AlixLabs, a Swedish semiconductor startup focused on innovative ALE (Atomic Layer Etch) processes, announces that it has been granted 2.5 MSEK (equivalent to approximately 220,000 EUR) by Sweden’s innovation agency Vinnova. The funding was granted as part of a 4 MSEK (approx. 350,000 EUR) grant from the strategic innovation program Electronic Components and Systems and its Research and Innovation Projects 2024, with 1.5 MSEK going to Halmstad University.
The funding will allow AlixLabs to continue the commercialization of its ALE processes and associated equipment that it aims to provide to semiconductor manufacturers around the world. With AlixLabs’ innovative products, semiconductor manufacturers are able to streamline their production workflows, cutting down the number of manufacturing steps required to turn silicon into chips.
“We are proud to be recognized as an important innovator in Sweden, despite the Swedish semiconductor cluster being of modest size on a global scale. With the help of Vinnova and by extension all of Sweden, we are closing in on our goal which is to make advanced semiconductor production more energy efficient and sustainable,” says Jonas Sundqvist, CEO and Co-Founder of AlixLabs.
AlixLabs’ flagship product is APS™, short for ALE Pitch Splitting. It can for example be used to split a 40 nanometer wide nanostructure into two that measure 10 nanometers across – etching with never-before seen precision rather than relying on expensive EUV (extreme ultraviolet) lithography equipment.
“Our products will offer semiconductor giants such as TSMC, Samsung and Intel ways to streamline their future production workflows. The same products also enable those who are not necessarily at the bleeding edge of semiconductor production, such as UMC, GlobalFoundries and Tower Semiconductor, to advance manufacturing in a cost-effective manner.
The Vinnova funding is for continuous research and development of AlixLabs’ semiconductor products starting September 2024 through August 2026.