The project, led by Prof. KWOK Hoi-Sing, Founding Director of the State Key Laboratory of Advanced Displays and Optoelectronics Technologies at HKUST, involved collaboration with the Southern University of Science and Technology and the Suzhou Institute of Nanotechnology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Lithography machines play a critical role in semiconductor production, using short-wavelength UV light to etch intricate designs onto integrated circuit chips. Traditional light sources, such as mercury lamps and deep ultraviolet LEDs, face challenges like large device sizes, low resolution, high energy use, and insufficient optical power density.
To address these issues, the HKUST team developed a maskless lithography prototype platform, fabricating the first deep UV microLED device with enhanced optical extraction efficiency, heat distribution, and epitaxial stress relief.
Prof. KWOK stated, "The team achieved key breakthroughs for the first microLED device including high power, high light efficiency, high-resolution pattern display, improved screen performance and fast exposure ability. This deep-UV microLED display chip integrates the ultraviolet light source with the pattern on the mask. It provides sufficient irradiation dose for photoresist exposure in a short time, creating a new path for semiconductor manufacturing."
The technology supports the growing demand for low-cost, high-precision maskless lithography. "Photoresist-sensitive short-wavelength microLED technology is therefore critical to the independent development of semiconductor equipment," Prof. KWOK explained.
Dr. FENG Feng, a postdoctoral research fellow in HKUST's Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, added, "Compared with other representative works, our innovation features smaller device size, lower driving voltage, higher external quantum efficiency, higher optical power density, larger array size, and higher display resolution. These key performance enhancements make the study a global leader in all metrics."
Their findings, published in Nature Photonics under the title "High-Power AlGaN Deep-Ultraviolet Micro-Light-Emitting Diode Displays for Maskless Photolithography," have garnered widespread acclaim. The innovation was recognized as one of China's top ten advances in third-generation semiconductor technology by the 10th International Forum on Wide Bandgap Semiconductors (IFWS).
The team plans further developments, aiming to enhance AlGaN deep ultraviolet microLED performance and introduce 2k to 8k high-resolution deep ultraviolet microLED display screens.
Research Report:High-power AlGaN deep-ultraviolet micro-light-emitting diode displays for maskless photolithography
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Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
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