Co-financed by ASCENT+ and leveraging Fraunhofer IPMS metrology for advanced defect control, the collaboration aims to cut costs, reduce environmental footprint, and enhance water recycling.

Stockholm, Sweden – August 7^th, 2025 – AlixLabs and NSS Water are pleased to announce a strategic collaboration to develop sustainable and cost-effective ultrapure water (UPW) management solutions for chip production. Amid rising concerns over the semiconductor industry’s ever-increasing water consumption and regulatory pressure to reduce environmental impact, the two Swedish companies will team up to address this challenge.

The project value is approximately 28,000 euros, with funding coming from the European Union’s ASCENT+ program and is overseen by Fraunhofer IPMS (Institute for Photonic Microsystems.)

By integrating Fraunhofer IPMS’s state-of-the-art metrology expertise in advanced defect and contamination control, the partnership aims to improve and elevate water recycling methods, reduce chemical usage, and optimize overall process efficiency – paving the way for smarter water solutions in a water-constrained future.

According to industry data, the semiconductor sector has experienced a 20–30% increase in water consumption in recent years, with the average chip manufacturing facility using up to 10 million gallons of UPW daily – an amount equivalent to the daily water needs of a city of 300,000 people. Producing UPW traditionally comes at a significant cost: it can be 60 to 350 times more expensive than drinking water due to the intensive energy and chemical processes required. This is the challenge NSS Water addresses with its nano-pure water (NPW).

The semiconductor industry’s water consumption is projected to keep increasing due to more advanced plants with higher consumption coming online in the coming years. Additionally, 40% of chip production facilities are projected to be located in high-water-risk areas by 2030, meaning the need for data-driven, circular water strategies has never been more critical.

“Water is the lifeblood of our planet and the backbone of the semiconductor industry,” says Reza Jafari Jam, Research Director at AlixLabs. “This collaborative research on water conservation not only safeguards a finite resource but fuels innovation, ensuring sustainable growth and technological advancement. We push the semiconductor industry to be more sustainable with our APS™ patterning process technology and our collaboration with NSS Water will further solidify our position as an enabler tomorrow’s green semiconductor production.”

“We are happy to expand our collaboration with AlixLabs and Fraunhofer,” says Björn Holmström, CEO at NSS Water. “The importance of advanced metrology will help us provide a platform that improves the water infrastructure used by AlixLabs and other advanced semiconductor players. With this project, we get to benchmark our NPW on 300-millimeter wafers as well as have the wafers cleaned with NPW by Fraunhofer.”

Through this partnership, AlixLabs and NSS Water are combining their respective strengths in innovative water treatment, advanced analytics, and semiconductor manufacturing know-how to develop solutions that significantly reduce water usage, lower operational costs, and bolster sustainability. Fraunhofer IPMS’s involvement ensures precise contamination and defect control, further enhancing the effectiveness of the recycling and purification processes.

Co-financed by the European Nanoelectronics Access program ASCENT+, which provides a direct gateway to Europe’s global-scale Nanoelectronics Research Infrastructure, granting researchers, SMEs, and PhD candidates access to state-of-the-art capabilities. The project is an important step in positioning AlixLabs, NSS Water and the European Union at the forefront of sustainable semiconductor manufacturing innovations.

About AlixLabs
Established in 2019 in Lund, Sweden, AlixLabs emerged as a spin-off from Lund University with a mission to enable the cost-effective and energy-conscious fabrication of semiconductors, particularly logic and memory components. AlixLabs boasts patented recognition for its groundbreaking APS™ technique, a process that achieves nanostructure division through etching. This method holds approved patents across the USA, Taiwan, and Europe. The APS™ acronym signifies ALE Pitch Splitting, leveraging ALE (Atomic Layer Etching), a plasma-based dry etching cyclic methodology. For more details, please visit www.alixlabs.com

Efforts with APS™ recognized for driving sustainable leading-edge semiconductor production.

Lund, Sweden – June 28, 2025 — AlixLabs, an innovative semiconductor equipment startup based in Lund, Sweden, has been named a semi-finalist in the prestigious 2025 SEMI Startups for Sustainable Semiconductors (S3) program. Now in its fourth year, the S3 program has drawn global attention for highlighting early-stage companies that are making groundbreaking contributions to sustainability in the semiconductor industry.

This year’s competition reached a new milestone, receiving a record 145 applications from startups around the world. AlixLabs is one of only 35 companies selected to advance to the semi-final round — a significant endorsement of its innovative Atomic Layer Pitch Splitting (APS™) technology.

APS™ is a patented process that addresses one of the semiconductor industry’s most pressing challenges: how to continue scaling transistor architectures affordably and sustainably as traditional lithography methods become increasingly complex and costly. By doubling pattern density at half the cost and integrating seamlessly into existing fabrication lines, APS™ enables more efficient manufacturing without relying on the latest and most expensive lithography tools.

Crucially, APS™ also contributes to reducing the environmental impact of semiconductor production — a sector known for its intensive energy and resource use. The technology supports energy-efficient scaling while lowering overall manufacturing costs, aligning closely with the SEMI S3 program’s mission to accelerate eco-friendly innovation in chipmaking.

“We are proud and honored to be recognized by SEMI and the S3 Committee, led by Applied Materials,” said Dr. Jonas Sundqvist, CEO of AlixLabs. “Our inclusion as a semi-finalist underscores the real-world impact and potential of our APS™ technology in advancing the global transition to more sustainable semiconductor manufacturing.”

As a semi-finalist, AlixLabs will participate in the S3 virtual pitch event scheduled for July 31 and August 1, where selected startups will present their solutions to an expert panel of judges, industry leaders, and potential investors.

The SEMI S3 program is organized by SEMI, the global industry association serving the electronics manufacturing and design supply chain. It aims to foster innovative startups that are pioneering technologies to improve the environmental sustainability of semiconductor production.

For more information about the SEMI S3 program, visit semi.org. To learn more about AlixLabs and its APS™ technology, visit alixlabs.com.

New General Manager to drive the company’s next growth phase at a time of crucial company expansion.

Lund, Sweden – June 3^rd, 2025 — AlixLabs, a pioneering Swedish semiconductor startup known for its disruptive patterning technologies, proudly announces the appointment of Per-Anders Eriksson as its new General Manager, effective June 1, 2025.

With over three decades of leadership experience in the global semiconductor and high-tech industries, Eriksson brings strategic insight and operational expertise to AlixLabs at a time of rapid growth and international expansion. His proven track record in scaling technology ventures, coupled with deep domain knowledge, will be instrumental as the company advances its breakthrough Atomic Layer Etch Pitch Splitting (APS™) technology towards commercialization.

Prior to joining AlixLabs, Eriksson held senior leadership roles at several multinational companies, where he successfully led business development, product strategy, and global operations. His international experience and ability to lead high-performing teams make him well-suited to drive AlixLabs’ next phase of growth.

“I’m thrilled to join AlixLabs and contribute to a team that’s redefining the future of semiconductor manufacturing,” said Per-Anders Eriksson. “The company’s innovative approach to patterning opens up significant opportunities for more cost-efficient and scalable chip production. I look forward to working with the team to deliver on its bold vision.”

“We are excited to welcome Per-Anders to AlixLabs,” said Jonas Sundqvist, CEO of AlixLabs. “His leadership, strategic acumen, and industry experience will be invaluable as we transition from R&D to commercial engagement with global partners. Not only will Eriksson boost our work with APS™ for leading edge logic and memory production, his experience in silicon carbide will also be an asset for our power electronics applications as we look to support EU’s green transition with our technologies.”

Founded in Lund, Sweden, AlixLabs is at the forefront of enabling next-generation semiconductor manufacturing through its patented APS™ technology, which allows for reduced complexity and cost in advanced node fabrication.

Swedish semiconductor startup’s APS™ patent portfolio continues to grow with new U.S. patent, marking the company’s 10^th pending global patent.

Stockholm, Sweden – May 6^th, 2025 – AlixLabs is excited to announce that the US Patent and Trademark Office has issued the notice of allowance for the company’s latest patent application, US20250087487A1, titled Formation of an array of nanostructures. This milestone marks the next step in AlixLabs’ commitment to advancing semiconductor manufacturing technologies.

Internally referred to as the “Tetris” patent, in honor of Alexey Pajitnov, the new patent integrates self-aligned double patterning (SADP) with atomic layer etching (ALE)-based pitch splitting (APS™) technology. This innovative approach, being industrialized by AlixLabs since its founding in 2019, combines elements of both classical and leading-edge techniques to deliver superior performance for semiconductor manufacturing.

The invention arose from AlixLabs’ efforts to develop a process for precise sidewall angle control in APS™, a key component in silicon-based processes. By leveraging plasma etch process selectivity and combining features from complex plasma processes, AlixLabs has pioneered a method that blends the traditional SADP process with the advanced APS technology.

This allows the company to utilize mature industrial technologies while benefiting from the advanced control and improved performance of cyclic processes and topographical selectivity. As a result, AlixLabs’ solution offers semiconductor manufacturers an enhanced ability to address the challenges of patterning at sub-5 nm nodes.

This breakthrough is significant for the integration of APS™ technology into existing semiconductor production workflows, preserving the use of existing Process Design Kits (PDKs) which are essential tools for chip designers. By doing so, it reduces the barrier for APS adoption in high-volume manufacturing (HVM), easing the transition to next-generation semiconductor technologies.

The patented innovation provides semiconductor manufacturers with greater flexibility, offering a new way to fine-tune the APS™ process to meet the needs to cut capital and operational expenditure (CapEx and OpEx) as well as emissions for customers at advanced technology nodes, while allowing for broader compatibility with different materials. This new method further strengthens AlixLabs’ core APS™ patent portfolio, positioning the company as a leading enabler of next-generation semiconductor manufacturing.

Moreover, this invention not only supports the development of leading-edge logic, memory, and photonics but also simplifies the semiconductor manufacturing process by reducing CapEx and OpEx for semiconductor fabs.

“We remain committed to advancing semiconductor manufacturing with innovations that significantly enhance the precision, flexibility, and efficiency of our technologies,” commented Dmitry Suyatin, co-founder and CTO of AlixLabs. “This patent represents a critical step forward in our mission to drive the next generation of semiconductor processes and further solidify our position as a leader in the field.”

Atomic Layer Etching Pitch Splitting (APS) proven on more industry-leading wafers, doubling fin density and proving flexibility without EUV.

Austin, TX, USA/Stockholm, Sweden – April 10^th, 2025 – AlixLabs AB, a Swedish semiconductor startup specializing in Atomic Layer Etching (ALE), today demonstrates the latest in its line of groundbreaking development in advanced chip fabrication unveiling additional research into its novel semiconductor manufacturing process known as APS™ (Atomic Layer Etching Pitch Splitting) capable of doubling fin density while introducing the unprecedented flexibility to vary pitch and critical dimensions within the same wafer area.

Proven on 300-millimeter wafers provided by United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), the APS™ technology successfully halved pitch compared to current industry benchmarks. This significant advancement was achieved entirely without relying on expensive and energy-intensive Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography.

Instead, APS™ leverages advanced etching techniques that substantially enhance sustainability, drastically reducing energy consumption without compromising throughput. Previous demonstrations of the APS™ process, validated through Intel’s Test Vehicle Program[1], confirmed its potential by achieving metal pitches as small as 25 nanometers.

“Today we are sharing more proof that the APS™ process can be a game changer for leading foundries. Thanks to UMC, we have been able to verify our process on production wafers that are shipped in quantities measured in millions of wafers annually,” said Dr. Robin Athle, Principal Researcher at AlixLabs. “Our mission is to create equipment that allows companies that don’t have access to EUV tools to scale down their production to 5 nanometer and beyond. By eliminating the dependency on EUV lithography, we are offering the industry a path towards more sustainable and economically feasible high-density chip production.”

Detailed results from AlixLabs’ UMC wafer tests and further insights into APS™ technology will be presented at the 2025 CMC Conference, scheduled for April 10th in Austin, Texas. Dr. Athle’s presentation “Atomic Layer Etching Pitch Splitting (APS™): a New Alternative to Multi Patterning” will be held at 4:00 PM at the Bergstrom Ballroom in Hilton Austin Airport Hotel.

[1] https://www.alixlabs.com/2025/02/07/alixlabs-to-showcase-latest-aps-findings-at-spie-advanced-lithography-patterning/

Swedish semiconductor startup to demonstrate 3-nanometer class FinFET structures made with APS™ on Intel Silicon at trade show.

Stockholm, Sweden – February 7^th, 2025 – AlixLabs AB, a Swedish semiconductor startup specializing in Atomic Layer Etching (ALE), announces that it has used its APS™ (ALE Pitch Splitting) technology to etch structures corresponding to commercial 3-nanometer semiconductor processes on test silicon provided by Intel. The results will be shared in full by CTO and co-founder Dmitry Suyatin at the SPIE Advanced Lithography + Patterning trade show in San Jose, California, 23–27 February.

“We are excited to demonstrate how APS™ can help the industry lessen its reliance on multi-patterning solutions in Silicon Valley, while lowering costs and environmental impact. Our tech has been able to produce sub-10-nanometer class features on silicon, and with the help of Intel’s Test Vehicle Program we have proven that sub-5-nanometer class features are possible on mass-production silicon by just etching,” says Dmitry Suyatin, CTO and co-founder of AlixLabs.

AlixLabs APS™ achieved a 25 nm full metal pitch, comparable to 3-nanometer class technology from the leading foundries, on the Intel Low Global Warming Potential Etch Test Vehicle. This is a major milestone on the company’s road to commercialization, with further news to follow later in 2025.

“APS™ proves that there’s no need for complex multi-patterning like SADP and SAQP to produce 5 nanometer chips and beyond. It extends the potential of immersion lithography for use with critical mask layers for even 3-nanometer processes,” says Jonas Sundqvist, CEO and co-founder of AlixLabs. “These results were produced with our alpha tool, with a beta tool to follow later in 2025. We wish to thank Intel for providing leading-edge grade test silicon for this demonstration.”

For more information on the latest APS™ developments at SPIE Advanced Lithography + Patterning, make sure to attend Dmitry Suyatin’s presentation on February 27^th, at 9:00–9:20 AM (PST).

Swedish semiconductor startup and leading Swedish university to explore joint research in gallium nitride (GaN) and indium nitride (InN).

Stockholm, Sweden – February 4^th, 2024 – AlixLabs AB, a Swedish semiconductor startup specializing in Atomic Layer Etching (ALE), announces that it has entered a research collaboration with Linköping University. The company and the university will join forces in furthering Swedish research into gallium nitride (GaN) and indium nitride (InN) deposition and etch, strengthening not only their own respective expertise in RF and power electronics but also aligning with the Swedish semiconductor sector.

“Our goal is to widen our research portfolio beyond deposition to etching, which is AlixLabs’ specialty,” says Henrik Pedersen, professor in inorganic chemistry at Linköping University. “During our initial research phase, we found that we have the same plasma etch equipment in our university labs as AlixLabs has at its home base in Lund, meaning we can run research in parallel. We look forward to exchanging information and know-how, especially in an all-Swedish collaboration.”

The resulting research will help strengthen AlixLabs’ offering within RF and power semiconductors, a field the EU has labeled as critical for its climate goals. It is a participant in the GaN-centered, Infineon-led, All2GaN project which underpins the union’s ambitions to achieve climate neutrality by the year 2050.

“We are excited about partnering up with the team at Linköping University and Professor Pedersen, a renowned researcher in the atomic layer deposition (ALD) and semiconductor chemistry space. Our goal is to find ways to qualify our processes for use in materials beyond silicon and we found significant synergies between our labs with regards to GaN and InN,” says Jonas Sundqvist, CEO and co-founder of AlixLabs.

Beyond leading-edge semiconductors, for which AlixLabs’ flagship APS™ process caters, the power electronics market is expected to grow significantly until the end of the decade, with Yolé Developpement forecasting an annual growth of revenue from power GaN devices of over 40 percent through 2029.

“Our etching processes have found a lot of interest among clients in the power electronics field. Ideally, our processes will have something to offer all players, no matter which semiconductor material they wish to process,” concludes Sundqvist.

SEMICON Japan starts today, and AlixLabs is of course in the midst of the action. You will find our team in the EU Pavillion, booth 7201, where our COO and R&D Manager Amin Karimi and our business developers Rob Cadman and Masanori Sakuuchi.

Be sure to stop by for the latest info on APS™ and to hear the progress on our 300-millimeter equipment for the process. The show runs through Friday, December 13th.

For more info on AlixLabs at Semicon Japan 2024, see our announcement.

Swedish semiconductor startup premieres 300-millimeter APS™ for advanced logic and memory, steps up business development efforts in Japan.

Stockholm, Sweden – November 27^th, 2024 – AlixLabs AB, a Swedish semiconductor startup specializing in Atomic Layer Etching (ALE), announces its participation at SEMICON Japan 2024, marking the public debut for the company’s 300-millimeter wafer process chamber. Its Made in Sweden APS™ (ALE Pitch Splitting) tools are aimed at allowing the semiconductor industry to scale down to sub-7-nanometer manufacturing processes in a more sustainable way, and is positioned as an alternative to costly double patterning or EUV (extreme ultraviolet) solutions.

AlixLabs APS™ is designed to reduce the cost of leading-edge manufacturing, sub-7-nanometer, where feature sizes of less than 20 nanometers are required. An estimated cost saving of up to 40 percent per mask layer can be achieved with APS™ rather than relying on EUV lithography, and complex self-aligned multi patterning schemes.

“As our 300-millimeter tool is being put through its paces in our lab, we look forward to demonstrating it for Japanese clients. Japan is investing heavily in revitalizing its semiconductor industry and once again becoming a leading-edge player in the business. With APS™ we can help make this happen at lower costs up front as well as during mass production, while we lower the carbon footprint of the production,” says Amin Karimi, COO and R&D Manager at AlixLabs. “At the show, I’m personally looking forward to meeting existing and prospective clients and being part of the Japanese semiconductor buzz. We have a lot of interest from Japanese clients, and it’s the place to be for us.”

APS™ and the Made in Sweden tools associated with it can already create 20-nanometer half-pitch lines and critical dimensions below 15 nanometers on silicon and 3 nanometers on gallium phosphide. It also has numerous applications for power electronics, including precision etching and surface cleaning, each allowing for improved electrical performance than conventional methods in use today.

AlixLabs’ goal is to supply leading semiconductor manufacturers, in both logic and memory segments. At SEMICON Japan, it will be represented by COO and R&D Manager Amin Karimi in the EU Pavilion.

Funds awarded from Swedish innovation agency’s “Acceleration of deep tech companies 2024” call

Stockholm, Sweden – November 18^th, 2024 – AlixLabs AB, a Swedish startup pioneering advanced semiconductor solutions, has been granted 4 MSEK in funding from Swedish innovation agency Vinnova, equivalent to approximately 345,000 EUR. The funding is spread out over three years with 658,000 SEK (~56,000 EUR) credited immediately, with the remainder to follow over the coming three years. The funds will help AlixLabs’ further its APS™ technology to a higher Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and strengthen customer engagement efforts.

The funding is part of Vinnova’s initiative to accelerate deep tech companies, recognizing the potential of AlixLabs’ APS™ technology to enable cost-efficient Ångström-level scaling for the semiconductor industry.

“We are always pleased to receive recognition and state support for our efforts to scale up our business and commercialize 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 300-millimeter 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 2 nanometers and beyond.”

AlixLabs’ offering includes its APS™ technology (Atomic Layer Etch Pitch Splitting) that already allows for etching of feature sizes comparable to those of today’s 3-nanometer 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 Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Silicon Carbide (SiC) workflows, with pattern transfer, precision etching and surface roughness reduction for wafers.

“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 commercialization 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 our solutions, paving the way for broader industry adoption and reinforcing AlixLabs’ commitment to delivering innovative, cost-effective scaling solutions for semiconductor manufacturing.