xLight provides a particle‑accelerator‑driven free electron laser that replaces traditional laser‑produced plasma EUV sources, delivering up to four times the photon flux while remaining compatible with existing ASML scanners. The system powers up to 20 scanners over a 30‑year lifespan, eliminates consumable gases, and reduces per‑wafer energy and water use by up to eightfold, lowering capital and operating costs for high‑volume semiconductor fabs.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Current extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography relies on laser‑produced plasma (LPP) sources that deliver only about 25 % of the photon flux required for next‑generation patterning. The limited power constrains feature scaling, reduces wafer throughput, and forces fabs to incur high capital and operating costs, including consumables and substantial power and water usage.
Solution
xLight replaces LPP sources with a particle‑accelerator‑driven free electron laser (FEL) that generates up to four times the EUV power while remaining fully backward‑compatible with existing ASML scanner platforms. The FEL’s programmable light characteristics enable finer wavelength control, supporting both current and future lithography nodes. A single FEL system can service up to 20 scanners over a 30‑year lifetime, delivering higher productivity and yield while cutting capital and operating expenditures by more than threefold. The design eliminates consumable gases such as tin and hydrogen and reduces per‑wafer energy and water consumption by up to eight times, improving both sustainability and equipment availability.
Target Audience
Primary customers are high‑volume semiconductor manufacturers that operate EUV lithography lines and seek to extend Moore’s Law while reducing cost and environmental impact.
Features
- Particle‑accelerator‑driven free electron laser delivering ≥4× EUV photon flux compared with LPP sources
- Direct, plug‑and‑play integration with existing ASML EUV scanners (backward‑compatible interface)
- Capacity to support up to 20 scanners per FEL unit with a projected 30‑year service life
- Programmable wavelength and pulse parameters for current and next‑generation lithography processes
- Consumable‑free operation (no tin or hydrogen gases), eliminating supply‑chain and handling costs
- Energy‑efficient architecture achieving up to 8× lower power usage and 5× lower water consumption per wafer
- Proven technology foundation derived from decades of U.S. national laboratory research and engineering