In a breakthrough set to revolutionize the semiconductor business, the College of Engineering of the Hong Kong College of Science and Know-how (HKUST) has developed the world’s first-of-its-kind deep-ultraviolet (UVC) microLED show array for lithography machines. This enhanced effectivity UVC microLED has showcased the viability of a lowered price maskless photolithography via the supply of enough gentle output energy density, enabling publicity of photoresist movies in a shorter time.
Performed underneath the supervision of Prof. KWOK Hoi-Sing, Founding Director of the State Key Laboratory of Superior Shows and Optoelectronics Applied sciences at HKUST, the examine was a collaborative effort with the Southern College of Science and Know-how, and the Suzhou Institute of Nanotechnology of the Chinese language Academy of Sciences.
A lithography machine is essential tools for semiconductor manufacturing, making use of short-wavelength ultraviolet gentle to make built-in circuit chips with varied layouts. Nonetheless, conventional mercury lamps and deep ultraviolet LED gentle sources have shortcomings resembling giant gadget measurement, low decision, excessive vitality consumption, low gentle effectivity, and inadequate optical energy density.
To beat these challenges, the analysis staff constructed a maskless lithography prototype platform and used it to manufacture the primary microLED gadget through the use of deep UV microLED with maskless publicity, enhancing optical extraction effectivity, warmth distribution efficiency, and epitaxial stress reduction in the course of the manufacturing course of.
Prof. KWOK highlighted, “The staff achieved key breakthroughs for the primary microLED gadget together with excessive energy, excessive gentle effectivity, high-resolution sample show, improved display screen efficiency and quick publicity potential. This deep-UV microLED show chip integrates the ultraviolet gentle supply with the sample on the masks. It supplies enough irradiation dose for photoresist publicity in a short while, creating a brand new path for semiconductor manufacturing.”
“In recent times, the low-cost and high-precision maskless lithography know-how of conventional lithography machines has turn out to be an R&D hotspot due to its potential to regulate the publicity sample, present extra various customization choices, and save the price of making ready lithography masks. Photoresist-sensitive short-wavelength microLED know-how is subsequently crucial to the unbiased growth of semiconductor tools,” Prof. KWOK defined.
“In contrast with different consultant works, our innovation options smaller gadget measurement, decrease driving voltage, increased exterior quantum effectivity, increased optical energy density, bigger array measurement, and better show decision. These key efficiency enhancements make the examine a worldwide chief in all metrics,” Dr. FENG Feng, postdoctoral analysis fellow at HKUST’s Division of Digital and Laptop Engineering (ECE), concluded.
Their paper, titled “Excessive-Energy AlGaN Deep-Ultraviolet Micro-Gentle-Emitting Diode Shows for Maskless Photolithography,” has been revealed within the prime journal Nature Photonics. It has since earned huge recognition within the business and was named by the tenth Worldwide Discussion board on Extensive Bandgap Semiconductors (IFWS) as one of many prime ten advances in China’s third-generation semiconductor know-how in 2024.
Wanting ahead, the staff plans to proceed enhancing the efficiency of AlGaN deep ultraviolet microLEDs, enhance the prototype, and develop 2k to 8k high-resolution deep ultraviolet microLED show screens.
Dr. FENG is the primary writer, whereas Prof. LIU Zhaojun, Adjunct Affiliate Professor of HKUST’s ECE Division, who concurrently serves as an Affiliate Professor at Southern College of Science and Know-how, is the corresponding writer. Group members additionally embody ECE postdoctoral analysis fellow Dr. LIU Yibo, PhD graduate Dr. ZHANG Ke, and collaborators from different establishments.
