Ultraviolet Light Systems

Our everyday lives are surrounded by items that are "cured" using ultraviolet light processing. From CDs and DVDs to soda bottles and cereal boxes. From credit cards and wood floors to glossy magazines. UV Light Systems are playing an increasingly important role in the processing of all of these everyday items.

Traditionally adhesives and coatings have been processed using primarily heat to produce a reaction to cause the materials to harden. Often this process is slow and energy intensive and in many cases involves the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Processing using UV light is fast and most VOC emissions can be eliminated.

Traditional lamp-based UV light sources have imposed their own problems, however. But now, Phoseon’s UV Light Systems, based on the company’s revolutionary new Semiconductor Light Matrix (SLM) technology, are obsoleting UV lamps by reducing the heat load and power consumption required and by eliminating the need for Mercury and the production of ozone that can be a by-product of traditional UV Lamps. The emergence of solid state UV light sources will continue the evolution of UV processing and open up new and exciting UV applications.

Curing

What is UV Curing? Simply, it describes the process of using UV light energy to cause a chemical reaction that polymerizes a combination of chemical components (typically monomers, oligomers and photoinitiators). These materials may be in the form of a coating, adhesive, ink or some other product.
There is a wide range of applications that can benefit from UV curing using Phoseon’s SLM technology, including:

• Clear Protective Coatings on: Compact discs, hardwood flooring, optical fibers, furniture, release papers, credit cards, magazine covers, and vinyl flooring
• Inks for: Ink jet, lithographic, flex, gravure, and screen printing applications
• Adhesives for: DVD bonding, automotive part assembly, general industrial assembly, labels and decals, electronic components and medical device assembly.

Other UV Light Applications

The uses for UV light systems go well beyond the material curing. Other key applications include:

Lithography & Exposure

Lithography and exposure are key steps in the production of all electronic products today and are used as part of the manufacturing process for semiconductor devices and printed circuit boards. In its most basic form an initial substrate is transformed with the application of various other materials, using a series of chemical, mechanical, and optical processes, to yield an extremely dense network of interconnects that is specific to the pattern desired. UV light systems are used in the process to “expose” materials, allowing for the pattern development. Depending on the size and type of the features, the wavelength and collimation (or directionality) of the light can be critical to effectively control the process.

Currently Phoseon’s SLM technology is being studied for printed circuit board exposure and semiconductor packaging applications where wavelength and collimation are matched more closely to the needs of the manufacturing process.

The technology is also being applied to the exposure of wafer tape, whereby UV light exposure facilitates the removal of the tape after wafer processing.

Cleaning & Germicidal Applications

UV Light is also useful in killing microorganisms. Typically the sterilizing range for UV is within the C bandwidth (shorter than 300nm). UVC has been used in hospitals for decades to sterilize surgical instruments, water, and the air in operating rooms. Many food and drug companies use germicidal lamps to disinfect various types of products and their containers.

The cleaning mechanism of UV is a photochemical process. The contaminants that pollute the indoor environment are almost entirely based upon organic or carbon-based compounds. UV light must strike the contaminants directly in order to penetrate a microorganism and break down its molecular bonds. This bond breakage translates into cellular or genetic damage, rendering the germs harmless by robbing them of the ability to reproduce.

While these application have typically used UV light systems emitting in the UVC bandwidth range, recent developments in the use of catalyst technology have allowed UV light systems emitting in the UVA range (approximately 345nm to 400nm) to become an effective solution for some germicidal applications. Phoseon is currently exploring the potential application of its SLM technology for these applications.

	Phoseon’s RX ultra violet light systems incorporate SLM light sources in different configurations, capable of handling a wide range of curing tasks from small-area to broad web applications. Learn more about Phoseon UV products and UV systems.

Learn more about Phoseon's UV LED based SLM Technology for UV Curing.