AlixLabs awarded Swedish innovation grant
AlixLabs AB, a Swedish startup pioneering new semiconductor processing technology, has been granted €345k (around 4 M SEK) in funding from Swedish innovation agency Vinnova. The funding is spread out over three years with €56k credited immediately, with the remainder to follow over the coming three years.
The funds will help AlixLabs’ further its APS (Atomic Layer Etch Pitch Splitting) technology to a higher technology readiness level and strengthen customer engagement efforts.
The company's APS technology already allows for etching of feature sizes comparable to those of today’s 3nm class chips with the company’s own equipment. With other proprietary ALE (Atomic Layer Etching) processes, AlixLabs can also contribute to RF and power IC GaN and SiC workflows, with pattern transfer, precision etching and surface roughness reduction for wafers.
“We are always pleased to receive recognition and state support for our efforts to scale up our business and commercialise our technology,” said Amin Karimi, COO and R&D manager at AlixLabs. “The support comes at a crucial stage as we are installing our first 300mm tool in our clean room and are increasingly engaging with potential clients around the semiconductor industry. At the core of our efforts is our APS technology which we are convinced is the most sustainable and affordable way forward for semiconductor manufacturing at 3 and 2nm and beyond.”
“The semiconductor industry is facing a big challenge with regards to sustainability and rising costs to manufacture leading-edge semiconductors. We propose etching instead of costly EUV lithography, and our demonstrations show that we can help produce sub-3-nanometer chips at 35–50 percent lower costs per wafer pass than by using EUV,” said Jonas Sundqvist, CEO at AlixLabs. “While we target the leading-edge logic and memory producers with APS, our technology also makes it possible for foundries who have given up pursuing sub-20-nanometer production to scale down in a cost-effective way.”
The Vinnova grant will be used by AlixLabs to accelerate the commercialisation of its APS technology by deepening customer engagement and conducting demonstration projects. These demos will be carried out both at AlixLabs’ facilities and on customer platforms, showcasing the practical advantages of APS. This approach is expected to advance the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of the company's solutions, paving the way for broader industry adoption.
The funding is part of Vinnova’s initiative to accelerate deep tech companies, recognising the potential of AlixLabs’ APS technology to enable cost-efficient Ångström-level scaling for the semiconductor industry.
Pictured above: Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of amorphous silicon lines before (top) and after the APS process: nominal 40 nm line width and 40 nm half-pitch converted to lines with width below 15 nm and a half-pitch of 20 nm.
