This European start

For decades, the miniaturization of electronic chips has relied on increasingly sophisticated engraving technologies, approaching their physical limits. As circuits reach nanometric dimensions, the light used to draw them becomes a hindrance. Helium atom lithography offers a breakthrough by replacing photons with particles that can overcome these constraints and open up new perspectives for the semiconductor industry.

A beam of atoms 135 times finer than ASML’s light

Lace Lithography, founded in 2023 in Bergen, Norway, is working on a radically different engraving tool from those used in current foundries. Instead of the extreme ultraviolet light used by the Dutch company ASML, the startup sends a beam of helium atoms to silicon wafers. Physicist Bodil Holst from Denmark-Norway and engineer Adrià Salvador Palau from Spain lead the company from offices in Bergen and Barcelona. In March, Lace raised $40 million in a funding round led by European fund Atomico, with participation from Microsoft’s M12 fund.

Today, ASML’s most advanced machines project extreme ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 13.5 nanometers to engrave circuits. However, Lace’s helium beam is only 0.1 nanometers wide, 135 times narrower. Unlike photons, atoms do not face diffraction limits, a physical barrier that prevents light from drawing patterns below a certain size. This property could theoretically allow engraving patterns ten times smaller than those produced by current equipment.

The lithography by helium atoms, a significant technological gamble

The team presented its progress in February at the SPIE Advanced Lithography conference, a major event in the semiconductor industry. Prototypes are already working in the laboratory, and the startup aims to install a test tool in a pilot factory by 2029. Over 50 engineers and researchers currently work on the project, spread across Norway, Spain, the UK, and the Netherlands.

If the technology lives up to its promises, it would offer a less costly and less energy-intensive engraving method than ultraviolet light systems. ASML’s most advanced machines cost over $350 million each.

Europe seeking autonomy in chip manufacturing

Europe already has a key player with ASML in lithography equipment, but the production of the most advanced chips remains largely concentrated in Asia, especially at TSMC. Lace has benefited greatly from the support of the European Innovation Council and Innovasjon Norge long before Atomico entered its capital. The emergence of this startup reflects Europe’s determination not to let the next technological breakthrough happen elsewhere.

The transition from a laboratory prototype to a tool capable of mass producing chips is still significant. There is no guarantee yet that the process will be viable industrially, and there are still many technical challenges. But if Lace manages to overcome this hurdle, Europe could add to the lead gained with ASML a new groundbreaking lithography technology developed on its own soil.