It seems like the US chip industry is going through a 'massive' revolution, and with that, a startup, Substrate, has decided to tap into the lithography segment, which ASML heavily dominates.
Substrate Intends to Utilize X-Rays Over EUV For Lithography, Claiming It To Be a Cheaper Alternative
When it comes to chip lithography equipment, the US is entirely dependent on companies like ASML, as the nation lacks a domestic technology that can rival the Dutch chipmaker. However, in a new report by Bloomberg, it seems like there's a startup by the name of 'Substrate' out there that plans to end the reliance of American chipmakers on ASML, and this involves building up lithography equipment that rivals ASML's EUV machines, but instead of using the traditional extreme ultraviolet light, Substrate plans to leverage shorter-wavelength X-rays generated by a particle accelerator.
The introduction of 'shiny, new techniques' in the industry is often met with a mix of optimism and skepticism, and the case of Substrate is quite similar as well. The company plans to offer a domestic EUV alternative to the US, which employs X-rays instead of EUV light, and we will discuss the implementation in depth ahead. The startup has raised $100 million, with investors including Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, achieving a $1 billion valuation based solely on the concept of advanced lithography tools.
Substrate claims that it can reduce the costs of employing ASML's EUV equipment with its unique technique, and the firm has already showcased its technology to the media, with experts labeling it an impressive pursuit. Diving into the core of the implementation, Substrate plans to utilize X-ray, which has a shorter wavelength than the 13.5 nm EUV, allowing for a more robust multi-patterning. The startup claims that it has managed to dramatically reduce chip lithography costs by employing a robust mask/resist flow.
However, the success of Substrate lies in whether the startup can manage to implement the X-ray technique with HVM of chips, and due to how mature EUV has become in the industry, the startup could find it difficult to get adoption of its techniques early on. It's a great move when it comes to giving the American chip industry something 'domestic' in the lithography segment, but the claim of reducing dependency on ASML is far-fetched, at least for now.
About the author: Muhammad Zuhair is a hardware and technology reporter for Wccftech, specializing in the semiconductor industry and the complex interplay between technology, manufacturing, and geopolitics. His coverage focuses on the corporate strategies and technological roadmaps of industry giants like TSMC, NVIDIA, Samsung, and Intel. Zuhair's expertise lies in deconstructing complex topics such as fabrication nodes (e.g., 2nm process), the economic impact of policies like the CHIPS Act, and the strategic development of AI infrastructure from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel.
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