Int’l research team develops damage-free etching technique for optoelectronic semiconductors

Zhang Shuchen (1st L), a member of an international research team, is pictured at a lab at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, east China’s Anhui Province, Jan. 14, 2026. (University of Science and Technology of China/Handout via Xinhua)

An international research team has developed a “self-etching” technique to process soft and unstable ionic crystal lattice semiconductors, specifically 2D perovskite thin-layer single crystals, without damaging their structure, thereby overcoming a key challenge in the field of optoelectronic materials.

The study, led by researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China, Purdue University, and ShanghaiTech University, was published on Thursday in the journal Nature.

The team introduced a guided “self-etching” approach that leverages internal stress accumulated during crystal growth. By using a mild ligand-isopropyl alcohol (IPA) solution system, the researchers induced controlled in-plane self-etching at specific sites in 2D perovskite single crystals.

Subsequently, they precisely filled the etched cavities with 2D perovskites of varying halogen compositions. This enabled the creation of high-quality heterojunctions within a single crystal wafer, characterized by lattice continuity and atomically smooth interfaces.

In semiconductor optoelectronics, heterojunctions — interfaces formed between materials of different chemical compositions at the atomic level — allow precise control over the optical properties of each cavity. By tuning the halogens in these etched regions, researchers can design pixel-like units with adjustable emission color and brightness, a crucial step toward miniaturized and efficient optoelectronic devices.

Compared to conventional methods such as strong solvent treatment or ultraviolet patterning, this new strategy is gentler and preserves the crystal lattice from damage.

“This processing method suggests that in the future, we may integrate densely arranged microscopic light-emitting pixels of different colors on an ultra-thin material. It opens up a new material platform and design pathway for high-performance luminescent and display devices,” said Zhang Shuchen, a member of the research team.

Reference Link:- https://english.news.cn/20260115/43c9c8a6fe4c47a48d78ece8240d02df/c.html

Prof. Engr. Zamir Ahmed Awan 全球丝绸之路研究联盟创始人兼主席

Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…

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