The Horizon Europe project L2D2, funded by the European Innovation Council, has announced technical achievements that "could reshape the future of silicon photonics, semiconductor manufacturing, and high-speed data communications". The project has developed a laser-based, single-step and solvent-free digital process for transferring graphene and other 2D materials onto CMOS-compatible and silicon photonics wafers up to 8 inches. This innovation, known as Laser Digital Transfer (LDT), addresses one of the most persistent bottlenecks in 2D materials integration: enabling selective, clean and defect-free, compatible with industrial upscaling.
L2D2 brings together leading research and industry partners - National Technical University of Athens (coordinator), Graphenea Semiconductor, NVIDIA Mellanox, Bar-Ilan University, and Exelixis Research Management & Communication - combining deep expertise in materials science, semiconductor engineering, and exploitation strategy.
LDT enables:
• Laser transfer and patterning of 2D material “pixels” with feature sizes of <10 μm to >500 μm
• Wafer-level compatibility with 4-inch and 8-inch wafer platforms
• Clean transfer without polymer residues or solvent contamination
• Industrial reproducibility and automation potential
These capabilities open pathways for integrating graphene and other 2D materials into advanced nano-optoelectronic devices such as optical modulators, photodetectors, integrated transceivers and a plethora of sensors.
Prof. Ioanna Zergioti, NTUA – Project Coordinator, said: "LDT represents a decisive step toward bridging the gap between 2D materials research and semiconductor-grade manufacturing. Our results demonstrate that wafer-scale integration is now within reach.”
