|Feb 25, 2009
|Oct 15, 2009
|Tadao Hashimoto
|Method for producing group iii-nitride wafers and group iii-nitride wafers
|Jun 4, 2009
|Dec 17, 2009
|Edward Letts
|Methods for producing improved crystallinity group III-nitride crystals from initial group III-Nitride seed by ammonothermal Growth
|Oct 16, 2009
|Apr 22, 2010
|Tadao Hashimoto
|Reactor design for growing group iii nitride crystals and method of growing group iii nitride crystals
|Nov 23, 2009
|May 27, 2010
|Sixpoint Materials, Inc.
|METHODS FOR PRODUCING GaN NUTRIENT FOR AMMONOTHERMAL GROWTH
|Dec 14, 2009
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|U.S. Classification
|117/99, 117/97, 117/88, 117/94, 117/952, 117/915, 117/106, 117/91, 117/84
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification


text:
PowerMax PMTS-50 50 Amp Automatic Transfer Switch
Automatic transfer switch: 50 Amp.
Input Voltage: 120/240 VAC 60 Hz
Input Current: 50 A
Shore Power Input: Yes
Outside dimensions: 8.1" x 10.1" x 5.5"
Knockout holes: 5
Knockout sizes: 4 x 1" 1 x 2.0"
Complies with FCC
Weight: 10.00 lbs
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text: Politics 22 November 2007 Computer love Fashion experts were wrong to sneer at online shopping. Sign up for our weekly email * Thirteen years ago, I wrote about the internet and how it would influence the world of fashion. Fashion people didn't take quickly or easily to the worldwide web, and fashion labels were late at establishing an online presence. What we take for granted now - being able to find out about the latest styles in seconds, watching catwalk shows at our desks, ordering clothes - seemed fantastical just over a decade ago. Any shop that wants to contend seriously also sells through a website (the exception being the big department stores, which have been slow to do this, aside from the super-canny John Lewis). Catalogue shopping started in this country in 1866 when Peter Robinson launched a mail-order booklet called A Book of Styles. By the end of that century, as it became more permissible to buy ready-to-wear clothes, mail order had really taken off. But the clothing catalogue business wasn't overly glamorous until the internet: before then, with some exceptions, catalogues were either for the super-mainstream or for specialised items such as wide-fitting shoes. You could get those huge catalogues, like Kays and Freemans, which sold all manner of goods, but they were bland and uninspiring. (Although, as a child, I would find it tremendously exciting to be able to browse the thousands of different lines from the comfort of my bed, and would make endless "wish-lists", often involving giant fridges and ten types of bicycle.) It was the advent of "drooly" catalogues such as Boden, Toast, Plümo and the White Company that made ordering by post, and then online, desirable because they were all shot in a way that offered us more than mere product, but also a lifestyle. Sometimes I hesitate over ordering something remotely, because I'd like to see the item, feel it, try it on. Then I think of the amount of money it will cost to get to the shops, the crushing and pushing, the way my shoulders hunch up and my neck shortens after a day out shopping, and the postage and packaging suddenly seems like a bargain. Unless you're in a totally Zen-like mood, shopping can be more tiring than high-impact sports. And if you have children, it becomes like some sort of Krypton Factor game of cunning, patience and advance planning. There is no fun. But the internet! Who could have predicted that buying a swimsuit - one of the most horrendous of experiences - could be so much fun? (Bravissimo has some stunning styles in at the moment for the bigger-busted woman. Buy now.) Most companies offer free returns, too, so while your purchase isn't immediate, the compensation is that it's fairly painless. When I first wrote that article, everyone said that ordering fashion online would never take off, because clothes shopping - especially high-end fashion - was about being seduced by impulse, and creating the right ambience. But we were brave, and they were wrong. Annalisa Barbieri was in fashion PR for five years before going to the Observer to be fashion assistant. She has worked for the Evening Standard and the Times and was one of the fashion editors on the Independent on Sunday for five years, where she wrote the Dear Annie column. She was fishing correspondent of the Independent from 1997-2004. Subscribe from just £1 per issue This article first appeared in the 26 November 2007 issue of the New Statesman, China More


text: ← Part 2 ⋅ Part 4 → BEST GAME EVER? is the third episode of PewDiePie's Let's Play of Shadow of the Colossus. It was uploaded November 4th, 2012 and is 18:31 minutes long. VideoEdit 18:31 BEST GAME EVER? - Shadow Of The Colossus - 3rd Colossus (Earth Knight) "Gaius" full Retrieved from "http://pewdiepie.wikia.com/wiki/Shadow_of_the_Colossus_-_Part_3?oldid=10357" Ad blocker interference detected! Wikia is a free-to-use site that makes money from advertising. We have a modified experience for viewers using ad blockers Wikia is not accessible if you've made further modifications. Remove the custom ad blocker rule(s) and the page will load as expected. Categories: Shadow of the Colossus Episodes Videos Add category Cancel Save


text:
PROVENCE is the hot pleasure button of French life. Press it, and you get a multicolored fantasy of sun, sea and sex. Because it is a French fantasy, a good meal is part of the package, and in fact, the meal may come first, for Provence is, above all, the promised land of bouillabaisse, soupe à pistou and tapenade, of tomatoes, herbs and honey. It is the flip side of French rigor and formality, a carefree, half-Italian cuisine that makes no demands. No wonder that restaurateurs return again and again to this bubbling fountain of youth.
Aix serves its slice of the Provençal dream cleverly. The approach is allusive and indirect, with splashy visuals to set the scene and a repertory of Provençal ingredients and dishes that give the menu a sense of place, even as they take off in unexpected directions. There's a lot of yellow and red ochre on the walls and the plates, and lots of olives and tomatoes in the kitchen, but Didier Virot, Aix's executive chef, treats Provence as a repository of images and taste sensations, which he freely reinterprets, sometimes ingeniously, sometimes not.
Pistou, one of Mr. Virot's triumphs, is a riff on the region's traditional vegetable and pesto soup. His version, potent and thick, arrives in an enormous bowl with a lightly pressed cake of sardine tartare in the middle. Wave action causes warm nuggets of sardine to dislodge, adding concentrated bursts of flavor to a rich, velvety soup bobbing with little dice of perfectly cooked eggplant and zucchini. A small, flaky tart, piled high with fat, slow-baked tomatoes and green olives, could hardly be simpler, but a basil-Parmesan coulis adds a luxurious touch. Those tomatoes, firm and intensely flavored, seem almost cruel, a tormenting reminder of mid-July as winter looms. Extra-light gnocchi, made with wheat flour, find bliss in a black truffle cream emulsion with thin slices of Jerusalem artichoke.
When Mr. Virot gets busy, however, odd things can happen. Thinly sliced ribbons of tuna and cucumber, crisscrossed on one of the restaurant's acre-sized plates, look sloppy, and an assertive yogurt-horseradish sauce, charged up with cayenne pepper, overpowers the main ingredients. The tuna winds up being nothing more than several mushy-textured red stripes. Sautéed foie gras does not quite overcome an unpleasantly crunchy coating of crushed pistachio and a showy but pointless potato and quince crumble, served with peach coulis.
Main courses are robust. Broiled squab, with chestnut and apple polenta, and a nicely judged sauce of garlic and balsamic vinegar, feels almost like a French response to Thanksgiving dinner. Venison, likewise, is a cold-weather pleaser, a juicy, brick-red slice of loin, wonderfully gamy, with a root vegetable purée and little triangles of phyllo dough stuffed with quince and beet. Even chicken gets two-fisted treatment. The skin, smeared with star anise and honey, bakes to a parchment-crisp mahogany outer layer whose floral sweetness makes a perfect match for the artichokes, mushrooms and roasted fingerling potatoes, with their earthy flavors.Continue reading the main story
Aix has the kind of wine list you hope for in a restaurant celebrating the South of France. It's geared to the $30 and $40 bargain hunter and bristling with local appellations like St.-Chinian, Faugères and Vacqueyras. Rosés, mysteriously, are few and far between.
Mr. Virot's pastry chef, Jehangir Mehta, pursues his own strange agenda. He belongs to the avant-garde school of dessert making, whose adherents believe that diners should be challenged, not coddled. Pleasure is for the weak. As a concession, he offers a very orthodox chocolate banana tart with a little banana flan and a scoop of superb walnut ice cream. I get the feeling that diners who order the banana tart lose credibility with Mr. Mehta. More to his taste is a so-called Provence salad, a layering of candied green tomatoes, thin-sliced fennel, and melon topped with a Chloraseptic-green scoop of mint sorbet. The dish is intriguing. It really does grow on you, gradually; it's a pastry chef's version of tough love.
Apple-rosemary brioche, with honey Calvados sauce, is daring but much more endearing. Licorice panna cotta, like the almond crème brûlée, is excessively sweet and almost lethally flavored. It packs the power of an entire box of Good & Plenty. Relief comes in the form of an after-dinner treat: small round puffs of lime cotton candy on a clear swizzle stick.
Aix has a bustling, cheery atmosphere and an interior that looks as if it were designed by Piranesi. There are three dining levels, but they seem like six, and diners on Level 3 stand only a fifty-fifty chance of navigating the twists and turns that take them to the restrooms. On the plus side, the top level, with its wraparound windows and more subdued décor, makes for a more intimate meal. Diners on the middle level get to see lots of traffic moving back and forth. Worst of all is the bad pinch point just inside the entrance to the restaurant, where departing diners wind up in a scrum as they try to push past new arrivals.
The fact that there are enough diners to form a scrum says something about Mr. Virot's new venture. At his last restaurant, Virot, a gloomy, cryptlike interior seemed to cast a pall on even his most joyful creations. In the light, bright setting of Aix, he has found a congenial stage for his exuberant style of cooking. Aix, infectiously messy, seems about right for an Upper West Side neighborhood that does not tolerate too much formality or pretense. It has warmth, color and a sense of fun. That's worth fighting your way past the door for.
** [Rating: two stars]
2398 Broadway (at 88th Street), Upper West Side; (212) 874-7400.
ATMOSPHERE -- French cuisine with a Provençal accent.
SOUND LEVEL -- Not loud.
RECOMMENDED DISHES -- Pistou soup with sardine tartare; tomato tart; venison with quince-beet strudel; chicken with star anise and honey; squab with chestnut-apple polenta; chocolate banana tart with banana flan.
SERVICE -- Youthfully eager to please but not especially polished.
WINE LIST -- An appealing, modestly priced list of about 225 wines emphasizing the Rhone, Provence and the Southwest, with 15 wines by the glass.
HOURS -- Dinner, Monday to Saturday, 5:30 to 10:30; Sunday, to 9:30.
PRICE RANGE -- Appetizers, $8 to $14; entrees, $22 to $29; desserts, $7 to $16. Five-course tasting menu, $78.
CREDIT CARDS -- All major cards.
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS -- Two steps up to dining room.
(None) Poor to satisfactory
* Good
** Very good
*** Excellent
**** Extraordinary
Ratings reflect the reviewer's reaction to food, ambience and service, with price taken into consideration. Menu listings and prices are subject to change.
PAST REVIEWS from The Times, with additional capsule reviews by Times critics: nytimes.com/diningContinue reading the main story


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Starbucks Coffee is one of the best known coffee company, with thousands of locations all over the world. The company has been in business for over fifty years and offers its customers a wide range of products such as beverages, pastries, smoothies, all prepared with great attention to detail. The company prides itself in being a neighborhood coffee place.
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For many, getting their daily jolt of java has become a daily morning ritual, and the cardboard cup with its infamous green label is the close companion of every coffee...
This is just like any other Starbucks, except it is really small. The location is clean and the staff is friendly but don't come here thinking you are going to be able to hand and do work or read,...
I've been going to 10 different starbucks in the last 10 years in northern Bergen county, all are good some exceptional ,exceptional is Goffle/Godwin Midland Park! Always have plenty to pick from!
Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting the highest quality arabica coffee in the world. Today, with stores around the globe, the company is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world.
Starbucks Coffee can be found at 8 W Main St . The following is offered: Cafes. The entry is present with us since Sep 10, 2010 and was last updated on Nov 14, 2013. In Ramsey there are 1 other Cafes. An overview can be found here.
Fun Fact: The Starbucks logo, a two-tailed mermaid, was based on a 16th century Norse woodcut, and supposed to be as seductive as coffee itself.
The Extras: Purchase a Starbucks customer card and use it to receive fun rewards, like a free tall beverage when you buy a pound of coffee beans.


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Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on adoption.
Can point me in the direction of good info about the effects of FASD/FAS?(9 Posts)
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Lajwanti 17th December 2015 Written Update, Lajwanti 17 December 2015 Telly Update, Written Episode 17th December 2015, Lajwanti 17th December 2015 Written Update Review, Lajwanti 17 Dec 2015 Written Story.
Lajwanti 17th December 2015 Written Update
Scene 1:
Location: Sunder's residence, Lahore
Sunder and his family are all boggled and tensed to see lal walking in distraught state. They ask him whats the matter, while he is out of breath. Meanwhile Meher jaan comes and warningly tells them that she has seen terror of revenge in his eyes. She says that the revenge has turned him into a devil and begs them to leave lahore soon. All are shocked. Granny gets angry saying that sarfaraz cant scare her out of her house, as he is a dark soul, that can only harm, and she never thought he could turn on them like this. Meher is aghast as granny even goes on to suggest, that her keshav turned against her, to fall in love with a prostitute, who warms many beds, and that she isnt even sure if sarfaraz actually is her grandson. Meher asks her to shut up, and not involve her son in this, as they both know what she is saying is the truth. she says that she should advise them to leave tonight, as she would be able to hold her son off till then, but not beyond, as he is bursting for revenge with rage. Granny refuses to believe this, as this cant be her bad blood. Meher turns to kishori and says that she cant do more than this, and it was his responsibility to aware them and she did so, so that she doesnt bear the blame. she says that she leaves the decision on them, but if they stay here, then some or the other muslim shall come here and hopes that they be safe. she leaves from the back door and walks out. Sunder is tensed and then closes the door after her. Granny asks kishori whats he thinking. he says that time wants them to move from lahore. granny is shocked that he is saying this. Kishori asks sunder to go to the station and book tickets, even if its on extra money, and that too for tonight. All are shocked. revathy prays that this day shall never be seen by anyone else. She is grieved. sunder asks if there is any other work. Kishori asks him to withdraw all the money from their account, and also lock the door safely, for their shop, so that they can come back in turbulent times, and manage it back again. He also asks lal to pack his stuff. he agrees and leaves. lajo eyes sunder tensedly, who then leaves. She rushes after him. As he leaves, she asks him to be safe. he says that he would be back in a minute and smiles. After he leaves, she still stands tensed and scared for his safety. she closes the door and then turns around. revathy asks lajo and dulari to wear black so that they dont catch attention, and also to pack their stuff. Dulari asks about her wedding dress. revathy is apalled. They all disperse. granny is grieved. Kioshori assures and promises her that they shall return back to lahore. she says that he is bluffing to console her, as they shall never be able to return. she says that she came as a bride here, and reminisces the times. She says that she cant leave this. he assures her with tears in his eyes, that they shall come back definitely, and begs her to believe him, and asks her to stop crying now. he calls amrish and then he instructs him to dig the money deep in here, so that they can have it back, as they have to come back, and they neednt take an unnecessary risk in taking the money with them. Amrish is boggled but complies nevertheless. Kishori promises granny that when they return back here, he shall ensure that she finds it, just like it was. She smiles through tears, as he plays on the gramophone for her. Suddenly the gramophone breaks off.
As amrish, gets to digging the hole, dulari is dressed in the bridal dress, and stands with lajo. revathy is shocked. granny asks why this choice of clothes. dulari says that she might not get the chance to wear it again, as she might be dead tomorrow and hence she shall wear it today. Granny asks her not to talk like this. lajo too asks her to have faith on the lord, as she shall get married in this dress, as till sudner is with them, no one shall be harmed. Revathy blesses her.
Scene 2:
Location: On the road
Ghulam ali while getting his shave, finds sunder going out on a bicycle and gets a crooked idea, of what to do. Meanwhile, sunder goes to the shop, and takes out all the money, and packs it into a bag hurriedly. he then locks the shop and goes out. As sunder passes back beside ghulam ali getting shaved, he orders his muslim friends, and asks them to ransack his shop, and go after him, as they wont allow any hindu now to sit in peace in lahore.
Scene 3:
Location: Sunder's residence
While amrish is implanting jewellery inside the dug hole, dulari comes and reminices their old games, when they were children, and asks him to play hide and seek. he says that he has imp work. But lajo cheers her saying that she shall play. she gets on to searchingwhile dulari does the hiding. Amrish is amused to see them. lajo finally catches dulari seeking granny's help, while revathy gets emotional seeing this. kishori too sees them and is apalled, at their childish candidness, in the severity of times. then its dulari's turn to seek lajo. As dulari plays hide and seek with lajo, dressed as a bride, cheerfully, she finally catches someone, and thinks its lajo. but when she takes her blinds off, she finds that its Sarfaraz, who eyes her leeringly, along with a hoard of other muslim brothers. She is apalled, shocked and horrified.
Precap: Dulariis aghast and turns around, trying to scream lajo, and escape away. but Sarfaraz catches dulari by her plait. as lajo hears dulari's screams in pain, she is tensed and turns around, but before she can, she finds a dagger placed across her throat. She is tensed ansd scared. she turns around slightly and is shocked to see dulari in sarfaraz's captivity.
Written Update By Rimjhim


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Hey guys, I'm back with another story! Hope you'll all enjoy it adn please be sure to let me know if you do. Oh, and r4emember, I don't own any of the characters except those I made up. Anyway, enjoy!
Maeve woke up with a strange feeling. It wasn't one of evil or pain, she knew that much. It was more a sense of familiarity, of coming home. But Maeve knew that wasn't possible, Sinbad had said they were sailing…home. She had presumed he'd meant Baghdad, but now she thought about it, he had been grinning like a loon. She quickly dressed and raced top deck in time to make out the shape of land to the starboard side. She swiftly made her way to the tiller where Sinbad was standing.
"Where are we?" she demanded.
"Good morning Maeve" Sinbad returned with a smile. "And how are you this fine morning? I'm fine by the way, thank you for asking"
"Sinbad" she growled threateningly.
"We're just off shore from Eire" he grinned
"What in Goddesses name are we doing here?" She demanded. "You said we were going to Baghdad"
"No, I said we were going home. This is your home is it not?"
"No, not anymore, and it hasn't been in a long time" she sighed.
"I know, the Nomad is my home too now, but I still like to go back to where I grew up, reminisce and all that…"
"No" she sighed, frustrated. "You don't understand, I can't go back there, ever again. I don't want to be reminded" and with that she turned and fled back down below to her cabin, leaving a very confused captain.
"Did I do something wrong Dermott?" he asked the hawk who was perched next to him. "I thought Maeve would love to see her home again"
'Too much has happened there, the memories are too painful'
"Dermott?" asked Sinbad. "Did you just say that?"
'You heard me Sinbad?'
'Great thought' Sinbad. 'And now I'm hearing things'
'Sinbad, you can really hear me? I wonder how'
"Ok Dermott, speaking to me telepathetic…telepath…"
'telepathically' prompted Dermott.
"Whatever. Talking to me is one thing, but reading my thoughts is another"
'Sorry Sinbad, I couldn't help it'
"Well, try harder next time. Anyway, what's wrong with Maeve?"
'Oh captain, me getting turned into a hawk was only one chapter of Maeve's life, there is much that happened afterwards'
"Like what?" probed Sinbad.
'You know I can't tell you that Sinbad'
"I know, it's just I've never seen her this distressed before, I didn't mean to upset her"
'I know that Sinbad, and so does she'
"I'd better go and make sure she's alright" worried Sinbad. "Doubar, take the tiller" he yelled.
"Aye aye little brother" smiled Doubar before relieving Sinbad.


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For any major red carpet fashion enthusiast, Diane Kruger is like the ultimate celebrity icon, able to turn anything she wears into pure bliss. Her unique vision and fearless fashion approach gave life to some of the most memorable red carpet looks, that will certainly stand the test of time and become referential in the years to come. Looking flawless with an ease that comes completely natural for her, Diane is an absolute delight to watch and is definitely a major source of inspiration for any women who longs to become just as influential and fashionable as the star herself.
With a little more over three weeks left from this wonderful year, we wanted to start and celebrate the Diane Kruger red carpet magic in 2012 bright early. Partially because there's already plenty to choose from, and secondly because one again, we turn to her for our annual Holiday inspiration. We seek glamour, sophistication and originality and she has it all.
01. January 2012 – Diane Kruger in Erdem at the Sidaction Gala Dinner. Diane started off her mesmerizing year with a bang as she attended the 2012 Sidaction Gala in a daring and sophisticated Erdem gown. Her Spring 2012 silver lace number featuring an asymmetrical underlay was bold, delicate and utterly romantic. Styled with the Alexander McQueen gold-metal pebble encrusted box clutch and the Christian Louboutin Croisilleta sandals, her appearance was simply divine. Sleek locks and silver jewels added the final touches.
02. February 2012 – Diane Kruger in Giambattista Valli at the "Les Adieux de la Reine" Berlinale Film Festival Premiere. New month, a totally fresh and breathtaking approach. Diane shined at the Berlinale Film Festival Premiere in a black Haute Couture polka dot sequin gown signed by Giambattista Valli. Her luxurious floor-length dress was emphasized by the Judith Leiber Wildcat crystal-embellished clutch and the edgy Repossi Berbère Multipiercing ear cuffs.
03. May 2012 – Diane Kruger in Giambattista Valli at the "Moonrise Kingdom" Cannes Festival Premiere. And it was Giambattista Valli again who helped miss Kruger sign a new stunning moment on the red carpet. Her aqua silk one shoulder gown embodied a soft femininity that perfectly complemented the ethereal and graceful design. Styled with a sleek bun, silver accessories and a frosted Judith Leiber Lucite clutch, her look was once again flawless.
04. May 2012 – Diane Kruger in Jason Wu at the Haiti Carnival Benefit. Seductive, mysterious and alluring, the Jason Wu navy and black asymmetrical gown flattered the actress in the best possible ways. The intriguing chiffon and lace dress was complemented by a pair of black sandals, a Judith Leiber Slide lock clutch and the Repossi Nérée diamond earrings for an unforgettable and distinct red carpet moment.
05. May 2012 – Diane Kruger in Nina Ricci at the "Killing Them Softly" Cannes Premiere. The busy month of May continued in Cannes with another breathtaking moment for which Diane channeled the old time elegance in a utterly romantic Nina Ricci custom made gown. Her white delightful drop-waist garment featured embroidering details, feather accents and a lavender shoulder corsage. An equally soft up-do and delicate jewelry styled the light appearance.
06. May 2012 – Diane Kruger in Christian Dior at the "Therese Desqueyroux" Cannes Premiere. Impossibly beautiful and once again looking flawless, miss Kruger was picture perfect in her Christian Dior Spring 2012 Couture tulle gown. Featuring a checkered pattern and a black embroidery, the sumptuous ball gown was effectively complemented by the Boucheron Envoutant Sillage earrings and a simple chic ponytail.
07. May 2012 – Diane Kruger in Chanel at the amfAR Cinema Against AIDS Gala 2012. A Diane Kruger red carpet recap wouldn't have been complete without Chanel's timeless aesthetic paired with Diane's flawless style that made for a gorgeous combination as worn by the actress at the amfAR gala back in the summer. Her short white embroidered dress featured short sleeves and delicate floral motifs, and was accessorized with the Chanel Flap embellished clutch and the Christian Louboutin Pigalle 120 crystal encrusted stilettos. Precious tea-drop earring and a glamorous Marcel wavy hair style added the finishing touches.
08. July 2012 – Diane Kruger in Marchesa at the f Jacob & Co. Charity Gala. Looking divine in her fabulous Marchesa Resort 2013 gown, Diane took the red carpet for the Jacob & Co. Charity Gala exuding femininity at its very best. Her white Marchesa garment featured an empire waist, gold embellishments and delicate white feather accents. Jacob & Co. jewelry and a sleek bun impeccably accessorized the show-stopping appearance.


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Morningstar's comprehensive collection of features is specifically designed for the North American OBC industry.
- Volume Discounts – Create discount schedules for copies/prints
- Marketing Plans – Manage pre-sold services bundles with monthly limits
- Email Invoices
- Service Agreement Reminders – Automate Renewals and/or Price Escalations
- Move-In Proration's
- Agreement Charge Audit – Access history of charges
- Client Level Price Overrides
- Packages – "One Price" invoice presentation for office services bundles while internally separating charges.
- Client Interaction Notes History – Features flexible user-defined categories to fit your business
- Collection Reminder Emails –
- Automated Late Charges – Assess flat rate or percentage of invoice
- Supports Accrual and Cash Basis Accounting
- Daily Charge Activity Entry – Charges are entered as they occur in the center thus eliminating double-entry into XLS
- Duplicate Invoice Generation
Resource Management
- Manage Meeting Rooms – Manage room allowances by space type, hours or by dollars used
- Two-Tiered Cancellation Policy
- Three-Tiered pricing – Set rates for volume. For instance: $20/hr for usages less than 4 hrs, $18/hr for usage between 4 and 8 hrs, 16/hr for usage over 8 hrs
- Single Schedule Minimum and Maximum Billing Hours
- Supports User-defined ancillary amenities
- Confirmation and Reminder emails
- After Hours Pricing and Service Triggers – Extend price discounts for after-hours and/or automated after-hour fees for staff overtime etc.
- Room Utilization statistics
- Tour List
- Recurring Meetings
- Tightly Integrated with invoicing
- Supports Flexible Room Configurations – Prevent double-booking of rooms with flexible partitions
Sales and Marketing
- Color-Coded Sales Home Page
- Prospect Capture Web Service API – Populate leads directly to sales database from Client Web Site
- Sales Activity Reporting
- Optional Daily Reminder Emails
- Lost Opportunity Follow-Up – Set reminders at specific intervals to follow-up on a previously marked dead lead
- Weekly calendar
- Customizable Sales Home Page – Use MorningStar's tiered Structure to provide manager's and owner's access to all or portions of sales opportunities
- Email Templates – Easy generation of contact emails.
- Upload Word Service Agreements – Auto populate/merge for proposals.
- Occupancy
- Trend Reports – See client, locations, revenue categories, markets, regions, full company – rolling 12 month trends
- Monthly Revenue Analysis
- Month to Month Comparisons
- Data Miner – Create views or lists of information for web page display and/or Excel download
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- Client Transaction Histories
MorningStar is centered around the management of business centers.
Marketing & Sales and Resource modules
Allows tracking of future clients and automatic generation of proposals. New clients are automatically set up in the billing module.
Prospect Capture Web Interface
Allows web inquiries to be automatically posted to the sales modules. Statistics are presented that help determine sales and marketing effectiveness.
Resource Module
Provides scheduling for meeting rooms. It's tightly integrated with billing.Your client allowances are automatically tracked and you can analyze resource effectiveness and utilization.ALL FEATURES


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Style: 26591974 Color Code:
All over tiered ruffle maxi skirt. In between each ruffle tier is a more slightly sheer stretchy fabric. This skirt should be worn with a slip underneath for more coverage. Back is longer and pointed at the bottom. Waist band is stretchy with ruffled trimming. Dramatic and striking, but still with a casual, everyday feel.


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Graduate Alumni Mixer
As another hectic school year wraps up and we send off another cohort of BGAPSA graduates, we are excited about the chance to unwind and network with our alumni in the DC area! If you're free, join co-Presidents Haley and Lisette on D.C. for a mixer with local BGAPSA alums! Special thanks to BAS for this opportunity … Continue reading
Suit Drive to Restock the Quaker Career Wardrobe
Monday, 4/24/2017 – Friday, 5/5/2017 The Quaker Career Wardrobe is a new initiative that provides free interview outfits to Penn students in need of professional attire. After serving over 130 students at the first-ever "shopping" event in February, Penn Career Services is restocking the wardrobe in preparation for the fall recruiting season – and we need … Continue reading
BGAPSA Spring Formal: Black Magic
Friday April 28th at the African American Museum in Philadelphia, BGAPSA is hosting an evening of black joy and celebration! Please join us for Black Magic by purchasing your tickets at: bgapsa.ticketleap.com/blackmagic
BGAPSA Positions and Responsibilities
ARTICLE IV: OFFICERS BGAPSA will be governed by an executive board composed of the following: 1. PRESIDENT: The Executive Board shall include a President who shall lead the General Assembly and Executive Board on all matters. The President shall be present at all General Assembly and Executive Board meetings. The President shall be the primary … Continue reading
It's Time for 2017 E-Board Elections!
Our moment, Your Move The Black student voice at Penn not only encourages equity on campus, but unites us in our shared responsibility to bring our community together, develop solutions to improve the student experience and ultimately create opportunities, strengthening the BGAPSA body. If this hits home for you in more ways than one, then we […]


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Ytel Named as Finalist in 2015 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif., Jan. 22, 2015 – Ytel was named a Finalist today for "Customer Service Leader of the Year" in the ninth annual Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service and will ultimately be a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Stevie Award winner in the program.
The Stevie Awards, which organizes several of the world's leading business awards shows, including the prestigious International Business Awards and the new German Stevie Awards, presents the awards. More than 1,900 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were evaluated in this year's competition, an increase of 27% over 2014. Finalists were determined by the average scores of 139 professionals worldwide, acting as preliminary judges.
On behalf of Ytel, Alex Schandle, Director of Ytel Smart Support, is receiving this award for his leadership qualities, attention to customer detail, and management of over 70,000 completed customer service tickets since 2010. Ytel provides customers with 24/7/365 customer service ensuring all customer needs are met every day. As a result of providing the highest quality of service day in and day out, Alex has achieved a customer satisfaction rating between 98-100% (Zendesk).
More than 100 members of several specialized judging committees will determine the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award placements from among the Finalists during final judging, to take place January 26 – February 4.
"The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service continues to be the fastest-growing of our international awards programs," said Michael Gallagher, president and founder of the Stevie Awards. "The sheer number of nominations is matched by the increasing quality of those nominations. We congratulate all of this year's Finalists and wish them well in the next phase of judging."
"Alex has been leading our Smart Support division for nearly five years, and we are very happy and humbled that he was selected to receive this award for our company," said Brian Keep, VP of Operations, Ytel. "With Alex leading our support team, we will continue to provide the best customer service in the industry."
Details about the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service and the list of Finalists in all categories are available at www.StevieAwards.com/Sales.
About Ytel
Ytel is a preeminent software company, specializing in cloud-based communications solutions that service businesses worldwide. Its SaaS-based offerings include Cloud Contact Center® and message360°®. These services provide businesses cost effective solutions that power modern communications through phone, email, text messaging, and direct mail. Ytel supports over 30 million outbound and inbound interactions daily, on a company owned network, increasing revenue and maximizing efficiency.
About The Stevie Awards
The Stevie Awards are conferred in six programs: The American Business Awards, the German Stevie Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, and the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide.