iLED iLED, October issue : 14
OCT OBER 2011 ISSUE N°2 COMP ANY INSIGHT Even if LED market growth is softening, manufacturers are still actively exploiting laser scribing and lift-off to innovate production, explains Bill Kallgren from New Hampshire equipment producer JPSA. oday, laser weapons remain mainly the stuff of science fi ction. But in the hands of LED producers, laser scribing and lift-off tools are powerful ammunition in the fi ght to improve yields and performance while lowering costs. Consequently Manchester, New Hampshire, based JP Sercel Associates (JPSA), which specialises in this kind of equipment, has experienced surging demand for its products in recent years. It bene fi ted from a spectacular 250% increase in shipments of laser processing systems for LEDs from 2009 levels in the fi rst three quarters of 2010 alone. Much of that was down to increasing demand from major Taiwanese and Korean manufacturers for the company's ChromaDice high throughput laser tools. And though LED companies have been hit by pro fi tability declines in recent months, Bill Kallgren, JPSA's sales manager says that his company remains busy. “JPSA has been in this market for many years, through various ups and downs and has developed a business model that allows us to avoid surprises and leverage our capability as market demand changes,” he said. “In our experience every market goes through peaks and valleys and the LED market is certainly not immune. We commonly fi nd ourselves in the enviable position that, while LED manufacturing pro fi ts may be declining, the truly world class operations still evolve their products. During these periods they rely on working closely with JPSA’s process scientists and engineers to improve LED technology through research and innovation.” Lasers help new LED technologies lift off T Bill Kallgren, Sales Manager, JP Sercel Associates Technological take-off: Nine LED die where the sapphire substrate has been removed by laser lift-off, a technique that JPSA pioneered, surrounded by other die retaining their substrate material. (Courtesy of JPSA) “While LED manufacturing pro fi ts may be declining, the truly world class operations still evolve their products,” says Bill Kallgren, JPSA Laser tools have established themselves as valuable assets in LED fabs across the world for squeezing more die onto a wafer. Recently, they have become more productive, thanks to greater automation, and are showing themselves to be increasingly versatile, Kallgren told iLED. “Scribing and dicing continue to play an important role in the manufacturing of LEDs,” he noted. “JPSA sees an evolving market as individual manufacturers re fi ne and develop new technology to stay competitive. Devices with structures that exploit innovations such as laser lift-off (LLO), patterned sapphire substrates (PSS) and backside coatings and re fl ectors are driving development in scribing technology.” Tools for front-side scribing in sapphire and high-brightness LED wafers that use diode-pumped solid-state 266 nm UV lasers largely provided JPSA's recent success. But with JPSA's customers continually improving their products JPSA must innovate along with them -and the close interaction this demands has given them cause for positive expectations.“JPSA remains very optimistic about the medium term business opportunities,” Kallgren said. “We fi nd many of our customers are working on new processes and materials that put new demands on scribing technology. The extensive applications development capability and expertise that JPSA can offer our customers allows these companies to make signi fi cant progress quickly on their development programs and JPSA is able to help them get to market quickly.” Thinning waste: JPSA's laser scribing tools can achieve kerf as narrow as 2.5 μ m wide, maximising the wafer area usable for LED chips. (Courtesy of JPSA) 14 i LED
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