Prof. KWOK Hoi-Sing 's Team has developed the world's first deep-ultraviolet (UVC) microLED display array designed for faster lithography
A research team led by Prof. KWOK Hoi-Sing has developed the first deep-ultraviolet (UVC) microLED display for lithography machines. This innovation enhances efficiency and reduces costs by providing sufficient light power density, allowing faster photoresist film exposure.
Under Prof. KWOK's guidance at HKUST, the study partnered with the Southern University of Science and Technology and Suzhou Institute of Nanotechnology. Traditional lithography using mercury lamps has shortcomings like low efficiency and energy consumption. The team built a maskless lithography prototype, improving optical extraction, heat management, and stress relief during production.
Prof. KWOK stated, "We've achieved breakthroughs in high power, efficiency, resolution, and fast exposure. This deep-UV microLED display chip combines the ultraviolet light source with a pattern, offering a new path for semiconductor manufacturing."
Prof. Kwok explained that maskless lithography technology has recently become a research hotspot due to its cost-effectiveness, precision, adjustable exposure patterns, and customizable options, eliminating the need for lithography masks. Photoresist-sensitive short-wavelength microLED technology is crucial for developing semiconductor equipment.
Dr. FENG Feng, a postdoctoral research fellow at HKUST’s ECE Department, noted that their innovation offers reduced device size, lower driving voltage, increased quantum efficiency, higher optical power density, larger arrays, and enhanced display resolution. These improvements position their research as a global leader in all metrics.
Their paper, "High-Power AlGaN Deep-Ultraviolet Micro-Light-Emitting Diode Displays for Maskless Photolithography," published in Nature Photonics, has gained industry recognition. The 10th International Forum on Wide Bandgap Semiconductors (IFWS) named it one of the top ten advances in China's third-generation semiconductor technology for 2024.
The team aims to improve AlGaN deep UV microLEDs, enhance their prototype, and develop 2k to 8k high-res UV microLED screens.
Dr. FENG is the first author, and Prof. LIU Zhaojun, who is also an Associate Professor at Southern University of Science and Technology, is the corresponding author. The team includes ECE postdoc Dr. LIU Yibo, PhD graduate Dr. ZHANG Ke, and collaborators from other institutions.
Related Link:
SENG
