NovaCentrix to "replace laser with photonic curing technology"

NovaCentrix, a printing and electronic equipment manufacturer, will introduce 'Photonic Curing' technology to replace laser, at Semicon Korea 2019.

Photonic curing is used for annealing materials on substrates that are weak against heat and easily bent such as paper or plastic. It does not damage the substrate because it emits light for only a millisecond. Unlike conventional laser equipment, the company says it generates less heat and is faster.

"Lasers are expensive, require a lot of energy, and there may cause uniformity issues," said Alex Rose, Asia Branch President of NovaCentrix, and added, "Display can be used for a laser lift-off (LLO) and semiconductors for soldering." LLO is used to remove a polyimide (PI) film used as a substrate in a flexible organic light emitting diode (OLED) from a transport glass (carrier glass). There should be no PI film damage.

In the case of soldering, it is a technique of bonding a die and a substrate through a solder coated on the substrate. Using photonic curing technology, temperature-sensitive lead can be instantaneously heated to adhere to substrates and semiconductors without strain.

"There are dozens of PulseForge devices used in Korea for our customers' display production lines," said Rose. "We have a lot of inquiries in the field of semiconductors because they can be used as replacements for lasers."

"Photonic curing makes combinations that were difficult with annealing possible, and it can be soldered directly onto micro-LEDs," he added.