DIY Semiconductor Enthusiast Creates LEDs Using Homemade Cleanroom and eBay Laser
Matthew Hartensveld, known as Dr. Semiconductor, has expanded his backyard semiconductor lab to fabricate LEDs. He used a sapphire wafer coated with gallium nitride, then etched patterns with a powerful laser purchased on eBay, operating it in his bathroom for safety. After applying indium contacts, he successfully produced blue light with a 9V battery, advancing his open-source Semiconductor.DIY project.
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Hartensveld's process began by breaking the gallium nitride-coated sapphire wafer into shards and cleaning them with deionized water, acetone, and isopropyl. He avoided chlorine gas etching due to its hazards, instead using a powerful laser purchased from eBay, which he operated in his bathroom to keep his dog safe from the beam.
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