January 10, 2012 - PRNewswire -- EV Group (EVG), wafer fab equipment provider, signed a joint-development and licensing agreement with lithography company Eulitha AG, integrating Eulitha's PHABLE mask-based ultraviolet (UV) photolithography technology with EVG's automated mask aligner product platform.

The aim is low cost of ownership (CoO) nanopatterning of high-brightness light emitting diodes (HB-LEDs). Through this agreement, EVG and Eulitha will explore new manufacturing technologies that support lower manufacturing costs and higher light output/efficiency for LED manufacturers.

Figure. Hexagonal pattern with 300-nm hole diameter generated by PHABLE. (PRNewsFoto/EV Group).

Combining Eulitha's full-field exposure technology with EVG's mask alignment platform reportedly provides low-cost, automated fabrication of photonic nanostructures over large areas, and supports the production of energy efficient LEDs, as well as solar cells and liquid crystal displays (LCDs).

Proximity lithography is low-cost, easy to use, and non-contact with the substrate. EVG's wafer alignment offers sub-micron resolution. "We believe the synergies of our respective technologies have great potential to provide the resolution and volume-production capabilities of lithography steppers at a fraction of the cost," said Harun Solak, CEO of Eulitha.

EVG plans to offer a PHABLE-enabled EVG620 system as an extension to its well-established mask alignment system platform. Demo capabilities are already in place, and the first products are expected to ship later in 2012.

Eulitha AG is a spin-off company of the Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland. It specializes in the development of innovative lithographic technologies for applications in optoelectronics, photonics, biotechnology, and data storage. For more information, visit www.eulitha.com.

EV Group (EVG) supplies wafer bonding, lithography/nanoimprint lithography (NIL) and metrology equipment, as well as photoresist coaters, cleaners and inspection systems for semiconductor, MEMS and nanotechnology applications. Learn more at www.EVGroup.com.