LG Display and Yonsei University Publish Paper on Photomask Technology in Nature Journal

Yonsei University Professor Sim Wooyoung's Research Team
Develops 'Photolithography' for Ultrafine Pattern Implementation

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] A paper by a research team at Yonsei University, supported by LG Display as part of industry-academia cooperation, has been published in the latest issue of the world-renowned scientific journal 'Nature Communications.'

On the 13th, LG Display announced that through incubation project support, Professor Woo-Young Shim's research team from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Yonsei University developed a new photomask technology that enables high-resolution implementation of LCD and OLED.

A photomask refers to a high-purity quartz substrate on which fine circuits are patterned with chrome for processes such as semiconductors and displays. The mask containing the circuit pattern acts as a photographic plate.

This paper concerns the development of a 'photolithography' technology that implements ultra-fine patterns of sizes previously impossible by using a new flexible and transparent type of photomask. This technology can be applied not only to LCDs but also to OLEDs.

To overcome the limitations of the existing rigid photomasks, the research team developed a new flexible and transparent type of mask and the process using it. This enabled the implementation of ultra-fine patterns of several tens of nanometers, which is about 1/100th the size currently possible with existing display exposure equipment.

Electronic circuits manufactured with ultra-fine patterns are essential for high-resolution implementation. The flexible material mask can also be applied to curved substrates, and the company explained that it is expected to contribute to the production of various forms of displays.

Dr. Ki-Seok Jang of LG Display, a co-author of the paper, said, "The developed photolithography technology is a seed technology that can greatly contribute to the advancement of future display technology."

Professor Shim explained, "This research is significant in that it developed a photolithography process that can overcome the diffraction limit of light," adding, "It can be applied not only to flat but also curved substrates, and it is expected to be applicable to various forms of device processes in the future."

Meanwhile, since 2015, LG Display has been operating the ‘LG Display-Yonsei University Incubation Program,’ an industry-academia program for the development of the display industry, supporting companies and universities to gather display-based technologies and product ideas and realize industrialization together.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.