News: Suppliers
8 April 2024
EU Intellectual Property Office grants trademark registration for AlixLabs’ APS process
Atomic layer etching (ALE) specialist AlixLabs AB of Stockholm, Sweden (which was spun off from Lund University in 2019) says that the European Union Intellectual Property Office has granted a certification of registration for its trademark APS (ALE Pitch Splitting). APS describes the company’s process that aims to enable the production of chips at Ångström scale at lower cost and energy use.
“We are nearing commercialization of our technology on 300mm (12-inch) silicon wafers,” notes CEO Jonas Sundqvist. “We have been etching transistor fins since 2019, and within the upcoming quarters we will have fully validated the APS process on 300mm wafers with new equipment developed by our fellow countrymen at Nanovac.”
Having previously demonstrated APS on bulk silicon, AlixLabs aims to install the new Nanovac-developed equipment this summer. Once up and running, the goal is to finalize a commercial APS process that can be licensed to leading-edge semiconductor manufacturers to enable cheaper, more energy-efficient and sustainable production of advanced chips.
“This 300mm wafer tool combines our deep industry knowledge with practical design innovations, aiming to offer improved precision and efficiency in semiconductor manufacturing,” says Nanovac’s founder & CEO Thomas Engstedt. “It’s a disruptive step forward for atomic layer etching and APS processing, setting a solid foundation for future advancements by employing modular design concepts.”
APS is the first trademark of AlixLabs, joining the company’s growing portfolio of patents related to the APS process that includes one EU, two US and two Taiwanese patents.
First European patent for AlixLabs’ Atomic Layer Etch Pitch Splitting technique
AlixLabs granted second US patent for Atomic Layer Etch Pitch Splitting (APS)
