In the semiconductor optoelectronics industry, VCSELs (Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers) are hailed as the “heart of core optoelectronic devices.” They are widely used in critical fields such as optical communications, 3D sensing, laser displays, and automotive LiDAR. However, the crucial side-oxidation process—a key step in their manufacturing—has long been firmly monopolized by advanced foreign equipment, becoming a major bottleneck that hinders the independent and controllable development of China’s domestic VCSEL industry.

The high procurement costs and long delivery cycles of imported equipment, coupled with delayed after-sales support, can easily hamper the entire production line, leaving domestic enterprises trapped for a long time in the dilemma of “relying on imports and being subject to others.” Today, this predicament has been completely broken by Aikewei Semiconductor—the first domestically produced, fully indigenous low-temperature vertical oxidation furnace capable of performing VCSEL side-oxygen processing has officially been put into operation. With its robust technological prowess, this furnace fills the domestic gap in high-end oxidation equipment, providing solid backing—“Chinese-made equipment”—for the manufacturing of domestically produced VCSEL chips.

01 Hardcore Innovation / FUTURE

The Aikewei VCSEL oxidation furnace is not merely a “domestic substitution”; rather, it represents an all-around technological leap. As a completely domestically developed product, this equipment has achieved multiple breakthroughs in technology, structure, process compatibility, and performance, comprehensively enhancing the performance indicators of domestically produced low-temperature oxidation furnaces and bringing its core parameters to internationally leading levels.

In the VCSEL side-oxidation process, temperature stability and oxidation uniformity directly determine the optoelectronic performance of the device; even minor temperature fluctuations can lead to device failure. After more than a decade of dedicated research and development, Aikewei’s R&D team has established two core technological barriers to overcome this challenge:

First, a multi-zone independent temperature-control technology coupled with closed-loop feedback regulation, based on thermal-flow coupling simulation, is combined with a high-purity quartz and silicon carbide composite reaction chamber. This approach addresses the shortcomings of conventional chambers, prevents chip contamination, and enables precise control of the furnace temperature. Second, a self-developed adaptive PID algorithm with dynamic thermal-field fluctuation compensation can instantly counteract external disturbances, stabilizing temperature control accuracy within ±0.5℃ and achieving oxide uniformity within ±3%. These two core indicators represent significant breakthroughs.

After hundreds of cavity optimizations and thousands of temperature-control adjustments, this equipment has achieved world-class levels in stability, efficiency, and process consistency. It has obtained dual certifications—ISO9001 and SEMIS2—and has successfully completed mass-production validation by domestic enterprises. Its efficiency per batch surpasses that of imported equipment, while its overall operating costs have been significantly reduced, truly making it “Made in China—higher quality, more economical.”

02 Precise Adaptation / FUTURE

As specialized equipment developed specifically for VCSEL devices, Aikewei’s VCSEL oxidation furnace efficiently supports the VCSEL wet-oxidation process. Using a wet-oxidation technique under controllable humidity conditions ranging from 300°C to 500°C, this furnace builds a dense optical confinement layer and an electrical insulation structure for VCSEL devices. It precisely achieves dual confinement of both the optical field and current, significantly enhancing device performance and reliability. Meanwhile, the furnace is also compatible with standard wafer surface passivation processes, meeting the dual-process requirements of optoelectronic and semiconductor devices.

Relying on its outstanding technological performance, this equipment has been deeply integrated into China's domestic semiconductor industry chain, covering multiple core sectors such as optical communications, laser display, and 3D sensing, and even extending into emerging fields like automotive LiDAR and biomedical detection.

01 Optical Communications: / Innovate the future

Adapted for the manufacturing of 850nm VCSEL chips, enabling autonomous and controllable short-reach interconnects (SR scenarios) and supporting the upgrade of the 5G communications industry.

02 3D Sensing Field / Innovate the Future

Provide core technological support for scenarios such as mobile phone facial recognition and autonomous driving perception, enhancing sensing accuracy and stability.

03 Laser Display Field / Innovate the Future

Optimizing the light-emitting performance of VCSEL devices to help laser TVs, laser projectors, and other products achieve higher image quality and lower power consumption.

04 Research Field / CREATE A LIFE

Serving “Double First-Class” universities and research institutes in the semiconductor field, providing reliable experimental equipment support for VCSEL device R&D.

Currently, Aikewei’s VCSEL oxidation furnace has served over 300 industry-leading companies, including Huawei, CRRC, and CETC. With its stable performance and high-quality service, it has become the equipment of choice for mass production and scientific research in China’s domestic VCSEL industry. Moreover, thanks to its “R&D and Industrialization of the First Set of High-Performance Domestic Vertical Wet-Oxidation Furnace for VCSELs” project, the company was awarded the Third Prize in the Growth Enterprise Group of the 2025 Hunan Province (International) Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition sponsored by Changsha Bank, highlighting China’s independent breakthrough capabilities in semiconductor equipment.

03 Domestic Responsibility / FUTURE

Semiconductor equipment is the “mother machine” of the industry, and achieving independent control is a prerequisite for high-quality development. Since its establishment, Aikewei has been driven by the original aspiration of breaking through the “bottleneck” in equipment technology. Upholding the spirit of “craftsmanship and pursuit of excellence,” it has brought together China’s top scientific research talents, built comprehensive R&D and production capabilities across all fields, and accumulated over 60 patents and software copyrights. Through more than a decade of steady accumulation, Aikewei has made the leap from “following” to “leading.”

In the future, Aikewei will remain committed to its corporate spirit of “craftsmanship and pursuit of excellence,” building on its technological breakthroughs in VCSEL oxidation furnaces. We will continue to deepen our integrated “equipment + process” services, focusing on addressing the “bottleneck” challenges in more specialized segments of semiconductor equipment. We will also promote the export of mature technologies to overseas markets, enabling “Made in Hunan” semiconductor equipment to go global. By fostering independent innovation, we will lay a solid foundation for the secure development of China’s “chip industry,” help the Chinese semiconductor sector achieve high-quality growth, and write a new chapter in the rise of domestically produced equipment!