October 1, 2026
AlixLabs begins APS™ technology evaluation within the NanoIC pilot line
Lund, Sweden – October 1, 2026 – AlixLabs AB, a Swedish semiconductor equipment company developing Atomic Layer Etch Pitch Splitting (APS™), starts a six-month evaluation project to assess the potential of its APS™ technology for advanced semiconductor patterning within the NanoIC pilot line, coordinated by imec. The project will evaluate the technology in an advanced pilot manufacturing environment.
The evaluation will examine the performance of AlixLabs’ APS™ technology. The project will combine AlixLabs’ atomic layer etch-based pitch splitting process with imec’s advanced lithography, process integration and metrology capabilities, made available through the infrastructure of the NanoIC pilot line.
APS™ is a pitch-splitting process in which pre-patterned structures are selectively divided to create two lines from one original feature, doubling pattern density. The process uses atomic layer etching to provide highly controlled material removal and is intended to reduce the number of process steps compared with conventional multiple-patterning approaches such as litho-etch-litho-etch, self-aligned double patterning and self-aligned quadruple patterning.
For the evaluation, imec will prepare line-and-space structures with feature sizes comparable to some of the most advanced semiconductor processes in production today. The structures will be characterized before being sent to AlixLabs for APS™ process development. AlixLabs will initially develop and assess the process on coupons before transferring selected process conditions to full wafers.
The resulting structures will be evaluated against key semiconductor patterning metrics including critical dimension and critical dimension uniformity, line-edge and line-width roughness, pitch walking, profile and recess, and stochastic defectivity. Following APS™ processing, full wafers will be returned to imec for characterization using imec’s metrology and methodology baselines.
“This evaluation gives AlixLabs the opportunity to assess APSTM in a highly relevant and rigorous semiconductor pilot line environment,” said Jonas Sundqvist, CEO of AlixLabs. “The strategic value for us is the ability to generate data using imec’s established expertise, metrology and process methodology. It is an important step in demonstrating where APSTM can contribute within advanced patterning and in advancing our role in the European semiconductor technology ecosystem.”
The project marks a further step in AlixLabs’ transition from development of APS™ as a novel patterning concept toward evaluation within advanced semiconductor process flows. AlixLabs aims to generate performance data across both process-development structures and full wafers.
“The NanoIC Pilot Line is designed to help innovative semiconductor technologies mature in an advanced pilot manufacturing environment. Our collaboration with AlixLabs combines its APS™ technology with imec’s expertise in lithography, process integration, and metrology to assess the potential of a novel patterning approach using industry-relevant metrics. This project highlights the value of ecosystem collaboration in accelerating innovation, reducing development risk, and strengthening Europe’s semiconductor technology leadership,” said Giuseppe Fiorentino, Program Manager at imec.
Looking ahead, this evaluation represents an important step toward AlixLabs’ longer-term objective of deploying its Sax Forma APS™ platform into high-volume manufacturing (HVM) environments. This next level of validation at imec has also been specifically requested by several potential customers as part of their assessment of APS™ and its readiness for integration into advanced semiconductor manufacturing.
AlixLabs intends to use the resulting process data, integration understanding and full-wafer performance evidence to advance APS™ from technology evaluation toward industrial qualification. Successful results would provide an important foundation for the next phase of development, including further process integration, equipment qualification and direct engagement with semiconductor manufacturers as AlixLabs works toward bringing APS™ into HVM.
About the project
This work was enabled by the NanoIC pilot line. The acquisition and operation are jointly funded by the Chips Joint Undertaking, through the European Union’s Digital Europe (101183266) and Horizon Europe programs (101183277), as well as by the participating states Belgium (Flanders), France, Germany, Finland, Ireland and Romania. For more information, visit nanoic-project.eu.
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 Atomic Pitch Splitting, leveraging ALE (Atomic Layer Etching), a plasma-based dry etching cyclic methodology. For more details, please visit www.alixlabs.com
August 28, 2026
AlixLabs Sax Forma Beta Chamber Enters Final Assembly at VDL Projects
Lund, Sweden – August 28, 2026 – AlixLabs AB, a semiconductor equipment company specializing in advanced etch and patterning technologies, today announced that the assembly of its first Sax Forma Beta tool for Atomic Pitch Splitting, APS™, has commenced at VDL Projects, The Netherlands.
This milestone keeps AlixLabs on track to install the Sax Forma Beta tool in its own cleanroom by the end of 2026, enabling beta testing of APS™ for customers and partners.
The second Beta tool will enter the assembly phase as well before the end of this year. These developments are part of AlixLabs’ continued transition from technology validation toward deeper customer engagement, process integration, and industrial equipment deployment. Following the launch of Sax Forma, AlixLabs’ first commercially available APS™ System, the Sax Forma Beta tools represent the next step in preparing APS™ for evaluation in mass production environments.
“Starting the assembly of the Sax Forma Beta tool is an important commercial milestone for AlixLabs,” said Jonas Sundqvist, CEO at AlixLabs. “It means we are moving from demonstrating the core APS capability toward beta testing with customers where we can return contamination free wafers to the customer pilot lines and actual fabs. This is critical for process integration, showcasing manufacturing value, and the role APS can play in reducing patterning complexity and cutting cost for advanced semiconductor manufacturing.”
APS™ is designed as a complementary patterning system inserted downstream of established lithography-based process flows, including DUV, EUV, and nanoimprint lithography (NIL). By enabling controlled pitch splitting after the initial pattern has been defined, APS™ can increase pattern density without subsequent passes of lithography.
The Sax Forma Beta tools are being industrialized together with industry heavyweight VDL Projects, AlixLabs’ partner for system integration and high-tech equipment manufacturing. VDL Projects is supporting the transition of APS™ from advanced R&D and process validation into industrial equipment, drawing on its experience in design, engineering, realization, and scale-up of first-of-a-kind systems.
“Completing the design and engineering of the first-of-a-kind APS™ equipment on schedule has been a tremendous challenge,” said Sorin Stan, Senior Director for Emerging Technologies at VDL Projects. “We did not experience a single week of delay, which preserved the overall planning for the realization phase. The manufacturing and procurement of parts, the assembly currently underway, and the testing before shipment have been planned with half-day accuracy. This showcases our extensive experience in enabling ambitious, accelerated growth of both small and large companies at times when novel equipment is paramount to their success.”
Once installed in AlixLabs’ cleanroom, the Sax Forma Beta tools will support automated production-like APS™ demonstrations for customer evaluation, integration work, and validation on industry-relevant silicon design for logic and memory products at the advanced technology nodes. The beta testing will help semiconductor manufacturers assess how APS™ can be integrated into existing manufacturing flows while preserving fab infrastructure and reducing patterning complexity.
The Sax Forma Beta tools also support AlixLabs’ longer-term equipment roadmap, with additional deliveries scheduled for customers in 2027. The Beta tools also form an important step toward the company’s planned final high-volume manufacturing (HVM) Gamma platform targeted for 2028.
With the Sax Forma Beta tools now in full assembly, AlixLabs continues to advance APS™ toward commercial adoption as a semiconductor equipment platform for the Ångström era.
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 Atomic Pitch Splitting, leveraging ALE (Atomic Layer Etching), a plasma-based dry etching cyclic methodology. For more details, please visit www.alixlabs.com.
About VDL Projects
As part of VDL Groep of The Netherlands, VDL Projects has a proven track record in supporting innovative companies in the transition from the feasibility to the design, engineering, and realization of their equipment. With all needed expertise under one roof, VDL Projects scales up the equipment manufacturing from first-of-a-kind units to batch manufacturing, and further to turnkey realization of complex production lines. VDL Groep is an industrial conglomerate headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. It was founded in 1953 and consists currently of more than 100 specialized companies employing together more than 14,000 employees in 20 countries and operating in several industrial sectors. For more details, please visit https://www.vdlgroep.com/en.
August 6, 2026
AlixLabs Expands Footprint at RISE ProNano in Lund by 400 Square Meters
New capacity supports continued commercialization of APS™ technology and expanded beta testing for semiconductor customers.
LUND, Sweden — August 6, 2026 — AlixLabs AB, a Swedish semiconductor technology company pioneering Atomic Pitch Splitting, APS™, today announced that it is expanding its cleanroom space at the Lund-based RISE ProNano lab by 400 square meters.
The expansion is part of AlixLabs’ continuous growth plan as the company advances from technology development toward commercialization. The additional cleanroom capacity will provide AlixLabs with more space to install, qualify and operate equipment for customer-facing beta activities, including semiconductor wafer processing and process validation for leading semiconductor clients.
A central part of the expansion is preparation for the company’s APS Beta platform, which is expected to become operational in the second half of 2026. The platform will allow AlixLabs to run more extensive beta tests with semiconductor customers and support the transition of APS™ from pilot-scale development toward commercial manufacturing use cases.
“Expanding our cleanroom footprint at RISE ProNano is a significant step in our commercialization roadmap,” said Jonas Sundqvist, CEO of AlixLabs “The additional 400 square meters give us the infrastructure needed to scale our beta activities, support customer evaluations and demonstrate the value of APS™ in a production-relevant environment.”
AlixLabs’ APS™ technology is designed to enable advanced semiconductor patterning through a fast atomic layer etching (ALE) process, creating extremely small and precise structures while reducing process complexity. By expanding its cleanroom capacity, the company is strengthening its ability to support semiconductor customers as they evaluate new approaches to future chip manufacturing.
The expansion also reinforces AlixLabs’ long-term presence in Lund’s semiconductor ecosystem. Based at RISE ProNano, AlixLabs benefits from access to advanced infrastructure, process expertise and a collaborative environment designed to support the scaling of next-generation semiconductor technologies.
“This expansion is not only about more space,” added Sundqvist. “It is about building the operational foundation required for commercialization. With the APS™ Beta platform coming online later this year, we are creating the capacity needed to work more closely with customers and accelerate the path toward industrial adoption.”
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 Atomic Pitch Splitting, leveraging ALE (Atomic Layer Etching), a plasma-based dry etching cyclic methodology. For more details, please visit www.alixlabs.com.
June 23, 2026
AlixLabs launches Sax Forma for the Ångström era
Lund, Sweden – June 23, 2026 – AlixLabs AB, a semiconductor equipment company specializing in advanced etch and patterning technologies, launched Sax Forma, an APS™ System, the company’s first commercially available equipment platform for Atomic Pitch Splitting (APS).
The launch marks AlixLabs’ transition from technology validation toward customer engagement, process integration, and industrial equipment deployment. Sax Forma is designed to bring APS™ into advanced semiconductor manufacturing flows, where continued scaling increasingly depends on reducing patterning complexity.
“With Sax Forma, we are taking APS from validated technology to a commercially available equipment platform,” said Jonas Sundqvist, CEO at AlixLabs. “This is an important step for AlixLabs as we begin deeper customer engagement around how APS can be integrated into existing manufacturing flows and support the industry’s continued scaling roadmap.”
Patterning has become one of the most cost-sensitive and technically demanding areas of advanced chip production, as scaling increasingly requires multi-patterning, additional process loops, and tighter control of critical dimensions, overlay, film thickness, and profile. APS addresses this challenge as a complementary patterning system inserted downstream of established lithography-based process flows, including DUV, EUV, and nanoimprint lithography.
By increasing pattern density without requiring a new lithography platform, APS enables fabs to reduce patterning complexity while preserving existing fab infrastructure and manufacturing investments.
Sax Forma builds on APS demonstrations using industry-relevant silicon, including 300 mm silicon wafers from UMC and Intel FinFET test silicon. On the Intel test silicon, APS reduced the half-pitch from 25 nanometers to 12.5 nanometers, demonstrating performance relevant to geometries associated with the 3-nanometer class. In laboratory settings, AlixLabs has also shown that sequential APS processing can enable further half-pitch reduction, pointing toward future scaling as the industry moves toward 2-nanometer, Ångström-class nodes, and beyond.
Together, these demonstrations support AlixLabs’ core claim: that APS can enable controlled half-pitch refinement in dense, line-based patterning layers without relying on repeated spacer-based process loops.
“APS is designed to complement lithography by adding a controlled pitch-splitting step after the initial pattern has been defined,” said Amin Karimi, CTO at AlixLabs. “The objective is to reduce patterning complexity while preserving compatibility with established process flows. That integration model is central to how we see APS being adopted by semiconductor manufacturers.”
Sax Forma is being industrialized together with VDL ETG Projects, AlixLabs’ partner for system integration and high-tech equipment manufacturing. Building on the collaboration announced earlier this year, VDL ETG Projects is supporting the transition of APS from advanced R&D and process validation into industrial equipment, drawing on its experience in design, engineering, realization, and scale-up from first-of-a-kind systems toward batch manufacturing.
AlixLabs has also built a strong and growing patent portfolio around APS and its equipment platform. The core APS principle is patent protected in key semiconductor markets including the EU, the United States, and Taiwan, while the company expects its process optimization work and hardware innovations to be covered by nine and eleven patent families, respectively, by the end of the year.
Sax Forma enters the market as AlixLabs’ Beta system, intended for customer evaluation, integration work, and validation in production-like environments. As the first commercially available APS equipment platform, it forms the basis for the company’s planned Gamma platform, targeted for 2028.
With Sax Forma, AlixLabs is bringing APS to market as a semiconductor equipment platform that offers a solution to one of the industry’s central scaling challenges: reducing patterning complexity on the path toward the Ångström era.
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.
May 7, 2026
AlixLabs to host APS™ System Launch Event in Eindhoven on June 4
Lund, Sweden – May 7th, 2026 – AlixLabs will host the official launch event for its APS™ (Atomic Pitch Splitting) System, gathering guests from across the semiconductor ecosystem at High Tech Campus Eindhoven in the Netherlands.
The event marks an important milestone in AlixLabs’ transition from technology validation toward industrial deployment, as the company moves to introduce APS™ as a new patterning approach for advanced semiconductor manufacturing.
As advanced semiconductor manufacturing faces increasing challenges related to patterning complexity, process cost and manufacturability, APS™ has been developed to enable advanced pitch division through Atomic Layer Etching-based integration schemes aimed at simplifying multi-patterning flows and reducing process complexity in advanced semiconductor manufacturing.
During the event, AlixLabs will present the APS™ system architecture, recent development progress and the broader industrial implications of the technology, including process integration, manufacturability and future scaling opportunities.
“APS™ has been developed with manufacturability and industrial scalability in mind from the beginning,” said Jonas Sundqvist, CEO and Founder of AlixLabs. “This event represents an important step as we continue expanding our ecosystem engagement and move toward future industrial implementation.”
The APS™ System Launch Event will take place on June 4, 2026 at High Tech Campus Eindhoven in the Netherlands, with registration opening at 15:00 CEST and the main program running from 16:00 to 18:00, followed by networking.
Event details:
Date: June 4, 2026
- Location: High Tech Campus Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Registration opens: 15:00 CEST
- Main program: 16:00–18:00 CEST
- Networking session: 18:00 onwards
Due to limited venue capacity, registration is required. Additional information and registration details are available here:
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.