Jointly build a Micro LED CPO joint laboratory, Zhaochi targets trial mass production in 2028

On May 28, Zhaochi Semiconductor and Hunan Normal University Future Technology Research Institute jointly announced the official establishment of the "Hunan Normal University-Zhaochi Semiconductor Micro LED Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) Joint Research Laboratory". The joint laboratory will carry out joint research and development around Micro LED optical communications, focusing on promoting the improvement of communication performance of single and array Micro LED chips, the construction of test verification platforms, and related prototype verification.

The establishment of the joint laboratory coincides with the window period for historic industrial upgrading of high-speed short-distance optical interconnection in the AI ​​era. According to TrendForce’s latest estimates, CPO’s penetration rate of optical communication modules in AI data centers will grow year by year, with a chance to reach 35% in 2030. With the advantages of ultra-high modulation bandwidth, micron-level light-emitting area and extremely low power consumption, Micro LED is becoming a light source with great potential in the next generation short-distance optical interconnect architecture. TrendForce estimates that the Micro LED CPO optical transceiver module market value will reach US$848 million in 2030.

A "two-way journey" between academic leaders and industry leaders

Hunan Normal University is a key university under the national "211 Project" and a national "double first-class" university. The Ministry of Education and Hunan Province jointly build a "double first-class" university. Currently, 14 disciplines including chemistry, materials science, engineering, and physics have entered the top 1% of ESI globally.

The school recently established the Future Technology Research Institute, which focuses on the research and talent cultivation of cutting-edge emerging technologies such as optoelectronic chips. It has a first-class research and development and concept verification platform for optoelectronic integration and advanced sealing technology at home and abroad. It has the conditions to support DUV/EBL/ICP micro-nano processing, optoelectronic co-packaging, wafer-level flip-chip bonding, active optical coupling, ultra-high-speed optical module testing and optical link principle prototype verification.

The technical team members of the institute include a group of high-level researchers represented by the head of the innovation group of the National Natural Science Foundation of China. The team has process window control capabilities in the field of back-end device integration and module integration. The above conditions provide solid technical and talent support for the core technical tasks of the joint laboratory.

As the industrialization body of the joint laboratory, Zhaochi’s technology accumulation in the field of Micro LED chips and its vertically integrated layout in the optical communications industry constitute a strong guarantee for the industrial implementation of the laboratory.

On the one hand, Zhaochi Semiconductor is the leading domestic LED chip company and one of the few domestic manufacturers with Micro LED chip technology research and development and large-scale mass production capabilities. By the end of 2024, Zhaochi Semiconductor will invest in the construction of a semiconductor laser chip production line with an annual production capacity of 100 million units, relying on 20 AIXTRON 2800G4 core production equipment and the technological connectivity between LED chips and semiconductor laser chips in epitaxial growth and chip manufacturing processes.

Faced with the industrial-level opportunities of optical interconnection technology in the era of AI computing power, Zhaochi Semiconductor, with its forward-looking insight and rapid response, officially completed the research and development of Micro LED light source chips for Micro LED optical interconnection CPO technology as early as March this year, and took the lead in entering the sample verification and testing stage, marking that Zhaochi’s technology layout in the field of Micro LED optical interconnection CPO has achieved key results.

On the other hand, since Zhaochi officially entered the optical communications track through acquisition in 2023, it has gradually built a complete vertical industry chain covering "terminal optical communications devices, optical modules, and core component optical chips". Based on the synergistic advantages of integration, Zhaochi Integration continues to conquer technological highlands and implement industrialization results one by one.

Optical chip: After 25G and below DFB laser chip products have successively passed the aging test verification and been shipped, the static performance of CW DFB laser chip products has successfully passed the test, and customer sample delivery plans have been launched...

Optical module: 200G and below optical modules have successfully achieved large-scale production; the first batch of 400G and 800G parallel optical transceiver modules have completed the installation and debugging of the equipment, and have successfully entered the small batch production stage after completing the reliability test...

On this basis, Zhaochi Technology's Wuhan Optical Communications R&D Center has been officially put into operation, which further improves Zhaochi Technology's national R&D layout and will also help it shorten the technology transformation cycle through industry-university-research cooperation. In the future, the joint laboratory is also expected to form an in-depth linkage with the Zhaochi Optical Communications R&D Center, allowing system-level adaptation of light source chips, advanced packaging and high-speed module design in the early stages of research and development, thus significantly shortening the cycle of converting cutting-edge technologies into industrial production lines.

Zhaochi takes three steps towards a clear and determined industrialization goal

Relying on the in-depth research experience of the relevant scientific research team of Hunan Normal University and the large-scale mass production capabilities of Zhaochi Semiconductor, this joint laboratory has clear and pragmatic logical support in terms of direction and core goals, with "production line mass production" as the ultimate orientation.

The cooperation between the two parties will create a new paradigm of industry-university-research integration. The overall project takes Zhaochi Semiconductor as the leading unit and industrialization body. Starting from the front-end light source and relying on Hunan Normal University's deep advantages in back-end device integration and module integration, Zhaochi aims to open up the entire industry chain closed loop of "chip R&D-advanced packaging-module integration-system testing".

In the next step, Zhaochi will make solid progress in accordance with the established roadmap of tapeout adaptation in 2026, integrated sample delivery in 2027, and large-scale mass production in 2028. The two parties will jointly overcome the technical difficulties of short-distance optical interconnection with a scientific and rigorous attitude and efficient engineering execution, and contribute pragmatic and efficient optical communication solutions to the construction of data centers in the era of AI computing power. (Text: LEDinside Janice)

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