News

15 October 2008

 

SemiLEDs orders Ultratech projection stepper for LED mass production

Lithography and laser-processing system maker Ultratech Inc of San Jose, CA, USA has received a multi-system order from high-brightness LED (HB-LED) maker SemiLEDs Corp of Boise, ID, USA for its manufacturing facility in Hsinchu Science Park, Taiwan.

SemiLEDs will use Ultratech’s Star 100 lithography tools for its white HB-LEDs and high-power UVC-LEDs as well as other lighting applications. Ultratech says that advanced lithography is enabling SemiLEDs to grow its position in a burgeoning market as the industry shifts from conventional lithography to projection stepper lithography for advanced LED production.

“With improved alignment and resolution of the Star 100 Ultratech stepper system, we will start volume production of our advanced UVA high-power LED product family (365/395/405nm), with output optical power as high as 350mW/mm2,” says SemiLEDs’ chairman & CEO Trung Tri Doan. “This new family of UVC high-power LED products will enable new LED applications that could only be dreamed of - polymer curing such as inkjet printers, sanitation, semiconductor processes, medical applications such as dental, cancer treatment, tanning, etc,” he adds.

SemiLEDs claims to be the only mass producer of metal-base LED chips. “The MvPLED [metal vertical photon LED] blue product family has seen a 15% improvement in performance; the new class of SemiLEDs solid-state lighting devices (SL-SSL) 120 lumens/watt will help accelerate the adoption of solid-state lighting,” Trung Tri Doan reckons.

“We selected Ultratech’s lithography steppers based on the tools’ high reliability and low cost of ownership,” he continues. “Ultratech will continue to play an integral role as advanced LED device volumes grow.”

“While this multi-system order demonstrates our ability to provide lithography systems that enable greater economic value to emerging markets, it also reinforces Ultratech’s focus on energy conservation,” comments Ultratech’s chairman & CEO Arthur W. Zafiropoulo. “With energy conservation driving up demand, HBLED leaders such as SemiLEDs are increasingly turning to stepper-based projection lithography due to its cost and yield advantages.”

The Star 100 lithography system is used by HB-LED and laser diode manufacturers, and is designed to be easily integrated into a broad range of fabs with varying equipment types and wafer sizes. Ultratech says that its resolution, depth of focus, proprietary alignment system, and substrate handling capability combine to provide high productivity, reliability, flexibility, and cost-of-ownership advantages critical for advanced and emerging markets as they move toward high-volume production.

See related item:

Semi-Photonics begins transition to 4 inch GaN with Aixtron AIX 2800G4 HT system

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