Gari Arutinov | Holst Centre: Can laser printing replace traditional micro-dispensing for ultra-fine-pitch display interconnects?
00:08:43 - 00:10:09
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Can laser printing replace traditional micro-dispensing for ultra-fine-pitch display interconnects?
As microLEDs shrink to single-digit micron dimensions, traditional micro-dispensing and screen printing of interconnect materials reach their physical resolution limits. To solve this, Holst Centre developed a volume-controlled laser printing technology that utilizes structured carrier plates filled with conductive adhesives or solder pastes. A proprietary, laser-insensitive release layer ensures that the target materials are ejected cleanly without thermal or chemical degradation.
The system has already demonstrated non-contact, safe release of 14-micron solder paste dots. For conductive adhesives, the technology has successfully scaled down to 20-micron features, with a clear engineering roadmap to reach 5 microns in the short term. For solder paste, current capabilities sit at 40 microns with a rapid path to 20 microns.
By isolating the energy transfer to the release stack rather than the target material, the system preserves the chemistry, viscosity, and electrical performance of the adhesive or solder. This prevents the "spraying" phenomenon typical of standard laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) processes, ensuring uniform, well-defined micro-bump deposition.
In this short video, you can learn:
* The mechanics of volume-controlled laser printing for ultra-fine-pitch backplane interconnects.
* The scaling limits of current solder paste (40µm) and conductive adhesives (20µm) using this non-contact approach.
* How a laser-insensitive release layer prevents material spraying and maintains material performance.
📋 **Clip Abstract** Gari Arutinov introduces Holst Centre's innovative volume-controlled laser printing technology for depositing ultra-fine interconnects. He details how this non-contact technique scales solder paste and conductive adhesives down to micron levels without affecting material integrity.
#VolumeControlledLaserPrinting, #UltraFinePitchInterconnects, #MicroSolderBumping, #LaserForwardTransfer, #MicroLEDDisplays, #AdvancedPackaging
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01:13 - 03:04
Why do contact pick-and-place tools fail the four pillars of advanced packaging, and what does a laser pulse replace them with?
Why do contact pick-and-place tools fail the four pillars of advanced packaging, and what does a laser pulse replace them with?
The mid-end layer sits between classical front-end wafer fabrication and packaging, where compute, power, photonics and memory building blocks come together. Its performance depends on how well and precisely those blocks are assembled, at what throughput and yield. The stated problem: how to efficiently assemble these Lego building blocks. Four pillars define the requirement: ultra-high precision, handling increasingly larger, thin and fragile components, maximizing package real estate, and pristine interfaces for efficient electrical and optical connection.
Achieving those four pillars at production throughput with conventional contact-based pick-and-place systems becomes increasingly difficult, if not impossible. The alternative eliminates contact altogether: a laser pulse triggers release of the component from proprietary release stacks, transferring it in a non-contact manner toward the target substrate. Because the process is non-contact, stress is minimised and contamination is reduced for both the components and the receiver, and eventually the product. The release happens within microsecond range.
The microsecond release is what enables support for high-throughput processing, and, as stated, it is intrinsic to the approach. Together, non-contact transfer addresses the pillars where contact tools struggle: precision, fragility, package real estate and interface quality. Photonics, memory, compute and power blocks can be placed without the mechanical touch that limits conventional systems. That is the claim: replace contact with a laser pulse, and keep production throughput.
In this short video, you can learn:
* The mid-end sits between front-end wafer fabrication and packaging, and its performance depends on precision, throughput and yield when assembling compute, power, photonics and memory blocks.
* Four pillars are named: ultra-high precision, handling larger thin fragile components, maximising package real estate, and pristine interfaces for electrical and optical connection.
* A laser pulse releases the component from proprietary release stacks within microseconds, transferring it non-contact to the target substrate.
📋 **Clip Abstract** Conventional contact-based pick-and-place struggles to deliver the four pillars at production throughput, so the approach removes contact entirely. A laser pulse triggers release from proprietary release stacks in the microsecond range, reducing stress and contamination while supporting high-throughput transfer of components toward the target substrate.
About the speaker:
* Speaker: Gari Arutinov
* Company: Holst Centre
* Event: Eindhoven 2026
* Location: High Tech Campus, Eindhoven
#NonContactTransfer, #ProprietaryReleaseStacks, #MicrosecondRelease, #MidEndAssembly, #AdvancedPackaging, #HeterogeneousIntegration
06:57 - 09:21
How close is die assembly to the sub-200-nanometer three-sigma accuracy that photonic coupling demands?
How close is die assembly to the sub-200-nanometer three-sigma accuracy that photonic coupling demands?
Integrated photonics performance is extremely sensitive to alignment accuracy. A tiny misalignment of the die directly translates to optical losses, and the interface must be exceptionally clean for efficient optical connection. Release stack carriers can also act as processing carriers. Before transfer, substrates can be cleaned and activated efficiently on a carrier level. Besides transferring dies precisely, the approach prepares interfaces for bonding, so optical connection quality is optimized.
Indium phosphide photonic components have been assembled onto various receiving platforms, supported by an adhesiveless bonding strategy and compatibility with various photonic architectures. A roadmap target was set at sub-200 nanometer three-sigma accuracy, critical for highly efficient optical coupling of devices. Across the last one and a half years, progress moved from one micron in 2025 to 500 nanometer one sigma early this year, then to 350 nanometer three sigma in latest results.
Photonic photo detectors were successfully integrated onto the SOI platform and packaged into a fully functional module. This module demonstrates 200 nanometer precision accuracy supported by the adhesive-less approach. The latest 350 nanometer three-sigma result brings the effort firmly onto the sub-200-nanometer target. The stress bench shows how carrier-level cleaning and activation prepare bonding interfaces while precise die transfer addresses optical loss sensitivity.
In this short video, you can learn:
* Integrated photonics is an ideal stress bench because tiny die misalignment directly becomes optical loss and interfaces must be exceptionally clean.
* Indium phosphide photonic components have been assembled onto various receiving photonic platforms with an adhesiveless bonding strategy.
* Precision progressed from one micron in 2025 to 500 nanometer one sigma early this year, then 350 nanometer three sigma, with photonic photo detectors on SOI packaged into a fully functional module at 200 nanometer accuracy.
📋 **Clip Abstract** Integrated photonics demands exceptionally clean interfaces and alignment so precise that tiny die misalignment does not become optical loss. Using release stack carriers for cleaning and activation before precise die transfer, the work assembled indium phosphide photonic components with adhesiveless bonding onto various photonic platforms, advancing from one micron in 2025 to 350 nanometer three sigma and demonstrating photonic photo detectors on SOI packaged into a fully functional module at 200 nanometer precision.
About the speaker:
* Speaker: Gari Arutinov
* Company: Holst Centre
* Event: Eindhoven 2026
* Location: High Tech Campus, Eindhoven
#IndiumPhosphide, #AdhesivelessBonding, #Sub200NanometerAccuracy, #SOIPhotodetectors, #IntegratedPhotonics, #OpticalPackaging
04:58 - 06:42
What transfer speed and yield has laser die assembly actually demonstrated for microLEDs at panel scale?
What transfer speed and yield has laser die assembly actually demonstrated for microLEDs at panel scale?
For microLEDs, throughput and yield remain dominant challenges: these plates require millions of tiny dies to be assembled. Here, 10,000 microLEDs were transferred within two seconds on a panel, with transfer yield above 99.9%. Speed has been showcased, but overall assembly throughput depends on motion control and matching donor-to-receiver designs, where pitches are matched. The open question is whether distribution and micro corrections are needed; the transfer yield potential shows it is not a bottleneck within throughput.
Speed overall is not enough; deploying to real use cases is key. The work showcased transfer of 250,000 tiny dies onto a substrate that mimics a smart eyewear application: concave eye lenses. Despite the tiny size of the dies, dimensions are on the slide, transfer yield was maintained above 98%. This moves the assembly challenge from a lab demonstration toward application-specific geometries, where die dimensions and receiver curvature matter.
The next step is industrial deployment. Together with industrial partner ITECH, a showcase pre-industrial system has been built for this application domain. It is capable of achieving micron-level alignment accuracies at very high throughputs. This combination targets real use cases rather than only demonstration speed, linking transfer speed and yield to application-specific eyewear geometries and panel-scale integration needs.
In this short video, you can learn:
* 10,000 microLEDs were transferred in two seconds on a panel while transfer yield stayed above 99.9%.
* 250,000 tiny dies were transferred onto a substrate mimicking smart eyewear concave eye lenses with transfer yield above 98%.
* A pre-industrial system built with ITECH reaches micron-level alignment accuracies at very high throughputs, while overall throughput depends on motion control and matched donor-receiver pitches.
📋 **Clip Abstract** MicroLED panel assembly faces throughput and yield limits, but the demonstrated transfer of 10,000 microLEDs in two seconds at above 99.9% yield shows transfer yield is not the bottleneck. Scaling to smart eyewear-like concave eye lenses, 250,000 dies were transferred above 98% yield, and an ITECH pre-industrial system now targets micron-level alignment at very high throughputs.
About the speaker:
* Speaker: Gari Arutinov
* Company: Holst Centre
* Event: Eindhoven 2026
* Location: High Tech Campus, Eindhoven
#MicroLEDTransfer, #TransferYield, #ConcaveEyeLenses, #MicronAlignment, #MicroLEDDisplays, #ARDisplayManufacturing