Engineers develop first deep-UV microLED show chips for maskless photolithography

In a breakthrough set to revolutionize the semiconductor business, the College of Engineering of the Hong Kong College of Science and Expertise (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 by means of the supply of satisfactory gentle output energy density, enabling publicity of photoresist movies in a shorter time.

Carried out below 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 Expertise, 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. Nevertheless, conventional mercury lamps and deep ultraviolet LED gentle sources have shortcomings corresponding to massive system measurement, low decision, excessive power consumption, low gentle effectivity, and inadequate optical energy density.

To beat these challenges, the analysis crew constructed a maskless lithography prototype platform and used it to manufacture the primary microLED system by utilizing deep UV microLED with maskless publicity, bettering optical extraction effectivity, warmth distribution efficiency, and epitaxial stress aid in the course of the manufacturing course of.

Prof. Kwok highlighted, “The crew achieved key breakthroughs for the primary microLED system together with excessive energy, excessive gentle effectivity, high-resolution sample show, improved display efficiency and quick publicity capability. This deep-UV microLED show chip integrates the ultraviolet gentle supply with the sample on the masks. It offers 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 expertise of conventional lithography machines has grow to be an R&D hotspot due to its capability to regulate the publicity sample, present extra numerous customization choices, and save the price of getting ready lithography masks. Photoresist-sensitive short-wavelength microLED expertise is subsequently vital to the unbiased growth of semiconductor tools,” Prof. Kwok defined.

“In contrast with different consultant works, our innovation options smaller system measurement, decrease driving voltage, greater exterior quantum effectivity, greater optical energy density, bigger array measurement, and better show decision. These key efficiency enhancements make the examine a world chief in all metrics,” stated 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-Mild-Emitting Diode Shows for Maskless Photolithography“, has been revealed within the journal Nature Photonics. It has since earned extensive recognition within the business and was named by the tenth Worldwide Discussion board on Vast Bandgap Semiconductors (IFWS) as one of many high ten advances in China’s third-generation semiconductor expertise in 2024.

Wanting ahead, the crew 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 Expertise, is the corresponding writer. Crew members additionally embrace ECE postdoctoral analysis fellow Dr. Liu Yibo, Ph.D. graduate Dr. Zhang Ke, and collaborators from different establishments.